Do raids need easy/normal/hard difficulty mode? [merged]

[Bladestrom.6425]

started playing eso here a couple months ago, just sick and tired of pvp builds getting wrecked because of pve parses. Interestingly I have been happily pugging normal mode trials and its been a blast, No emo, no 'must have build x or dps y', because normal mode raids don't need it, people do it for the fun and loot ( I know little about the fights at the moment). I get to learn the fight mechanics in a relaxed environment. As it should be.

[Lonami.2987]

So, how are you guys doing? Nowadays 95% of my guild doesn't raid anymore, and the few who do are players who never raided before, and got into it due to boredom, since there's nothing else to do lately due to the content drought.

I no longer raid either, mostly because LFG times are horrible, and I have no motivation for the game overall, since I don't know if End of Dragons will be any good, so why even invest any time into GW2 endgame?

@vesica tempestas.1563 said:started playing eso here a couple months ago, just sick and tired of pvp builds getting wrecked because of pve parses. Interestingly I have been happily pugging normal mode trials and its been a blast, No emo, no 'must have build x or dps y', because normal mode raids don't need it, people do it for the fun and loot ( I know little about the fights at the moment). I get to learn the fight mechanics in a relaxed environment. As it should be.

I guess that's what they intended with Strike Missions, the problem is they use different encounters, and people should be learning/training the same encounters, so they can accumulate experience on the mechanics of each boss.

Strike Missions should have been a raid wing with easy mode, plain and simple. On their own, with just easy mode, they just don't work.

[Hypnowulf.7403]

The raider perspective is an interesting one and perhaps one not so commonly shared. I think the most genuinely interesting takeaway from the three years prior when this was posted was an assumption that one mightn't want to play "easy mode," as it were, indefinitely. That we should all want to ascend eventually.

A curious notion. It's as though there isn't any reason to play other than for the sake of competition and to watch one's numbers growing ever bigger towards some kind of orgasmic finale that never truly occurs. It feels like raiding leaves one in a constant state of blueballs and perhaps that's the reason for the lack of interest—as the effort moves from play to work, and the joy deteriorates into chores, the pay-off then must be so remarkably great, unlike anything seen e'er before. Such a thing is unlikely, yes?

At the end of the day, all one is left with is the operant conditioning chamber effect of watching numbers grow higher and that growing, encroaching, inevitable predator looming just over the horizon—the feeling you've been conned, that you've wasted your life, that this was a fruitless endeavour, and that perhaps a video game should never be mistaken for any act of worth. I'd imagine that most would play for other reasons. Curiosity, perhaps; simply for the fun, the novelty. Others might find they've become enthralled with the narrative. There are reasons beyond comeptition and numbers.

I, myself, am a steadfast advocate of "easy mode" as a game is a game, and what worth hath a game if you're not having fun? The only assumption I can make is that this is felt by many, and thus why raiding lacks impetus or motivation for most. What, then, does this experience offer but a pale imitation of what can be done elsewhere? One tarred with frustration and marred with hostile interactions with others whom one might otherswise enjoy the company of.

I'm sure that some might hear the sickly call of the raid, yet I'd surmise it isn't the desire for challenge they have, but rather lore, narrative, and novel experiences. They seek new content, not more difficult content, and if raids are indeed the last vestige of that once all else has been exhausted, even those who dislike them might become a little curious. I'd say that, indeed, adding an "easy mode" to existing raids and focusing on dungeons henceforth might be to ArenaNet's benefit.

Gauche it might be to say, yet I will repeat myself, all raiding can do is lead to a case of blueballs—this operant conditioning chamber is akin to a drug. You need more. You will always need more. The challenge will never be enough, and the reward can never match what you feel you have earned, so only withdrawal from this addictive path lies ahead. It's not healthy, it's quite toxic, and in lesser games it has lead to deaths.

Indeed, in World of Warcraft, a mother became so ensorcelled by the ways of the raid that she forgot to feed her children. It was a sorry fate that befell them, and I'd personally not see that soon repeated. To wit, the question must be raised: Is raiding healthy? Is it worth the cost? What is it that you truly get from the experience that you couldn't gain elsewhere? And indeed, its vile nature ensures that others are indentured to this task. Wouldn't you say that's a little unfair? When can they walk away? When it affects their job, their family, their health, their life?

Questions like these are why clever companies have moved away from the raid. It brings attention that you sorely do not need.

