It's very depressing how...

[Zohar_Lahar]

The entire point is that what you consider fun and worth it isn't the same as someone else. It doesn't matter how trivial you think it is. For some people the capped level gear is reason enough. And if you think higher level gear doesn't make fights easier then you're living in a dreamworld. It always helps make healing less intense due to more HP and higher potency heals, tanks have more HP to take big hits, and dps beat damage checks easier. The 130 gear most certainly is very useful for the "team jump rope" fights in the coil. The difference between a team at 120 and 130 is palpable. Will it override the need to do mechanics? No, that would be silly and might the fights pointless. Does it make them easier? Yes. It absolutely does.

Okay then, tell me this: how much stronger will Sacred Soil's damage mitigation be with average item level 130+ and all the MND we can get? Answer carefully.

[NyarukoW]

Okay then, tell me this: how much stronger will Sacred Soil's damage mitigation be with average item level 130+ and all the MND we can get? Answer carefully.

You are only going to be happy when it gives people invulnerability. So it doesn't matter. But a tick more may mean the difference of surviving the megaflare right at heavensfall when a player has weakness is a big difference maker.

[Tiggy]

Okay then, tell me this: how much stronger will Sacred Soil's damage mitigation be with average item level 130+ and all the MND we can get? Answer carefully.

Okay then. How much should a SINGLE ability of the scholar be used to determine how useful gear is for every other class and most abilities in the game? Answer carefully. Pointing out this one scholar skill changes nothing about what I said. It's one specific ability that won't be affected. How about the scholars other spells? Physic certainly gets stronger. So by the merit alone your point is pointless.

You are only going to be happy when it gives people invulnerability. So it doesn't matter. But a tick more may mean the difference of surviving the megaflare right at heavensfall when a player has weakness is a big difference maker.

Nyaruko really nailed it here. Sacred Soil won't change but it's that little bit from other skills and improved HP pools that make the difference.
Nyaruko, have we entered the twilight zone? I've seen us on the same page in a couple of threads lately. Mind blown right?

[Zohar_Lahar]

Okay then. How much should a SINGLE ability of the scholar be used to determine how useful gear is for every other class and most abilities in the game? Answer carefully. Pointing out this one scholar skill changes nothing about what I said. It's one specific ability that won't be affected. How about the scholars other spells? Physic certainly gets stronger. So by the merit alone your point is pointless.

Enough to make sure there's no chance of getting derailed because someone else keeps tripping on the team jump rope mechanics. What good is doing end game content if people just rage quit and flail around, and I can't do anything about it, no matter how much I try to learn fight mechanics? It's all luck based; I only cleared Twintania because I had the fortune of a group offering to carry people for Soldiery bonuses. Every other attempt failed in ways that I was powerless to prevent.

[NyarukoW]

...It's all luck based; I only cleared Twintania because I had the fortune of a group offering to carry people for Soldiery bonuses. Every other attempt failed in ways that I was powerless to prevent.

It is so not lucky based. The coil fights are tightly scripted with limited RNG windows for the boss mechanics. You don't clear them without putting in the time an effort to recruit, organize, and coordinate, and practice. You got lucky because someone else put in all that effort outside of T5 and just need someone to provide soldiery bonus. This challenge only get harder with more current content, and probably harder than the boss itself, especially with the attitude of people not wanting newer players, being all exclusive and all.

The thing is if you give up on other too quickly like in less than 50 wipes, you should expect treatment of the same which make this problem even harder. It take time to find, create, maintain a static that can tackle some of the newest/hardest content. Sometimes you discover DPS or gear checks that the group is not geared up for and you need to go help the group farm for upgrades. You need to take the long view, and by helping others you help yourself. Wipes and fail are normal, you may be powerless to prevent those because people need the time to learn and space to practice, but you have the power to patient and inclusive and help them overcome those and over time you will have helped group earn the clear, for both you and them together. Bringing people together and playing together is good thing.

[Zohar_Lahar]

It is so not lucky based. The coil fights are tightly scripted with limited RNG windows for the boss mechanics. You don't clear them without putting in the time an effort to recruit, organize, and coordinate, and practice. You got lucky because someone else put in all that effort outside of T5 and just need someone to provide soldiery bonus. This challenge only get harder with more current content, and probably harder than the boss itself, especially with the attitude of people not wanting newer players, being all exclusive and all.

So you don't think there's something seriously wrong with the implementation of vertical progression, if T5 can still shut players down even with the most recent gear? We have item levels more than twice our (stagnant) max level. None of this makes any sense.

[Izsha]

My group can go in and beat t5 10 out of 10 times. By virtue of our gear and skill we can beat it every time. That's not luck at all. Raids success is based on the groups gear and skill. Duty finder randomly throws together players of different, wait for it, skill and gear. Duty finder is the random element in raiding, not the raid. YOU bring the rng to a raid with duty finder. That's your fault. If you grab bag random players you will have a random set of results. Consistent set of players, consistent (and slowly inproving) results.

And no it isn't a problem you can double the ilvl and die. Just because you ate a mushroom in Mario didn't mean you could fall off a cliff, but you could take litterally double the hits. If you can't jump properly no amount of stars and mushrooms will get you past Lv 1.1. Gear doesn't completely nullify EVERY mechanic and that's fine.

[Zohar_Lahar]

And no it isn't a problem you can double the ilvl and die. Just because you ate a mushroom in Mario didn't mean you could fall off a cliff, but you could take litterally double the hits. If you can't jump properly no amount of stars and mushrooms will get you past Lv 1.1. Gear doesn't completely nullify EVERY mechanic and that's fine.

So then I ask again: why does Augmented Ironworks matter so much if cheap boss mechanics can instant kill you because someone couldn't memorize the dance? Why all this drama over hunts, when i130 gear won't save you from Twisters, Heavensfall, or Landslide, much less turn you Super Saiyan and dominate Nael in a duel? Too much effort....too little gain.

They should have raised the level cap with 2.4, at least then we'd have new abilities and traits....not this stagnancy.

[NyarukoW]

So you don't think there's something seriously wrong with the implementation of vertical progression, if T5 can still shut players down even with the most recent gear?...

There is nothing "seriously wrong" with T5 being able to shut down players who do not learn the mechanics geared or otherwise. Is it the fault of the golf course where at hole 1 the average guy with the newest most advanced set of clubs always whiffs at the tee? Now multiply that by 4 say the group is doing best ball for team play, like a company team building exercise, it is just a random group of new players. One shanks left into the drink, the other hooks right into the bunker, and the last guys sends ball backwards. Nope don't expect the group to make par. Gearing does not equal skill or knowledge.

[Izsha]

I run complex endgame raids with complete strangers and no matter my personal gear in an 8 man raid I still loose. Therefore gear has no purpose and raids are luck based.

Does that about sum it up?