So, here’s the idea:
All endgame gear is now blue by default, raid gear included. Rather than a Warforged proc, you get an Epic proc with a tertiary or a socket.
This is to stop item level bloat, remove some of the RNG from achieving your BiS, and to return “Epic” to actually meaning epic (as opposed to “expected”).
Vote appropriately.
That’s the TL, DR.
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I reckon endgame gearing has lost some of its lustre. When push comes to shove, “epic” gear isn’t epic anymore and is simply the expected reward for doing most things… Particularly post launch. Now, clearly, people will claim that colour doesn’t matter in gear – purple is as good as anything else. But while I disagree, there are some more objective reasons to have a look at it.
1) I believe Warforged is a problem. I dislike the fact that it’s yet another double-random reward, but I also have problems with the power creep that it introduces to the game. Item level inflation has gotten out of hand within the space of a single expansion, and probably needs reined in yet again.
2) The other issue I have with Warforged is that it artificially extends gearing lists. The excitement of seeing your best item drop is diluted when it isn’t Warforged, and doesn’t have a gem socket. It’s frustrating when the only Warforged procs you ever see come in the gear you’re sharding because nobody needs it.
3) It’s confusing. What’s better; a Warforged item, or one with a socket? Fuck knows. Unless you run simulators, which only a tiny percentage of players do, you’ve no idea what the better choice is. It’s a toss up. Simplifying the system seems like a good way to make gear more readily understandable.
4) Epic should be epic. You should be impressed when you see someone decked out in full purple, and now, nobody is. The definition of an epic item simply isn’t true anymore, because the game largely showers you in them. I’m not sure that’s a particularly good situation, if there’s a solution to it.
So, my concept, is simply the epic proc. Every endgame item, whether from dungeons, raids, PvP, crafting, currency or world BoE should be blue by default with a chance for an “Epic” proc. The proc doesn’t increase item level, it simply provides either a gem socket, a tertiary stat tuned to be useful, or… A proc! Legion taking out multistrike makes the possible proc obvious, but let your imagination run wild. Just ensure that tuning is appropriate across the three possible epic procs, and we’re set.
This system achieves a solution for all of the problems listed above because it slows item inflation, decreases the convolution of BiS list gearing, is much easier to readily understand, and makes epic items feel “epic” again.
Vote away.