Entitlement was spoken of—indeed, that must be met. Truly, no one is entitled. So why is one entitled to a raid? Why is one entitled to bind others to the service of a guild for the purposes of these raids? The further we investigate, the more questions asked, the greater a folly it seems. This is why most do not raid.

To bring down the difficulty of content that would lead to health concerns would only benefit ArenaNet's bottom-line. Yet to add difficulty, to create this indentured servitude, to have others bound to the point of poor health? This can only lead to bad press. If it is truly difficulty you seek, why not create your own? It's a fair question, yes? After all, I know it's a simple matter to reduce one's numbers. If one were truly in it for merely the challenge alone, then one could seek the inverse-meta, find the least likely builds with which to brag about successes with.

You could do that, yes? Except it isn't challenge you seek. If it were, you could do this. You could master the unlikeliest of champions—your task could be to find new, varied, and interesting ways in which to limit yourself. This isn't about limitation though, it's about excess... It's about the dopamine hit accompanied by rising numbers. Yet as I've said, this can only ever dampen over time... The next hit has to be ever greater, far more potent than the last. What then? Very hard? Extreme? Ultra-Extreme? X-Edition L33T? Where does this sordid road end?

An addiction is an addiction and it is never healthy. There are already eyes on both mobile and online titles alike—to invite addiction and the poor health of players isn't really something ArenaNet would reasonably want to court, it wouldn't avail them of aught, this process could only be to their detriment. You must examine what it is you think you want, and then ruminate on whether you truly do indeed want it.

The road to raid is paved with pathos, so let's not?

[Firebeard.1746]

I didn't even see that the OP was saying easy mode doesn't give Leggie rewards/achievements, I would have left this alone if I had noticed. I'm fine with the hard mode having certain unique rewards, but not legendaries. Legendaries are the end game and by locking them out of any easy mode, you're locking people out of long-term engagement, because that is the long term engagement in this game outside of sheer enjoyment. I'm fine with the LI or equivalent drop rates being lower than the hardmodes, but feel it would be a mistake not to have access to legendary rewards at that level.

I support hard modes because I accept that there's players that want hard challenges and want to be rewarded for them, and that's completely fine. The elite in this game are tired too and feel abandoned. They know everything and my understanding is the last wing was a bit of a disappointment in terms of difficulty. Right now, raids in their current state aren't serving either end of the community, and ideally, Anet should want to cater to both. I know I'm going to be flamed by hardcore raiders for my suggestion, but in reality, if the only reason they raid is for a reward others can't have, then they're driven by toxic elitism, and not by love of the game mode. And I'm actually not opposed to something special, like maybe an infusion with a low drop rate for the harder modes.

[Tseison.4659]

A 100% agree that there needs to be a “medium” mode so atleast first timers can immerse themselves in the lore of the raids and actually get to experience what others do.

I still have yet to do the path of fire raids but the other raids I did with FRIENDLY players who actually trained and were very patient. Not saying we don’t need them but it would be preferred if there was an “easier’ ish” mode that anyone/profession can take part in.

[Ayrilana.1396]

Legendary armor tied to normal raid mode would be the incentive for those who are playing on easy to get better.

There are already several raid encounter which a group of new raiders can more easily complete on a weekly basis and gradually earn LI for a legendary armor.

[Tyson.5160]

@Ayrilana.1396 said:Legendary armor tied to normal raid mode would be the incentive for those who are playing on easy to get better.

There are already several raid encounter which a group of new raiders can more easily complete on a weekly basis and gradually earn LI for a legendary armor.

I would disagree, I think, just like pvp, if the easy mode took longer, the incentive for normal mode would be to complete the Armor quicker, much like Pvp, the better you do the less time it takes.

[Nightcore.5621]

We already have a easy mode doin none cm is easy mode

[Lonami.2987]

@Firebeard.1746 said:I didn't even see that the OP was saying easy mode doesn't give Leggie rewards/achievements, I would have left this alone if I had noticed. I'm fine with the hard mode having certain unique rewards, but not legendaries. Legendaries are the end game and by locking them out of any easy mode, you're locking people out of long-term engagement, because that is the long term engagement in this game outside of sheer enjoyment. I'm fine with the LI or equivalent drop rates being lower than the hardmodes, but feel it would be a mistake not to have access to legendary rewards at that level.

