Is this the road they will continue to take with items?

[Cutie_McSnuggles]

I will never understand the hate for vertical progression. (Though I'm sure you will all try and explain it to me) If I had to use the same gear for 6+ months I'd leave the game. I have to have something new to reach for.

[Magis]

I will never understand the hate for vertical progression. (Though I'm sure you will all try and explain it to me) If I had to use the same gear for 6+ months I'd leave the game. I have to have something new to reach for.

The point is not to have something not to reach for, that would just be stagnation (neither vertical or horizontal progression). It's to have something to reach for that doesn't negate the previous thing.

[Dwill]

The point is not to have something not to reach for, that would just be stagnation (neither vertical or horizontal progression). It's to have something to reach for that doesn't negate the previous thing.

That in itself is an illusion. There will always be something that is the best out there and that's what people will reach out for while ignoring what's inferior. So in the end, you're stuck with the same set of gear for months/years. Not so fun.

[ispano]

The point is not to have something not to reach for, that would just be stagnation (neither vertical or horizontal progression). It's to have something to reach for that doesn't negate the previous thing.

And that's the problem. If it doesn't negate the previous item, it's either useless, or only useful at certain times or places. Meaning you have to keep both. Or you just pick what you like, but then they can't balance the game well and it becomes overly easy or flat out broken.

Also, as others have said, the illusion of choice and theorycrafting the optimal pieces.

[Ooshima]

People always like to see new things. It is human nature. The majority is like that, you have to keep them entertained with new contents, new gear pieces, new glamour items etc.

BTW OP, JAN till now is about a good 8-9 months, how did you not expect any change to happen?

[Exstal]

I believe those who want horizontal progression want it to last for a year or two. I think that's foolish. I thought it was annoying in Aion that I just kept 2 sets of armour for 18 months because anything after it was minimally better or flat out worse than I had. No drive to do fights that the gear was worse than what you had.

[GalkaBikini]

It's to have something to reach for that doesn't negate the previous thing.

Uh.... Welcome to 30+ years of RPGs?

[Gardes]

I will never understand the hate for vertical progression. (Though I'm sure you will all try and explain it to me) If I had to use the same gear for 6+ months I'd leave the game. I have to have something new to reach for.

While vertical progression has its flaws, I'd rather go with that than be stuck with the same pieces of gear for years again.

Like wise, I will never understand people who get new release gear and then proceed to glamour old bikinis over them either. I would rather have old gear being relevant for a long time or having a hybrid system where old gear with desirable effects be relevant in MILD ilvl progression by having its ilvl and pure base stats upgrade-able by acquiring new items with sane drop rates from new content and being able to just glamour it over new fancier looking gear in other new content in case said new gear is proven to be inferior by theorycrafters, at which point SE can tweak those new effects on new gear with new looks to be more desirable.

As it is, the new gear argument for vertical progression seems weak to me because they all do nearly the same thing, just looking different. Following the hardcore theorycrafters argument also seems weak because the majority of players dont even read what's written in the game and most players don't even play in the pool where theorycrafting and min-maxing really matters. You only have yourself to blame if you feel like you're restricted to 'bis' sets instead of working with what you have and can get to make your own builds and skillsets when you aren't even playing in the same field as the extreme hardcores.

Unless what current arr players want are newer and stronger bikinis each patch...