Quite possibly the worst implementation of ilvl/gs was the delivery of LFR gear at a tier beyond the last raids normal ilvl. At what point do we actually believe that a player whom has killed a boss on LFR SoO deserves better gear than a player whom has killed any boss in ToT on normal? Surely we don't feel more accomplished in doing so. Why should be rewarded for such a simple and mind-numbing task? Five AFK players you say? Five players mashing their keyboard with their face? Maybe ten players in the entire raid group that know how to press some buttons in proper sequence... maybe. Yet, we offer typically five to eight of those players better gear than the last tier for performing like a drooling, mindless child. Why?
Now you might think that this is an anti-LFR/anti-drop post. Quite the opposite. Give LFR players gear, let the casuals have their fun, provide them a reward compensatory of their level of skill. But think about this...
ToT LFR: 502 ilvl SoO LFR: 528 ilvl
ToT N: 522 ilvl SoO N: 553 ilvl
ToT H: 535 ilvl SoO H: 566 ilvl
We required such a hefty jump in item level because Blizzard- and a great deal of "casual" player base- have determined that we need the current LFR to be somewhere between the normal and heroic level gear of the previous tier. For what purpose? Are we assuming most people clearing normal need to gain upgrades through the LFR system in order to beat a normal boss in the next tier? Instead, think of how much more dramatically the ilvl's could have been consolidated had we approached the situation from a much more clear and rational approach.
H Dung: 463 --> MSV LFR: 465 --> MSV N: 470 --> MSV H: 475 --> HoF LFR: 468 --> HoF N: 473 --> HoF H: 478
I'm not saying these are irrefutable numbers... but the concept is there. Go back to move forward. Keep the older tiers more viable without making them mandatory. Give the players a reason to do normal and heroic in any tier without completely nullifying any value of previous tiers. LFR of each consecutive tier should make the normal mode of the previous tier easier without voiding the experience of any and all value.