Originally Posted by
Blackmist
Well, it's too late for WoW, but it's an interesting point.
Having to make modifications to items reduces the excitement somewhat when you get them. It's one of the reasons that adding sockets to items and enchanting were taken out of Diablo 3 before release.
But if you chop out gear upgrades, can you then chop out gear entirely? It's not like it really adds anything to the gameplay. It's the motivating factor behind most game activities, but it doesn't really add anything once you have it. Sure, the numbers will be slightly bigger, but that's it. A new item doesn't make your rotation more fun. Gear is something a lot of games add in to give the player something to do, but it's a gimmick to extend the same couple of hours of gameplay over several weeks. In WoW's case, years.