I think that the recent Developer Q&A at least shows that Blizzard is aware of our community's conversations even if they have differing opinions. I'm hoping we can create a feedback thread on the Gearing process of PvP that Blizzard can view to better shape the game to player interests.

Holinka recently addressed a couple questions about Gearing in WoD at around 31:53 to 41:27.

http://www.twitch.tv/wow/b/650673602

Standard Feedback Format-

What's Working For You:

What Isn't:

How Would You Address It:

~

My personal responses.

What's Working For You:

I think the interview shows that Blizzard is sensitive to the barrier of entry to PvP alts and new/returning players run into.The ilvl disparity between veteran and new characters has been way too high for new characters to really say they're competing or contributing on a meaningful level. Showing up to PvP 4 months after an expansion launches is like going into LFR and being told you need Mythic Gear.

I'm glad to hear 6.2 is going to keep looking for solutions, such as raising baseline ilvl in PvP.

Flask of Conquest and the Catch Up Cap. I like that Blizzard is looking for solutions in speeding up gearing late in the season.

What Isn't:

My biggest issue with the game and the interview is that Holinka seems to think most players are PvPing to Gear, whereas I think most of us are Gearing to PvP. I feel like the point of PvP should be to have fun in balanced combat, and the gear grind is distracting the developers from really fulfilling that goal.

I feel like I'm being directed into PvP content I am not interested in to gear for the content I am interested in.

If iLvL 690 gear is required to be competitive in all PvP content, then shouldn't they all have equivalent means to provide it? I.e. The Ashran Bonus Cap feels like a way to advertise new content to an uninterested audience. The only ways to get a Flask of Conquest are by RNG chance from RBGs or killing the enemy general in Ashran, there's no option for Arena-Goers. Many players don't even care for rated content, but are forced into it to get ratings so they can earn iLvL 690 gear at a reasonable pace, and then return to non-rated content.

I believe developers should create a variety of PvP content for players to pick from, but not tell them where to go. Making iLvL central to balanced PvP but creating a disparity in how it is rewarded ultimately forces players into content they do not enjoy to be prepared for the content they do enjoy.

I also think gearing for PvP eventually takes too long and asks players to spend too much time on the game.

Consider a week of arenas for a veteran character that caps every week. Baseline, he gets 1500 points.

1500/180= 8.3 wins. So 9 wins to cap out. If queuing, waiting for the game to start, and the arena itself take 5 minutes combined, he can cap out in 45 minutes if he wins every game. 1 hour 30 minutes if he goes 50/50.

Let's now look at an alt or a new player in the present day.

Present cap is around 30k. Amount earned per Arena win is still 180 CQ. 30000/180= 166.7. So 167 wins to be fully-geared. And while obtaining these wins, they're going up against opponents usually far more geared than them.

So, even if a new player wins every game, and every match still takes 5 minutes, it will take him 835 minutes. Or 13.9 hours. If he goes 50/50, this will take about 28 Hours. With a Flask of Conquest, that'd only axe off 7 hours. You'd still be gearing for 21 hours minimum. Not including the time it took to get Honor Gear, Enchants, Buy New Gear, Do Garrison Chores, PvE, etc.

I don't think that's a very healthy amount of time to spend on a video game in one week, or something many players with real-life responsibilities can perform. The Catch Up Cap is great but something else needs to be done to help people gear in a reasonable amount of time. The Flask of Conquest isn't the answer because it has a 2 hour duration, isn't very strong, can only be obtained through RNG means, and isn't available from all forms of PvP Content.

[Next post will be about how I'd address it.]

Response Thread to Holinka on Gearing