What exactly is the penalty for wearing non-optimal gear for your rank?

[Aeyis]

Wrong.

I have heavily tested this issue and to put it as simply as possible, high rank gear will scale downward to your level, giving you the same exact stats of a lower rank piece that is similar. I'm going to just quote what I said in the other thread.





So as you can see, even if you are using armor that is far above you in optimal rank, it's stats will scale downward to match the rank appropriate equivalent. If you are rank 35 and you equip a Harrier's Jacket, you will get the same exact stats, armor, and evasion as if you were wearing a Scouting Jacket. The Harrier's Jacket will become better by a few points of armor and evasion the second you hit rank 36, and will continue to get better as you level up.

THERE IS NO FACTUAL EVIDENCE THAT USING EQUIPMENT WITH A MUCH HIGHER OPTIMAL RANK GIVES YOU LESS ARMOR, AVOIDANCE, ATTACK, ACCURACY OR STATS THAN AN EQUIVALENT PIECE OF OPTIMAL RANK.

The above needs to be emphasized. Literally, the ONLY downside of using gear above your rank is increased repair rates, and that's only really noticeable for the weapon.

Ill also emphase my points:

I have tested as well and using an item of MUCH higher rank then yourself almost always results in a high, high decrease in in stats. (base stats on the item, not bonus)
Now had you not said ''much'' i would have agreed with you, but when you did say it you nullified your entire argument.

Also note that the ''almost'' refers to unique items that tend to have considerably more stats, or HQ, which well, the same.

Now then, since you have obviously hard tested these and gotten different results from the many others that also tested it, how about posting those tests of yours?

Unless the only tests you did involved 2 specific items where the lower rank had crap stats for its rank and the higher one good ones?

But hey im sure you can explain using a tool of a lower rank and then switching to a higher rank tool and notice a decrease in stats.

Oops.

Whatever do the testers these days thing testing is all about?