Quote Originally Posted by Waliel View Post
Horizontal progression
From what I understand, or at least what I gleaned over my own time playing other MMOs, horizontal progression is NOT what the guy who answered your question. That's just vertical progression via different means.
Actual horizontal progression is when you're given more items with different stat allocations, such as one item having more DET but less DEX, or more defense but less VIT, and the like.
But it doesn't matter, because the BIS mentality will always exist. SE's devs realized this and simplified it. There will always be a "golden path," so wasting time making 20 different items for every class, 19 of which no one will ever, ever use, is a waste of resources.
Thus, vertical progression. Vertical progression is when one item you get in one area that is more difficult than the previous is fundamentally and unequivocally better than one from the area before it. The best example for "horizontal" i can think of is comparing the Nexus weapon to the High Allagan weapons, or the Augmented Ironworks gear with the Dreadwyrm gear.
Having played a game where the weapons actually DO require beating the hardest raids (sometimes multiple times), I will say that it's not something I particularly care for anymore. I've seen some pretty heated arguments over those things.