I echo some of the posts in this thread and have to wonder exactly why anyone would want horizontal progression in this game. To me, it's an antiquated system older mmos used, so I sense a bit of nostalgia with the desire for its presence in today's mmos.

A system I proposed several months ago was a bit of a compromise that I'm not sure how the devs would implement, but horizontal progression actually makes sense for our belts and accessories since these are the least desired slots to constantly update and glamour. The idea is to release a set of leveling accessories as normal, and then ONE set of accessories at Max level that lasts the duration of the expansion and slap them behind a moderate grind that gets these peeps running content. Could also release another lesser set for the more casual player with less strict requirements.

Probably not exactly what horizontal progression seekers want, but still a change I think many would favor, and would also save the devs some work considering they are already reusing a s ton accessory designs on new releases.