Quote Originally Posted by Shadygrove View Post
Do you use crafting macros?

They tired to integrate crafting and gathering better in 1.x by letting you start as any class at all. I took an alt to 20+ as CRP. It didn't really integrate them better, but gave more variety.
For me, probably the easiest help to "integration" 1.x gave was that I didn't need to make a new gear set every few levels; instead I could use the higher level piece I was already using for my main crafter which was "optimal" for the higher level, but still usable at a synced, slightly below optimal, stat value for levels beneath the "optimal". Given that each piece took about three times as many steps to make back then (though thereby drawing far more exp from a single set of raw materials), that was quite a life-saver. I can understand ARR's removal of "optimal" level requirements (downward-syncing gear) in place of "hard" level requirements (non-syncing gear) to a degree, but the amount of inventory space it's cost us amid a non glamour-heavy game is rather painful. And that's to say nothing of when there were only stats and armor classes, rather than strictly required classes to equip a piece of armor (as with late 50+ armor).