More Horizontal Progression please

[Nektulos-Tuor]

No, there really wouldn't.

The way dps checks work is you'd find the mathematically best gear for that encounter and wear it, regardless of all else.

If you don't, you aren't beating it.

We are not talking about very specific fights or the game. We are talking about Horizontal Progression in general.

Indeed, you do need enough dps to beat the encounter. However, what if the encounter also hit very hard. You need survivability as well and sustain. However, you need to also damage it fast enough to kill it.

If you and everyone go full DPS you will die to damage from the creature.
If you and everyone go full Healing and Sustain, you won't be able to do enough damage to the creature.
So, you need to form a raid of people who have both good damage, and good healing, using their play-styles. Which means some will have more healing based procs whilst others will have more damage based procs. Whilst some will like both, or mixing it up.

This means, every proc is viable.

Awnser.

If an effect or item has a huge advantage (over 30%) in a fight against every other item. Then it is no longer a choice, thus it immediately becomes vertical. Even if it started out horizontal. Vertical Progression means there is one best choice, and there are upgrades to that best choice.

Multiple ways of handling the same situation is true horizontal progression.