That they left the dungeons open to exploiting for so long was clearly not good, but the fact that the best rewards came from dungeons and could be sold for a decent profit was a much better model for player advancement than they currently have, where you must grind ages for a constant stream of tiny, microscopic rewards.
I agree with this statement very much. Compare then and now. All the ancient gear dropped in dungeons. GUARANTEED ANCIENT DROPS per CN run. Imagine that.
Now? If you are lucky, only green artifact equipment drops. You gotta then go use your credit card or the auction house to spend millions and millions of diamonds refining it. Not to mention waste your time because they only allow you 5 stones per refinement.
There were several dungeons such as Spellplague, Frozen Heart and Temple of the Spider that were easily done legit.
Are you kidding me? Hmm let's see, I can easily think of 5 exploits right now among those 3 dungeons that were commonly and easily abused. It was RARE to find a group that e.g. did the 2nd Spellplague boss legit.
Oh speaking of which, there are still several exploits on every new module and the old dungeons, no one just bothers to do them anymore.
I'm sure you'd know all about them.
Now then, your best response to the refinement system is: "tough noogies"? Are you running out of explanations that you have to use that term?
The fact of the matter is, the powercreep has pointed everyone to the auction house and zen store, not farming dungeons. BIS gear should drop in dungeons, none of this refining nonesense. If you want to gate the loot, gate it through difficult and challenging content, not the auction house and credit cards.
Look, you just object to the entire refinement system in total. I get that. I don't think the refinement system is perfect either. But it's just a waste of time to try to argue against the entire refinement system, at least for those of us who live in reality. And that's not even my argument anyway!
If you are willing to accept my premise - which is the premise of reality, by the way - that the refinement system in some way shape or form is here to stay, then please let me know how long you think it ought to take to get to BIS.
But if not, and all you are going to do is just trash the refinement system and remain in denial about its existence, then I can't help you.
And it's not a matter of "easymode", it's a matter of being on an even footing with other players for PvP, which remains the only endgame that matters.
"The only endgame that matters"? So I guess all of those lvl 60 players who are exclusively or overwhelmingly PVE players - which is a vast majority of the server, by the way - they don't matter?
Do you really think people are drawn to PVP because they've reached a point where there's nothing else to do? With the toxic, abusive and exploiting PVP community that we have? No, they are just more likely to leave the game instead. Which says more about PVP than it does about the game.
The solution to getting people on an "equal footing" in PVP is two fold:
1. Better matchmaking, and
2. PUNISH and BAN the prior exploiters so that their 7xLegendary characters created from exploited AD are gone from the server forever.
Then, even if progression via refining is still slow, it's slow for EVERYONE.
"The only endgame that matters"? So I guess all of those lvl 60 players who are exclusively or overwhelmingly PVE players - which is a vast majority of the server, by the way - they don't matter?
Do you really think people are drawn to PVP because they've reached a point where there's nothing else to do?
Yes, they absolutely are. The skill cap for PvE is now so risibly low that you have little option. New and inexperienced players will have the jolly thrill ride to experience, and good luck to them, but those who are keen to be abignoise in PvE longterm are setting the bar very low indeed- you may draw your own conclusions as to why.
Yes, they absolutely are. The skill cap for PvE is now so risibly low that you have little option. New and inexperienced players will have the jolly thrill ride to experience, and good luck to them, but those who are keen to be abignoise in PvE longterm are setting the bar very low indeed- you may draw your own conclusions as to why.
I can just tell you my experience.
When I first started playing this game, I dabbled in PVP a bit. I wasn't very good at it, but hey that was okay, I didn't really know what I was doing anyway.
