Originally Posted by Redelm
I think you are correct that Blizzard does think that TBC is a success because they have, in a sense, equalized the playing field. In TBC that have made it possible for the average Joe, through badges and arenas, to acquire gear that is almost as good as the best gear that raiding has to offer. From a numbers standpoint it makes sense for Blizzard to do this as the majority of their customers are “the average joe” type of player.
However, for me, it’s a bit disheartening because the hardcore raiders have lost their "Elitist" aura (couldn’t think of a better way to put it). The guilds that took the time to tackle that new content where rewarded with gear that truly was the best available and their stats and dps reflected that. In TBC that gap is marginal if not non-existent (with the preliminary numbers for the S4 weapons).
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I think this goes back to that interview from 2004 which I can't find at the moment saying that raiders and non-raiders would have equally powerful swords, but the raider's would "burst into flames when used". At BC's release, the gear gap was small because the upgrades were small; now, the gear gap is small because there are multiple ways to obtain high-quality gear. In either case, the difference between the top guilds and Joe Semi-Casual isn't all that large, and I don't see how that's a bad thing. The guilds that take the time to tackle new content get the reward of seeing new content; the guilds and players that don't can still get the gear but they'll never see, say, Maiev kill Illidan.
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It seems to me that Blizzard is trying to the “one stop shop” of MMO’s, and I’m not sure that is entirely possible. Others would better tackle this subject as my view is a bit bias toward PvE because that is what I enjoy. And feel that skill should be rewarded greater than folks willing to grind for gear.
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I'd agree that you can't have everything, but not for the reason you give; more for the pattern of nerfing PvE to balance PvP and vice versa.