Quote Originally Posted by Ablongman View Post
I don't disagree that Savage is not very popular outside of statics because of its reward scheme. I don't think that means gear is the only solution, because we've seen that's not true.
Savage mode was created for a specific reason and that was to offer extra challenge to those who want it. It's not very popular because in fact most players don't want challenge. But it's there for the few who do. There's a limit to how much you should try to herd people into doing what they don't like to do in a game. If it's designed to be highly challenging, then it shouldn't have exclusive rewards, because exclusive rewards would force everyone who wants those rewards into having to do Savage Mode whether they want to or not. That in turn forces nerfing "savage" mode to be accessible to everyone, at which point it no longer serves its purpose for the people it was originally designed for. This holds true regardless of whether those exclusive rewards are powerful gear, cosmetic gear, mounts, or whatever. So long as they're both desirable and exclusive, Savage mode won't stay savage.

What it can offer, however, is a faster way to get some of the rewards that would be a long grind or rarer drop elsewhere. That can provide some real reward for the people who do the harder version without forcing it on those who don't want to.