But the more I got into it, the more I realized that a great many of the PVP players are just ugly. They get their thrills from stomping, griefing and humiliating other players. (And this was back in the day when the opposing team could jump into your spawn point, and so yes, that IS about griefing and humiliating other players at that point, there is no other reason to do that.) And I fundamentally don't. I don't want to humiliate other players or even see other players lose. I can empathize with people who get stomped and I don't want to be that person who does the stomping. The few times I have done PVP, if my team has gotten to the point of spawncamping the other team, I just refuse to participate in it. I will go sit in a corner instead. I don't want to be a part of humiliating other players. I just don't. Call me a carebear if you like, I don't care. That is why, with my sub-19k CW that, yes admittedly, can do all of the content in PVE, I won't set foot in Domination PVP. (GG PVP only, because at least there you can ride around on your horse, the map is so big you can avoid combat, and you can get glory plus GG coins for the PVP artifact for refining, plus get access to Fardelver's for more GG coins.) And it's not because I don't have the gear or build for it, I have almost all Rank 9's (just 1 or 2 are rank 8's), Greater Plague Fire, and full Purified BI gear, and I have a respec token just waiting in order to choose the proper PVP feats if I so chose. I just refuse. If there was literally nothing else to do except PVP, I would delete my character instead and leave the game.
And quite frankly I don't think I'm alone in this viewpoint, especially given that the vast majority of players are either exclusively PVE or overwhelmingly PVE in their play. And all we hear on the forums is that "there are too few people queueing for PVP in order for proper matchmaking to work!!!) So.... if your hypothesis is correct, that players are drawn to PVP due to "easy PVE", and if PVE is indeed easy for the 15k+ crowd, why aren't more people queueing for PVP? Answer: because they've come to the same conclusion that I have, that PVP is not worth it, that they'd rather find another game than participate in that toxic environment.
(And now some will say "but but but PVE players are griefers and exploiters too!!!!!" Yes, that is true for some of them. But there are also ways to avoid the PVE griefers and exploiters, at least to a very large extent. There is no way to avoid it in PVP at all.)
PvP is a hive of scum and villainy, yes. It's a hormonal swamp of tween rage, exploiting and unpleasantness. Welcome to PvP in pretty much any game. I shan't attempt to deny that.
However, there is a limit to how many times you can do the PvE "content". I've seen it often that it really isn't stimulating- I can do the bossfights while eating pizza (to complete the stereotype of the MMO player, I know).
I am a carebear- my favourite MMO times have always been in PvE, usually as a healer. I wish it was different, but there is simply no challenge in PvE here now. Gearflation and lack of new properly-tuned content means that the "overwhelming majority" to which you refer are either new players still cosy and excited within the f2p casual churn model, or bads. Eventually, even a carebear like me must outgrow the insipid, neglected and insultingly tame PvE in NW.
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urlord283Member, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 1,084Arc User
How many kills you personally get is only vaguely related to winning. I one time had a game where my team had zero kills and each of us had died 20-50 times, and yet the other team was unable to prevent themselves from losing.
Nothing is quite as black and white as you might think.. :rolleyes:
I was going to write a page tp say this ^^^^
in addition...
no one else is responsible for your fun they just need to be civil
people have a right to do their daily chores and get their AD
and this statement “I mean a guy who comes in with 3k GS is no newbie, he is simply a troll, who wants his AD and cares a <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> about others fun.” I don’t see how you can say that, that person is clearly new and needed as part of the game’s future. If they like PVP they will advance
Simple fix to pvp domination. There a preset gear when you log in. takes away all the bull <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> matches and heavily relies on skill or basic knowledge of the class. When there is no cap on gear and it out of control like it is now. you will never have any sort of balance. Players from the beta days have a huge advantage since ad was very easy to get. This is an pve game period so I don't see anything getting fixed for pvp. Look at it this way really know new map at all for pvp since beta. same domination maps that just explains it all right there!
Whether or not the dungeons were ran legit or not, the system still produced a more viable loot progression system in which players can get and earn BIS gear as well as make a decent profit re-running the dungeons. Fact remains everything pointed to farming PVE content and not simply buying refinement stones on the auction house/zen store.
Honestly the game is 1000 times better than in beta. When the game is exploited that much, the game is not viable. If the game would have shut down in beta with the state it was in I would have cheered. It was that bad imo.