I support hard modes because I accept that there's players that want hard challenges and want to be rewarded for them, and that's completely fine. The elite in this game are tired too and feel abandoned. They know everything and my understanding is the last wing was a bit of a disappointment in terms of difficulty. Right now, raids in their current state aren't serving either end of the community, and ideally, Anet should want to cater to both. I know I'm going to be flamed by hardcore raiders for my suggestion, but in reality, if the only reason they raid is for a reward others can't have, then they're driven by toxic elitism, and not by love of the game mode. And I'm actually not opposed to something special, like maybe an infusion with a low drop rate for the harder modes.

You'd still get everything you get now by playing normal mode.

No one is talking about removing what we have now, just adding two new options, easy and hard, aside from normal. Some challenge motes could be turned into the hard mode itself, but that's pretty much it.

@Tseison.4659 said:A 100% agree that there needs to be a “medium” mode so atleast first timers can immerse themselves in the lore of the raids and actually get to experience what others do.

I still have yet to do the path of fire raids but the other raids I did with FRIENDLY players who actually trained and were very patient. Not saying we don’t need them but it would be preferred if there was an “easier’ ish” mode that anyone/profession can take part in.

Training groups do the job the raids themselves don't, it's just a heavy flaw on the design of the game.

@Tyson.5160 said:

@Ayrilana.1396 said:Legendary armor tied to

normal

raid mode would be the incentive for those who are playing on

easy

to get better.

There are already several raid encounter which a group of new raiders can more easily complete on a weekly basis and gradually earn LI for a legendary armor.

I would disagree, I think, just like pvp, if the easy mode took longer, the incentive for normal mode would be to complete the Armor quicker, much like Pvp, the better you do the less time it takes.

Or just like Fractals of the Mists, the higher the difficulty the higher the drop chances for ascended gear.

[Firebeard.1746]

@Ayrilana.1396 said:Legendary armor tied to normal raid mode would be the incentive for those who are playing on easy to get better.

There are already several raid encounter which a group of new raiders can more easily complete on a weekly basis and gradually earn LI for a legendary armor.

The problem is the LI is worthless without corresponding achieves, which require you to kill a slew of bosses, and IIRC, the armor ones require multiple kills of specific bosses, perhaps in a particular order. It's been a while since I looked into it. This is actually something that started turning me off to raiding in addition to my chaotic schedule making a static all but impossible. in contrast, every other legendary armor just requires currency. The trinkets (minus the back) from PVP/WvW aren't that bad, even though their components come from achieves, because it's a very natural achieve, kill x players, win x matches, capture x targets. It's something that happens naturally. If the raid acheives were similar, then maybe I'd try more often.

[Jora.5471]

@Ayrilana.1396 said:Legendary armor tied to normal raid mode would be the incentive for those who are playing on easy to get better.

There are already several raid encounter which a group of new raiders can more easily complete on a weekly basis and gradually earn LI for a legendary armor.

Easy mode should give Legendary rewards and achievements, just that it would take longer to get them. It might take 7x longer than a normal raider would have to do.

That way it won't make easy mode a big waste of time and make new players skip to normal mode.

[Ayrilana.1396]

@runeblade.7514 said:

@Ayrilana.1396 said:Legendary armor tied to

normal

raid mode would be the incentive for those who are playing on

easy

to get better.

There are already several raid encounter which a group of new raiders can more easily complete on a weekly basis and gradually earn LI for a legendary armor.

Easy mode should give Legendary rewards and achievements, just that it would take longer to get them. It might take 7x longer than a normal raider would have to do.

That way it won't make easy mode a big waste of time and make new players skip to normal mode.

I disagree, If players want raid legendary armor then they can do them on normal mode. Easy mode wouldn't be a waste of time as the can use it to learn to do the raid encounters. It'd also let players experience the stories in raids. That is after all some of the reasons that people are giving for an easy mode. Unless those were all lies.

[Linken.6345]

@Ayrilana.1396 said:

@runeblade.7514 said:

@Ayrilana.1396 said:Legendary armor tied to

normal

raid mode would be the incentive for those who are playing on

easy

to get better.

There are already several raid encounter which a group of new raiders can more easily complete on a weekly basis and gradually earn LI for a legendary armor.

Easy mode should give Legendary rewards and achievements, just that it would take longer to get them. It might take 7x longer than a normal raider would have to do.

That way it won't make easy mode a big waste of time and make new players skip to normal mode.

I disagree, If players want raid legendary armor then they can do them on normal mode. Easy mode wouldn't be a waste of time as the can use it to learn to do the raid encounters. It'd also let players experience the

stories

in raids. That is after all some of the reasons that people are giving for an easy mode. Unless those were all lies.

