I think it is time to admit the obvious - Echo is an insult to the average gamer.
While I do agree that old content must be easier to clear and hence it is easier to farm right now gear that requires tomes of Mythology, Echo acts as an obstacle rather than an enhancement.
Why is the fact of getting easier gear not the same help as receiving Echo? It is simple.- You still have to start from scratch and work your way through
- You still have to grind allot to obtain gear that requires tomes of Mythology
- You still have to learn boss fights
- You still have to be challenged
- You still need to understand the complexity of in-game mechanisms
Basically less grind (which in this case there is still significant grind) does not mean that the challenge is easier. It means that you still have to work and sweat but it will take less time to do so.
And how much different is that to Echo? Well let us look again at the bullet points. In short, - Echo promotes the most flawed idea that removes the challenge from the game, the idea that dying has no consequence because you will get the buff required to pass it through regardless of your performance.
- Echo being your pillar where no matter what happens, it will guarantee you the easy way out, does not actually help the player. It only pushes players that are not ready for the next challenge, to be moved to more complex and more difficult challengers.
- Echo in a way, is like a PvP buff where the losing team is unable to fight back and is granted a "pity buff" instead of relying on its own powers and capabilities. For someone to have an in-game buff after dying, it means the system considers you as someone who is not capable to learn, adapt and improve and that is why is an insult.
Echo in the big picture is not such a big deal, but it creates a type of culture that should expect to die and not be punished.
And that is exactly why Echo is counter-productive. It creates a system where players are not ready to progress further in the game because they have learned that it is "ok" to make a mistake because at the end of the day, Echo will help them pull through. If players do not learn to deal with situations accordingly, they will pass on the same problematic patterns or weaknesses to stronger parts of the game. It moves the problem to the next challenge and does not deal with it because the same players are bound to repeat the same mistakes if not more.
Everyone is capable of getting things done with practice. Practice makes you better.
These are my thoughts as a new player.
