Open Letter to the Devs: Gear Should Have Meaning

Dear Devs,

Let me get right to it. Many moons ago, when I began my foray into MMOs, it was the gear you wore that set you apart from everyone else. Gear meant something. It meant you better than other players and you had way more time than everyone else to show them how much better you were. When a server celebrity would stand in the middle of the capital city and show off that shiny new chestpiece looted off the most vicious of bosses in the most dangerous of dungeons, it was an event in itself. I remember being one of those onlookers inspecting the gear of our shard's top raiders, hoping that one day I would rise to such a level of prestige. But, I knew that if I wanted the best gear, I would have to put in the work...and by work I mean play the game at least forty hours a week. The amazing sense of accomplishment that came with a "server first" or slotting a legendary piece of gear in a game where I had sunk countless hours into made it all worth it.

Devs, I want this feeling back. It has been years since I have played a game where a player was rewarded for hard work and perseverance while at the same time taking into account playstyle. But let's get real here for a second. I am just going to assume that all MMO enthusiasts are exactly like me and have less and less time to dedicate to the hobby as they grow older. Please realize this is not my fault. I play as much my real life (read: wife) will allow me. But at my current rate of progression, it will be WEEKS until I, if at all, obtain the best gear your game has to offer. I love this game as much as the next player, but yet, I am punished because I can only manage two or three play sessions a week. It blows my mind that players who can raid or PvP for six hours a day, five days a week are the only ones who have access to BiS gear. It shouldn't have to be this way. As I stated earlier in the paragraph, 99% of your playerbase is exactly like me and changes should be made to accommodate this cold, hard fact. I guess what I am saying here is, I want gear to be special, but I don't want to have to play much to get it.

Don't tell me that group content has better rewards. Most of my friends have moved on from MMOs. Don't tell me to find a guild to join. I can't use voice comms for fear of waking the baby and my severe case of FOMO makes me super anxious when new guildies start using inside jokes that I don't get. I do not, I repeat, do NOT want to make this game pay to win, so whatever you do, do not implement microtransactions. Oh, and please don't get me started on the notion that player skill should be rewarded with elite items. This "skill" is merely gained by experience and I challenge any Dev to come up with one real world example of someone putting time into something and getting better at it.

In the end, all I want is to be able to own some gear that few (if any) other players on my server possess, and I want it to feel special because earning it is a true accomplishment. But also, I should not have to sink an unreasonable amount of hours into the game or have some pro level skill, either. Gear that is meaningful and exclusive, but accessible by players like me, yet a true indicator of how awesome I am at your game should be the end game of all MMOs.

Sincerely,
John Q. Gamer