Required rank on all gear

[Oscillate_Wildly]

A lot of new looted gear will have the requirements. These pieces of gear will likely be the ones most coveted. Can't you be excited by that?
Optimal Rank, when not adhered to, can destroy your gear faster. D: But whether it's here, or not, it cannot help or hurt the system.
It benefits the system due to the need to change gear so often for repairs. By not blinking out of every piece of gear, you're saving the grief caused by changing classes quickly.
It can be WORKED ON.

The thing that bugs me most about this is no one is willing to discuss what could be done with the optimized rank system to make it shine.

If destruction of the system was not an option, how would you adjust it to benefit the game?

-I would make the harsh penalties a lot more clear in a visual manner through the UI while the gear is equipped. Much like how the stats on equipment while in Level Sync mode in XI were shown through red text.
-I would introduce benefits for wearing the gear as according to optimized rank in a set. This mainly to make gear sets like Harlequin have more value as a set, rather than piece by piece alone.
-Introduce a leeway system up to 2-3 ranks below optimized rank, increasing in stat benefits as you grow closer to the rank. This allows characters to wear their gear a small time before it's optimized, without having to carry around an unnecessary amount of gear. I would say 2 being ideal.


Since someone mentioned before during the alpha phase that inventory space was a problem, I don't see them removing the system as it stands. But there is room for improvement for it to work with the game. :/

[Jynx]

The thing that bugs me most about this is no one is willing to discuss what could be done with the optimized rank system to make it shine.

The thing is plenty of people have brought up these points but they generally are getting glossed over in favor of people who fear things changing in anyway. People are afraid they might add some more restrictions if they do anything to the system at all it appears.

While I would welcome more restrictions in any/way/shape/form. I'm willing to accept the developers don't share my viewpoint. I've brought up my points earlier in the thread many of them echo your points.

I just personally find it odd that the devlopers are pretty much encouraging people to wear the wrong gear with this system as it stands. Now I'm all for there being variaty in what gear we should wear in situational moments but just plastering the abillity to wear anything/everything really kills another avenue of class uniquness that the devs are trying so hard to make.