They were it start with we all want to see story.Easy get implemented we all want these and these rewards.Just look at wvw and spvp legendary armors, it was it dont need any special skins as an example.

[Ayrilana.1396]

@Linken.6345 said:

@Ayrilana.1396 said:

@runeblade.7514 said:

@Ayrilana.1396 said:Legendary armor tied to

normal

raid mode would be the incentive for those who are playing on

easy

to get better.

There are already several raid encounter which a group of new raiders can more easily complete on a weekly basis and gradually earn LI for a legendary armor.

Easy mode should give Legendary rewards and achievements, just that it would take longer to get them. It might take 7x longer than a normal raider would have to do.

That way it won't make easy mode a big waste of time and make new players skip to normal mode.

I disagree, If players want raid legendary armor then they can do them on normal mode. Easy mode wouldn't be a waste of time as the can use it to learn to do the raid encounters. It'd also let players experience the

stories

in raids. That is after all some of the reasons that people are giving for an easy mode. Unless those were all lies.

They were it start with we all want to see story.Easy get implemented we all want these and these rewards.Just look at wvw and spvp legendary armors, it was it dont need any special skins as an example.

I don’t personally have an issue with legendary armor which has no special skins like the ones in sPvP and WvW being made available so long as the effort required to obtain them is the same as in those other two game modes.

Achievement progression, LI, magnetite/gaeting, and other raid specific loot (unique skins, minis, infusions, etc) should not be available in easy mode.

[Jora.5471]

@Ayrilana.1396 said:

@runeblade.7514 said:

@Ayrilana.1396 said:Legendary armor tied to

normal

raid mode would be the incentive for those who are playing on

easy

to get better.

There are already several raid encounter which a group of new raiders can more easily complete on a weekly basis and gradually earn LI for a legendary armor.

Easy mode should give Legendary rewards and achievements, just that it would take longer to get them. It might take 7x longer than a normal raider would have to do.

That way it won't make easy mode a big waste of time and make new players skip to normal mode.

I disagree, If players want raid legendary armor then they can do them on normal mode. Easy mode wouldn't be a waste of time as the can use it to learn to do the raid encounters. It'd also let players experience the

stories

in raids. That is after all some of the reasons that people are giving for an easy mode. Unless those were all lies.

Easy mode should be training mode. Teach players about the mechanics of the boss and get them comfortable for normal mode. Experiencing the story is a side effect and not the main goal.

[Astralporing.1957]

@Linken.6345 said:

@Ayrilana.1396 said:

@runeblade.7514 said:

@Ayrilana.1396 said:Legendary armor tied to

normal

raid mode would be the incentive for those who are playing on

easy

to get better.

There are already several raid encounter which a group of new raiders can more easily complete on a weekly basis and gradually earn LI for a legendary armor.

Easy mode should give Legendary rewards and achievements, just that it would take longer to get them. It might take 7x longer than a normal raider would have to do.

That way it won't make easy mode a big waste of time and make new players skip to normal mode.

I disagree, If players want raid legendary armor then they can do them on normal mode. Easy mode wouldn't be a waste of time as the can use it to learn to do the raid encounters. It'd also let players experience the

stories

in raids. That is after all some of the reasons that people are giving for an easy mode. Unless those were all lies.

They were it start with we all want to see story.Correction.

Some

players said that. Some were saying other things. In fact, most of the players talking about pure story mode with no rewards were not those that wanted easy mode, but (surprise surprise) those that

didn't

want it.

Just look at wvw and spvp legendary armors, it was it dont need any special skins as an example.That was actually

dev

idea. Players were asking mostly for another legendary set available to

PvE

players. And yes, one with its own skin (or a different acquisition path for Envoy set). It was PvP devs that pushed through the idea of SPvP and WvW legendary armor sets - and it was GW2 higher management that said "okay, but only if those will get no skins".

At this point you might as well bring up the case of hardcore players that originally, before HoT, were asking for raids saying at the same time they don't care about them having any better or unique rewards. And then raiders vehemently defending those unique rewards as something obvious and necessary.Or the case of players saying they'd be okay with any raid release schedule, no matter how long, and then demanding at least one wing per 3 months. And saying anything below one per 6 months is a travesty.

You definitely should not expect individual player voices to fully represent the desires of the whole (sub)community, nor you should expect groups of players to be completely uniform in their views. And you definitely should not mix up desires of some player groups with arguments of people that weren't really even a part of those groups in the first place.