PvP is a hive of scum and villainy, yes. It's a hormonal swamp of tween rage, exploiting and unpleasantness. Welcome to PvP in pretty much any game. I shan't attempt to deny that.
However, there is a limit to how many times you can do the PvE "content". I've seen it often that it really isn't stimulating- I can do the bossfights while eating pizza (to complete the stereotype of the MMO player, I know).
I am a carebear- my favourite MMO times have always been in PvE, usually as a healer. I wish it was different, but there is simply no challenge in PvE here now. Gearflation and lack of new properly-tuned content means that the "overwhelming majority" to which you refer are either new players still cosy and excited within the f2p casual churn model, or bads. Eventually, even a carebear like me must outgrow the insipid, neglected and insultingly tame PvE in NW.
I agree with you. It's why I only manage to play in bursts and take long breaks. There isn't any challenge to hold you on a continual basis.
Honestly the game is 1000 times better than in beta. When the game is exploited that much, the game is not viable. If the game would have shut down in beta with the state it was in I would have cheered. It was that bad imo.
Well yeah. Anyone who was actually around at that point and does not have their memory clouded by nostalgia would realize that every Dungeon Delves hour was full of people exploiting every dungeon, and moreover, that the loot you got at the end, EVEN IF it was T2 loot (only 10% chance), was very often not what you wanted because players did not get a choice as to which set piece you acquired.
I think at this point people like rashylewizz are just pushing an anti-refinement narrative by any means necessary.
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shynterMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild UsersPosts: 0Arc User
I love this game, it is really fantastic, but this side of the game makes me angry every time and i have to log off.
If i have to answer my own question, a big YES.
After a ton of lost matches where i had every time over 20 or 30 kills and still lost it all and many in a row i have to say, if our Devs don't do anything, then PVP becomes even more useless and no fun. Hell is it fun now? Not at all.
I am trying to ask for a simple 3 way GS bracket, only 3, nothing special and a big FAQ or Tutorial before the first PVP match. Let me go into details!
One bracket for those under 10k. I am not an elitist snob, simply put this is a line, where if a player comes in, who has 2,3k-7k, has no chance. He ruins the fun for others. Sadly many of these under geared players are simply said trolls, they only come for daily AD. Today i had the chance to witness- sadly- many of these "players". One guy came and went on the beginning, so we were only 4, match lost. Other 2 were from same guild and of course we got this way a huge premade team as opponents. I was the only one with a decent 15,5k GS, all other under 7k.
I mean a guy who comes in with 3k GS is no newbie, he is simply a troll, who wants his AD and cares a <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> about others fun. Ok, i know this is an MMO and trolls are everywhere, but filtering them in this case would be easy.
Now this <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> over and over again. After the 10+ time my head was full and i had to shut down the game. Jesus, this shouldn't be so!
And guess what and i would like to see the Officials too, what they said: In this game, we can do it... I think no comment is needed for such persons, but my god, why do we have a ranking system?
Now according to it i am a <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> PVP player now, but if i got such team mates in a row in 1 night, is it really me, who is <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font>? NO. So another nail in the coffin of PVP ranking. I have dropped now from 1st ranking down to bottom with "team mates", like this. According to the rule of numbers and current ranking, i never will be able to catch up again, the gap is simply too far.
Second gate for players in the middle range and the last bracket for players above 20K. Really simple to do, no big thing.
This would enable the mid range players to have fun and don't get steamrolled by high GS players, who are lazy, without any skill or on an easy headhunt.
And i have witnessed a new, sadly growing phenomenon in the game. The wallet warriors are humiliating us, lower GS players, not just in PVP, but we can say in the new Well of Dragons area too. But there it is another story, PVP fixing is easier job and our current field.
I have to say i have lost all my little respect for big PVP guilds too, it is so low, to come down and kill easy PUGs with under 10k, that if somebody of them finds this a joy, well all i can say, sad, very sad. Sure you can get nice and easy points on that useless ranking, but are you really a good player, i think NO.
