So, I was wondering how other people see the Relic system. I can't see any broad application that makes it a "wow" feature, but maybe I am missing something. As an example, despite the item and level squish, there isn't much difference in a item that is level 95 (the bracers my mage is currently wearing) and level 100, which I can craft from various expansions with the new system.
My mage is around 455 on live, which works out to 109 in the ptr, so that tells me that many players who raid and run M+ a lot will see no benefit from this system; I have a hunter in the 380 range who becomes 71 in the PTR, so it should help him a lot...unless of course it's easier just to do pre-patch catch-up for a day or two, as in previous years.
As for the system once we're in SL...it looks like a way to create good catch-up gear for alts or to sell on the AH, but it seems like a high crafting price for that increase, and we will always have the gear drops to weigh against it, but with less gear dropping in SL, maybe it will have a lot more value. Currently with an SL Relic V you can upgrade an item to level 180, from a base of 165, which is slightly lower than M0 gear (183). How quickly we can gather mats will determine if it's worth it to create said upgrades, I guess.
So as I said at the start, am I missing something that makes it more worthwhile? I'm not trying to be negative about it, profs look way better than they did in BFA/Legion, but this part leaves me a bit puzzled. Thanks for reading.