What is the purpose of PvP gear?

[TouyaSaotome]

I see in the patch notes for 3.2 that they are releasing new PvP gear, yet I never saw any purpose for the ilvl 180 PvP gear considering all PvP is synced. Not to mention Wolves Den didn't have a level 60 version to make use of the ilvl 180 gear that I knew of. The new Feast for level 60 is also going to be synced at ilvl 150. So, unless I am blind and am missing the PvP option where gear isn't synced for level 60, then can someone explain the point of having PvP gear other than glamour?

On a side note, if I am not misunderstanding the use of PvP gear, I would like to suggest that every current PvP map is given an unsynced ranked version to appeal to the players who actually spend time getting PvP gear. I understand that they sync pvp to make it fair and easy to access, yet I think that should just be for casual pvpers.

[Geologo]

I think it should be just a vanity bonus for pvpers and a better/faster way to get the right stats for your pvp gear.
But up to me it sounds odd too, my thought was "I'll wear my retainer with it" but cause of the Pvp Rank requirement I think I won't be able x)

Edit: the 205 gear has not pvp rank requirement D:

[P4X0R10N]

If I'm not mistaken, morale boosts the ilvl of your item prior to the item synch. And item synch isn't what you expect - or what I would expect - which is that it would make a higher ilevel item equivalent to a non-synched piece of the same ilevel. For example, I expected a ilevel 180 piece synched to ilvl 150 would have the same stats as an ilvl 150 piece. I read somewhere this is not the case. So having, lets say, a pvp piece with ilvl 150 and morale 30 would make that piece ilvl 180 prior to synching it down to 150. And somehow, the stats on the piece with morale, since its basically ilvl 180, would be better than a regular ilvl 150 piece, after item synch to 150.

But someone figured out that you can optimize your stats with any item, for pvp purposes (synching to i150), with any piece with ilvl 190 or higher. So in some, perhaps many, instances, you can get pve gear of i level 190 or higher that would be just as good as pvp gear with morale on it.

[P4X0R10N]

So all of this makes morale seem rather useless, because who can't find ilvl 190 or better from pve? Especially now that the cap has been removed for esoteric gear. But you know, I thought about it, and it's kind of an important stat from a game design perspective. The combination of ilvl synching and morale allows people who mainly play pve to jump right into pvp. It removes the barrier to entry. Also, because morale doesn't affect stats outside of pvp, it prevents pvpers from using pvp gear for higher end pve dungeons, raids, trials, etc. Which is a very good thing, because if it did, everyone would go for pvp gear as either a quick way to gear for raiding or as a outright alternative/replacement for raid gear - this would (1) ruin pve by taking away the gear incentive and (2) force developers to make pvp gear more time consuming to get to prevent people from rolling through pve content faster than intended.

[P4X0R10N]

tl dr

Just look at pvp gear, and morale and item level synching, as part of a design meant to preserve the integrity of both pvp and pve. I know its weird, but when you get past expecting pvp gear to be the best gear for pvp and look at it from a bigger perspective, it kinda makes sense.

But with that said, I do find that pvp gear does tend to have more of the stats I want and in the combinations i want, e.g., str + vit and det + crit and it seems to also have more skill speed than similar level pve gear.

[Nova_Rox]

Some have WAY better secondaries than PvE stuff.

I love getting rid of parry on my DRK

[Februs]

Some have WAY better secondaries than PvE stuff.

I love getting rid of parry on my DRK

100% agreed. Parry is next to useless in PvE, let alone PvP. I do not want it or need it. Acc is another one that I am typically happy to see go. The Acc cap for PvP is quite low, so it's just a waste to have extra. Det and Crit, on the other hand, are essential.

[myahele]

It's pretty much for glamour now, especially since ranks aren't needed for the new 205 gear.

With PvP being lv-synched to 150, it means that you have plenty of gear available to mix and match to min-max stats.

[TronWolf]

How hard would it be for SE to disable pvp gear in pve instances and vice versa? Not at all. The fact there's almost no point in using pvp gear in any instance of pvp is 100% stupid and destroys a huge incentive to play pvp. I get that they want new people to try pvp, shit, I'm new to pvp. But for people who have worked hours on hours to get that gear for it now to mean almost nothing is ridiculous and huge slap in the face. There's not even ONE pvp mode that's not synced, very disappointing.

[P4X0R10N]

Maybe feast rank rewards are their answer to the current pvp gear situation. and maybe it's the reason why the i205 pvp gear is kinda ugly... They're saving the good looking and useful pvp gear for feast!