So to let everyone decent enjoy the game, please separate the high GS from lower GS in PVP. A bracket for those above 20k and case solved.
Last, but not least, a Tutorial Quest should be introduced, when a player reaches lvl 10 and q for his first PVP match.
Many players come to a match without even the slightest knowledge what to do, they run around like chickens without a head or don't even know the basics and you can't teach them as another player, there is simply no time in a match and if there is- standing by campfire- most adults or even teens don't give a dime about a helping hand, first things you hear is cursing and all nasty stuff. It is very hard to teach a "mature" person and if he doesn't want to, you got no chance, where as a game tutorial can't be neglected.
Thank you for reading!
Hey! I think you're on my ignore list for being rude in PVP heh, small (game) world. Never the less, I shall respond to this.
I am one of those guys who came into level 60 pvp with less than 10k GS (not one of the 3ks, not sure how you'd pull that off). It was what I ended up with from questing. Why did I come in with such a low score you ask? Because, in other games at least, I like to pvp.
I'd've come in with higher a higher score, but I've yet to find the magical way to get pvp gear without, you know, pvping. I can only assume there is one since a lot of people seem to get so angry about being undergeared in matches. Is there a hazing or something I have to go through to find it?
Annnd I really think a lot of lost matches have less to do with gearscore and more to do with people not understanding that you have to fight on the capture points and/or simply sitting afk in the beginning area. Really a simple 'Report afk' function of some sort would help a bunch I think.
Are you kidding me? Hmm let's see, I can easily think of 5 exploits right now among those 3 dungeons that were commonly and easily abused. It was RARE to find a group that e.g. did the 2nd Spellplague boss legit.
Look, you just object to the entire refinement system in total. I get that. I don't think the refinement system is perfect either. But it's just a waste of time to try to argue against the entire refinement system, at least for those of us who live in reality. And that's not even my argument anyway!
If you are willing to accept my premise - which is the premise of reality, by the way - that the refinement system in some way shape or form is here to stay, then please let me know how long you think it ought to take to get to BIS.
But if not, and all you are going to do is just trash the refinement system and remain in denial about its existence, then I can't help you.
I did those dungeons completely legit just because I ran with my guildmates back then and not pugs. We just spam zerg the 2nd boss and not be idiots and stand on the red. We also time our skills and were on raidcall. We actually laughed at the folks at LFG who were trying to do certain stuff to it. You seem to focus on tangenting to the exploiting nature and forgot the loot progression aspect which was the basis of discussion. I don't think anyone is arguing that exploiting should be tolerated.
Now since you are asking my suggestion for this, I think that experience points should contribute to refining all your artifacts equipped. I also think you can add heroic difficulty dungeons that drops blood rubies during dungeon delves.
It isn't perfect, but we now live in an (MMO) world in which we cannot attain BIS gear in dungeons/raids.
Again, I do not mind a credit card method to get BIS gear however there should be an alternative method through farming that is gated by challenging content.
(And now some will say "but but but PVE players are griefers and exploiters too!!!!!" Yes, that is true for some of them. But there are also ways to avoid the PVE griefers and exploiters, at least to a very large extent. There is no way to avoid it in PVP at all.)
You said it yourself. There are griefers and exploiters in both PVP and PVE. You even admitted your disgust at how much everyone was exploiting PVE back then and how horrible runs became into shouting matches and everyone giving everyone instructions. There are ways to avoid both. Run with your guild.
I came into this game for PVE, but now..it is unfarmable, not challenging and you can't even queue with your friends/guildmates in Tiamat.
Well yeah. Anyone who was actually around at that point and does not have their memory clouded by nostalgia would realize that every Dungeon Delves hour was full of people exploiting every dungeon, and moreover, that the loot you got at the end, EVEN IF it was T2 loot (only 10% chance), was very often not what you wanted because players did not get a choice as to which set piece you acquired.
Well that isn't exactly correct because it was bind on equip and you could sell it on the auction house.