[yann.1946]

@Astralporing.1957 said:

@Linken.6345 said:

@Ayrilana.1396 said:

@runeblade.7514 said:

@Ayrilana.1396 said:Legendary armor tied to

normal

raid mode would be the incentive for those who are playing on

easy

to get better.

There are already several raid encounter which a group of new raiders can more easily complete on a weekly basis and gradually earn LI for a legendary armor.

Easy mode should give Legendary rewards and achievements, just that it would take longer to get them. It might take 7x longer than a normal raider would have to do.

That way it won't make easy mode a big waste of time and make new players skip to normal mode.

I disagree, If players want raid legendary armor then they can do them on normal mode. Easy mode wouldn't be a waste of time as the can use it to learn to do the raid encounters. It'd also let players experience the

stories

in raids. That is after all some of the reasons that people are giving for an easy mode. Unless those were all lies.

They were it start with we all want to see story.Correction.

Some

players said that. Some were saying other things. In fact, most of the players talking about pure story mode with no rewards were not those that wanted easy mode, but (surprise surprise) those that

didn't

want it.

Just look at wvw and spvp legendary armors, it was it dont need any special skins as an example.That was actually

dev

idea. Players were asking mostly for another legendary set available to

PvE

players. And yes, one with its own skin (or a different acquisition path for Envoy set). It was PvP devs that pushed through the idea of SPvP and WvW legendary armor sets - and it was GW2 higher management that said "okay, but only if those will get no skins".

At this point you might as well bring up the case of hardcore players that originally, before HoT, were asking for raids saying at the same time they don't care about them having any better or unique rewards. And then raiders vehemently defending those unique rewards as something obvious and necessary.Or the case of players saying they'd be okay with any raid release schedule, no matter how long, and then demanding at least one wing per 3 months. And saying anything below one per 6 months is a travesty.

You definitely should not expect individual player voices to fully represent the desires of the whole (sub)community, nor you should expect groups of players to be completely uniform in their views. And you definitely should not mix up desires of some player groups with arguments of people that weren't really even a part of those groups in the first place.

This is always been one of the most difficult problems with the easy mode debate, even the people who want it can't really agree with how it should look. So this discussion never goes to specific implementation.

[Sobx.1758]

@runeblade.7514 said:

@Ayrilana.1396 said:Legendary armor tied to

normal

raid mode would be the incentive for those who are playing on

easy

to get better.

There are already several raid encounter which a group of new raiders can more easily complete on a weekly basis and gradually earn LI for a legendary armor.

Easy mode should give Legendary rewards and achievements, just that it would take longer to get them. It might take 7x longer than a normal raider would have to do.

That way it won't make easy mode a big waste of time and make new players skip to normal mode.

No, it shouldn't. If you want to get the reward then learn and complete the content, that's about it.Even moreso @"Firebeard.1746" when he considers legendary eq being "endgame" and then claims they should be rewarded for completing "easy modes" lol. That makes no sense to me. If you can't/don't want to complete what's needed to get those items then... you don't. You don't need them to play, so I don't see the problem -just get ascended set/s.

[Astralporing.1957]

@Sobx.1758 said:Even moreso @"Firebeard.1746" when he considers legendary eq being "endgame" and then claims they should be rewarded for completing "easy modes" lol. That makes no sense to me."The whole game is the endgame".

It's the whole concept of associating endgame with only a certain type of content - one that only a relatively small number of players are even interested in - that makes no sense to me.

[MisterDizzy.4713]

No there shouldn't be any difficulty settings for raids. In games like WoW difficulty settings are a gear check more than anything, which is barely existent here. The only thing needed is skill, which you only get by going in and doing it.

[Tseison.4659]

@runeblade.7514 said:

@Ayrilana.1396 said:

@runeblade.7514 said:

@Ayrilana.1396 said:Legendary armor tied to

normal

raid mode would be the incentive for those who are playing on

easy

to get better.

There are already several raid encounter which a group of new raiders can more easily complete on a weekly basis and gradually earn LI for a legendary armor.

Easy mode should give Legendary rewards and achievements, just that it would take longer to get them. It might take 7x longer than a normal raider would have to do.

That way it won't make easy mode a big waste of time and make new players skip to normal mode.

I disagree, If players want raid legendary armor then they can do them on normal mode. Easy mode wouldn't be a waste of time as the can use it to learn to do the raid encounters. It'd also let players experience the

stories

in raids. That is after all some of the reasons that people are giving for an easy mode. Unless those were all lies.