Honestly the game is 1000 times better than in beta. When the game is exploited that much, the game is not viable. If the game would have shut down in beta with the state it was in I would have cheered. It was that bad imo.
Both have their good and bad. Exploiting was more exposed back then but PVE was actually farmable and BIS gear was attainable but tons and tons of folks who put in the effort. I do not wish to bring all the other ugly stuff back, merely the loot progression. At the end of the day (aside from some infamous events), I and several thousands of players looked forward to PVE. I cannot say that today.
is NOT MEANT to become obsolete in just one mod's time
Says who? The intial release of new belts had +3+2 and a set bonus instead of +4. That tells me they don't give a **** about how long gear lasts and just want to milk it as much as they can get away with. The legit way of doing it is done so badly, that people are very tempted to bot it themselves. I wouldn't want to risk my account since a lot went into it, but it does beat using the user unfriendly, milking system in place. From your own statements as far as I understand it, you say it's possible to have got 1 normal artifact and 1 equipment to legendary. Therefore you have 2/7 possible legendaries and are gearing up slower than they are releasing more and more power. Nothing is to say that they're going to release the last piece of artifact gear and say, oh that's it, no more gear to get. And you're still behind those that pay for it on day 1. That itself makes it a bad system. Bad systems should not be just accepted, otherwise it tells them that it's fine and they can repeat it.
There were several dungeons such as Spellplague, Frozen Heart and Temple of the Spider that were easily done legit. Oh speaking of which, there are still several exploits on every new module and the old dungeons, no one just bothers to do them anymore.
Now then, your best response to the refinement system is: "tough noogies"? Are you running out of explanations that you have to use that term?
The fact of the matter is, the powercreep has pointed everyone to the auction house and zen store, not farming dungeons. BIS gear should drop in dungeons, none of this refining nonesense. If you want to gate the loot, gate it through difficult and challenging content, not the auction house and credit cards.
I agree that the old days were much better. Though I wouldn't say ToS was 'easily done' imo. The cow had insane healing that can now be reduced from a boon, blademasters could smack stun you and imo it was a little too hard for its level. I preferred CN to ToS, though honestly didn't do that many ToS runs, and when I did, a lot made her suicide. Frozen heart was also abused by GFs standing on a spike. Tried and failed that when I did it on mine, so ran around and found out that it was ridiculously easy.
But yeah, progression is being gated completely the wrong way.
Comments
I agree with this statement very much. Compare then and now. All the ancient gear dropped in dungeons. GUARANTEED ANCIENT DROPS per CN run. Imagine that.
Now? If you are lucky, only green artifact equipment drops. You gotta then go use your credit card or the auction house to spend millions and millions of diamonds refining it. Not to mention waste your time because they only allow you 5 stones per refinement.
Are you kidding me? Hmm let's see, I can easily think of 5 exploits right now among those 3 dungeons that were commonly and easily abused. It was RARE to find a group that e.g. did the 2nd Spellplague boss legit.
I'm sure you'd know all about them.
Look, you just object to the entire refinement system in total. I get that. I don't think the refinement system is perfect either. But it's just a waste of time to try to argue against the entire refinement system, at least for those of us who live in reality. And that's not even my argument anyway!
If you are willing to accept my premise - which is the premise of reality, by the way - that the refinement system in some way shape or form is here to stay, then please let me know how long you think it ought to take to get to BIS.
But if not, and all you are going to do is just trash the refinement system and remain in denial about its existence, then I can't help you.
"The only endgame that matters"? So I guess all of those lvl 60 players who are exclusively or overwhelmingly PVE players - which is a vast majority of the server, by the way - they don't matter?
Do you really think people are drawn to PVP because they've reached a point where there's nothing else to do? With the toxic, abusive and exploiting PVP community that we have? No, they are just more likely to leave the game instead. Which says more about PVP than it does about the game.
The solution to getting people on an "equal footing" in PVP is two fold:
1. Better matchmaking, and
2. PUNISH and BAN the prior exploiters so that their 7xLegendary characters created from exploited AD are gone from the server forever.
Then, even if progression via refining is still slow, it's slow for EVERYONE.
Yes, they absolutely are. The skill cap for PvE is now so risibly low that you have little option. New and inexperienced players will have the jolly thrill ride to experience, and good luck to them, but those who are keen to be a big noise in PvE longterm are setting the bar very low indeed- you may draw your own conclusions as to why.
I can just tell you my experience.
When I first started playing this game, I dabbled in PVP a bit. I wasn't very good at it, but hey that was okay, I didn't really know what I was doing anyway.
But the more I got into it, the more I realized that a great many of the PVP players are just ugly. They get their thrills from stomping, griefing and humiliating other players. (And this was back in the day when the opposing team could jump into your spawn point, and so yes, that IS about griefing and humiliating other players at that point, there is no other reason to do that.) And I fundamentally don't. I don't want to humiliate other players or even see other players lose. I can empathize with people who get stomped and I don't want to be that person who does the stomping. The few times I have done PVP, if my team has gotten to the point of spawncamping the other team, I just refuse to participate in it. I will go sit in a corner instead. I don't want to be a part of humiliating other players. I just don't. Call me a carebear if you like, I don't care. That is why, with my sub-19k CW that, yes admittedly, can do all of the content in PVE, I won't set foot in Domination PVP. (GG PVP only, because at least there you can ride around on your horse, the map is so big you can avoid combat, and you can get glory plus GG coins for the PVP artifact for refining, plus get access to Fardelver's for more GG coins.) And it's not because I don't have the gear or build for it, I have almost all Rank 9's (just 1 or 2 are rank 8's), Greater Plague Fire, and full Purified BI gear, and I have a respec token just waiting in order to choose the proper PVP feats if I so chose. I just refuse. If there was literally nothing else to do except PVP, I would delete my character instead and leave the game.
And quite frankly I don't think I'm alone in this viewpoint, especially given that the vast majority of players are either exclusively PVE or overwhelmingly PVE in their play. And all we hear on the forums is that "there are too few people queueing for PVP in order for proper matchmaking to work!!!) So.... if your hypothesis is correct, that players are drawn to PVP due to "easy PVE", and if PVE is indeed easy for the 15k+ crowd, why aren't more people queueing for PVP? Answer: because they've come to the same conclusion that I have, that PVP is not worth it, that they'd rather find another game than participate in that toxic environment.
(And now some will say "but but but PVE players are griefers and exploiters too!!!!!" Yes, that is true for some of them. But there are also ways to avoid the PVE griefers and exploiters, at least to a very large extent. There is no way to avoid it in PVP at all.)
However, there is a limit to how many times you can do the PvE "content". I've seen it often that it really isn't stimulating- I can do the bossfights while eating pizza (to complete the stereotype of the MMO player, I know).
I am a carebear- my favourite MMO times have always been in PvE, usually as a healer. I wish it was different, but there is simply no challenge in PvE here now. Gearflation and lack of new properly-tuned content means that the "overwhelming majority" to which you refer are either new players still cosy and excited within the f2p casual churn model, or bads. Eventually, even a carebear like me must outgrow the insipid, neglected and insultingly tame PvE in NW.
I was going to write a page tp say this ^^^^
in addition...
no one else is responsible for your fun they just need to be civil
people have a right to do their daily chores and get their AD
and this statement “I mean a guy who comes in with 3k GS is no newbie, he is simply a troll, who wants his AD and cares a <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> about others fun.” I don’t see how you can say that, that person is clearly new and needed as part of the game’s future. If they like PVP they will advance
Urlord
Honestly the game is 1000 times better than in beta. When the game is exploited that much, the game is not viable. If the game would have shut down in beta with the state it was in I would have cheered. It was that bad imo.
I agree with you. It's why I only manage to play in bursts and take long breaks. There isn't any challenge to hold you on a continual basis.