Easy mode should be training mode. Teach players about the mechanics of the boss and get them comfortable for normal mode. Experiencing the story is a side effect and not the main goal.

I 100% agree with this. Even though I finally finished getting my legendary armor and won’t be setting foot in raids ever again unless a new one pops up, I definitely feel they need a “training mode,” because sometimes joining training groups ends up getting disbanded or the poor communication of explaining the mechanics doesn’t really “click” with people.

Other than that, a training mode that CLEARLY explains the mechanic and perhaps suggests recommended professions would be a good idea.

I still think raids is a toxic environment to this day after doing so many runs just to get this armor, but I have had “a few” smooth encounters. But if someone asked if it’s worth it, I would say no and stick to other fun content.

[mindcircus.1506]

@Ayrilana.1396 said:I disagree, If players want raid legendary armor then they can do them on normal mode. Easy mode wouldn't be a waste of time as the can use it to learn to do the raid encounters. It'd also let players experience the stories in raids. That is after all some of the reasons that people are giving for an easy mode. Unless those were all lies.Of course they were lies.This entire conversation is predicated around a small segment of the playerbase who belives that all content in this game needs to be made specifically for them.The fact we've seen one of the most vocal opponents to raids in this community get outted for farming Escort with his guild and buying Raid kills from sellers tells us all we need to know.

[yann.1946]

@mindcircus.1506 said:

@Ayrilana.1396 said:I disagree, If players want raid legendary armor then they can do them on normal mode. Easy mode wouldn't be a waste of time as the can use it to learn to do the raid encounters. It'd also let players experience the

stories

in raids. That is after all some of the reasons that people are giving for an easy mode. Unless those were all lies.Of course they were lies.This entire conversation is predicated around a small segment of the playerbase who belives that all content in this game needs to be made specifically for them.The fact we've seen one of the most vocal opponents to raids in this community get outted for farming Escort with his guild and buying Raid kills from sellers tells us all we need to know.

What does that tell us, that people will do content for rewards even if they don't enjoy it?

What doss it tell you that people opposed to raids also can participate in them?

The problem here is that no group is a monolith. Their are people wanting easy mode for lots of different reasons.1)see the story.2)increases raid participation3)reduce the need for training4). Get access to the rewards5)etcAnd mixes of the above.

[Sobx.1758]

@Astralporing.1957 said:

@Sobx.1758 said:Even moreso @"Firebeard.1746" when he considers legendary eq being "endgame" and then claims they should be rewarded for completing "easy modes" lol. That makes no sense to me."The whole game is the endgame".

I don't understand what this quote is supposed to be and how this is relevant to what I said or responded to?

It's the whole concept of associating endgame with only a certain type of content - one that only a relatively small number of players are even interested in - that makes no sense to me.

This is what I was responding to:"I'm fine with the hard mode having certain unique rewards, but not legendaries. Legendaries are the end game and by locking them out of any easy mode, you're locking people out of long-term engagement, because that is the long term engagement in this game outside of sheer enjoyment."

So he sees lege items as "endgame", but at the same time demands "easy modes" to reward endgame "exclusive" (you know... legendary) gear. That doesn't make much sense to me. And he's not being locked out of anything by not having legendary, he can simply use ascended items.

[Astralporing.1957]

@Sobx.1758 said:

@"Astralporing.1957" said:"The whole game is the endgame".

I don't understand what this quote is supposed to beIt was supposed to be the primary design goal and leading line of this game. Devs once used to say that a lot. It meant that all content is supposed to be equally important, and that no part of the game should be depreciated simply because you leveled up, geared up or just played for longer.

and how this is relevant to what I said or responded to?It is relevant, because you seem to think that the "endgame" equipment should only have a place in "endgame" content. And that "endgame" content should be something separate from the rest of the game. WHile, according to the original design goals, Raids should be no more of an endgame than Living Story is.

So he sees lege items as "endgame", but at the same time demands "easy modes" to reward endgame "exclusive" (you know...

legendary

) gear. That doesn't make much sense to me.Yes, i understood your point. That's why i responded like i did - that i don't understand the idea of associating the term "endgame" with niche content only a minority of players are interested in. Considering that "endgame" is an overall term for goals and content that is going to keep players in the game longterm, it's like you think that most players don't deserve to have that at all. What do you think those players should do then, quit? Is this game supposed to be only for those interested in niche content, and others should not even hope for an "endgame" of their own?That makes no sense to me.