Well yeah. Anyone who was actually around at that point and does not have their memory clouded by nostalgia would realize that every Dungeon Delves hour was full of people exploiting every dungeon, and moreover, that the loot you got at the end, EVEN IF it was T2 loot (only 10% chance), was very often not what you wanted because players did not get a choice as to which set piece you acquired.
I think at this point people like rashylewizz are just pushing an anti-refinement narrative by any means necessary.
Hey! I think you're on my ignore list for being rude in PVP heh, small (game) world. Never the less, I shall respond to this.
I am one of those guys who came into level 60 pvp with less than 10k GS (not one of the 3ks, not sure how you'd pull that off). It was what I ended up with from questing. Why did I come in with such a low score you ask? Because, in other games at least, I like to pvp.
I'd've come in with higher a higher score, but I've yet to find the magical way to get pvp gear without, you know, pvping. I can only assume there is one since a lot of people seem to get so angry about being undergeared in matches. Is there a hazing or something I have to go through to find it?
Annnd I really think a lot of lost matches have less to do with gearscore and more to do with people not understanding that you have to fight on the capture points and/or simply sitting afk in the beginning area. Really a simple 'Report afk' function of some sort would help a bunch I think.
I did those dungeons completely legit just because I ran with my guildmates back then and not pugs. We just spam zerg the 2nd boss and not be idiots and stand on the red. We also time our skills and were on raidcall. We actually laughed at the folks at LFG who were trying to do certain stuff to it. You seem to focus on tangenting to the exploiting nature and forgot the loot progression aspect which was the basis of discussion. I don't think anyone is arguing that exploiting should be tolerated.
Now since you are asking my suggestion for this, I think that experience points should contribute to refining all your artifacts equipped. I also think you can add heroic difficulty dungeons that drops blood rubies during dungeon delves.
It isn't perfect, but we now live in an (MMO) world in which we cannot attain BIS gear in dungeons/raids.
Again, I do not mind a credit card method to get BIS gear however there should be an alternative method through farming that is gated by challenging content.
You said it yourself. There are griefers and exploiters in both PVP and PVE. You even admitted your disgust at how much everyone was exploiting PVE back then and how horrible runs became into shouting matches and everyone giving everyone instructions. There are ways to avoid both. Run with your guild.
I came into this game for PVE, but now..it is unfarmable, not challenging and you can't even queue with your friends/guildmates in Tiamat.
Well that isn't exactly correct because it was bind on equip and you could sell it on the auction house.
Both have their good and bad. Exploiting was more exposed back then but PVE was actually farmable and BIS gear was attainable but tons and tons of folks who put in the effort. I do not wish to bring all the other ugly stuff back, merely the loot progression. At the end of the day (aside from some infamous events), I and several thousands of players looked forward to PVE. I cannot say that today.
Says who? The intial release of new belts had +3+2 and a set bonus instead of +4. That tells me they don't give a **** about how long gear lasts and just want to milk it as much as they can get away with. The legit way of doing it is done so badly, that people are very tempted to bot it themselves. I wouldn't want to risk my account since a lot went into it, but it does beat using the user unfriendly, milking system in place. From your own statements as far as I understand it, you say it's possible to have got 1 normal artifact and 1 equipment to legendary. Therefore you have 2/7 possible legendaries and are gearing up slower than they are releasing more and more power. Nothing is to say that they're going to release the last piece of artifact gear and say, oh that's it, no more gear to get. And you're still behind those that pay for it on day 1. That itself makes it a bad system. Bad systems should not be just accepted, otherwise it tells them that it's fine and they can repeat it.
I agree that the old days were much better. Though I wouldn't say ToS was 'easily done' imo. The cow had insane healing that can now be reduced from a boon, blademasters could smack stun you and imo it was a little too hard for its level. I preferred CN to ToS, though honestly didn't do that many ToS runs, and when I did, a lot made her suicide. Frozen heart was also abused by GFs standing on a spike. Tried and failed that when I did it on mine, so ran around and found out that it was ridiculously easy.
But yeah, progression is being gated completely the wrong way.