The title itself is baffling enough on its own but when you step back and consider it being said without even the slightest intention of sarcasm, it can conjure up desires to slam one's own head in the freezer door ad nauseum. Yet, sadly, this is precisely where we find ourselves at this point in Rift's history: the majority clamoring for a reduction to the grind found throughout Telara while a small but extremely vocal minority arrives on the scene to fight this cause within an inch of their collective lives. It's baffling. It's unimaginable. And, yes, it's very curious indeed.
In an earlier blog post, written prior to the implementation of Conquest, I laid out a collection of unarguable math that vividly illustrates an extremely clear point: if you want to PvP on a relatively level playing field, you're looking at an absolute bare minimum of 50.5 hours inside Warfronts beforehand. Think about that for a moment. 50.5 hours. Fifty-point-five hours. Five, zero, point, five hours. Given the most optimal possible situation imaginable, this is the bare minimum amount of time you'll have to "put in" before you will be at a gear level I am being extremely generous in calling "competitive". For anyone capable of looking at the bigger picture, the argument ends right there. No further examination required. No more debate about it. However, the vocal minority, for reasons that elude me, is quick to assault what is quite reasonable logic with tired and worn arguments whose existence in MMOs of today is a travesty on their own. With this entry to The Ascended Chronicle, I'd like to examine these arguments, dissect them and close the proverbial book on the case once and for all. Without further adieu, let's begin.
Argument 1: You just want everything handed to you without having to work for it. You're lazy and need to put in the time and effort just like the rest of us did.
This argument is so easily destroyed I almost hesitate to address it but, in the interest of thoroughness, it needs to be done. To begin, consider the use of the terms "time and effort". You may substitute your own synonyms at your leisure but the sentiment remains: the vocal minority claims we need to work hard to achieve our goals which, in the case at hand, is simply to obtain enough PvP gear to be competitive. In the real world, this is a noble and proper position to take: work hard, put in your time and enjoy the rewards of your sweat-born efforts. This is the mindset that built the railroads, put the first plane in the sky and cured polio. The problem is that we aren't talking about the real world. We're talking about a video game set in a fictitious, fantasy world called Telara. We're speaking of a destination we collectively turn to for a break from reality - a respite of enjoyment where the material world slips into the background and fun replaces obligation and responsibility. If you think otherwise, then I respectfully urge you to take an extended break from the game to assess your goals and aspirations. What follows from all this comes easily: under the umbrella of video gaming, concepts of "hard work" and "putting in the time" needn't apply. Concepts of "having fun", "enjoying the game" and "competing against fellow gamers" do. It's not about "wanting things handed to you". It's about enjoying the game and being able to compete during your time therein. Being a doormat for those gone before while you "put in your time" is not fun and it's not good for the game. Allowing people to compete the onset is.
Argument 2: If you're going to ask for PvP gear to be practically handed out then I want PvE gear practically handed out too.
The issues with this argument are so plain and so readily visible that they practically jump off the page. Here we are comparing two different systems, PvP and PvE, and claiming that an adjustment to one necessitates and adjustment to the other. The counter argument could honestly stop there as no further rebuttal is required to expose the fallacy of this worldview. But were I to do this, I'd be shirking my duty to not just counter these arguments but to destroy them outright. PvE in Rift is a purposely gated system of linear progression. You start at some arbitrary point about the PvE difficulty spectrum and you progress onward to be met with increasingly difficult challenges as you become ready. If you are brand new to Rift raiding, and a fresh 50, you might begin in the Drowned Halls and Greenscales Blight. After you are comfortable with the encounters therein and have gotten some drops thrown your way, you might venture into Hammerknell Fortress to test yourself against even more challenging encounters still. The cycle continues and the challenges will wait as long as you need them too. In PvP, the opposite is true. From the moment you enter Rift PvP, you are immediately thrown to the wolves. You may occasionally find yourself in a very loosely "matched" Warfront but even the matched Warfronts themselves are not perfect barriers preventing the entry of vastly superior opposition. I'd be a much wealthier man were I paid for each time I arrived in a matched Warfront during low prestige levels only to be obliterated by a max-rank opponent. In other words, there is no gating and there is no "progression" - there is only Rift PvP. Rift's PvP system, using a PvE metaphor, would be like facing Prince Hylas one moment and the very next being thrown into Laethys' treasure room. Tell me: would your outlook on Rift PvE be different were that actually the case?
Argument 3: I don't know what you're talking about. I was able to "compete" from the very moment I stepped into Warfronts and there were many ways for me to contribute even with no PvP gear at all.
This is often an argument of last resort when the vocal minority realizes the ground beneath their feet is anything but solid. Specifically, they are attempting to equate the terms "compete" and "contribute" and are referring to particular abilities and play styles that allow them to "take part" in PvP with at least some level of effectiveness. You'll hear them refer to Marksman Eradicate spam, being a pocket healer for some exceptionally-geared Warrior or perhaps running as a tank and holding on to a vessel in some dark corner of the Library. Are these actions representative of "competing" in PvP? No - they are without a doubt ways to "contribute" but they are most certainly not "competing". Competing must be considered with respect to a level playing field. Everyone inherently knows whether or not they are "competitive" but to illustrate it clearly, consider yourself a Warrior and, standing before you, is a Warrior competitor. Your opponent has 1300 valor, 100 vengeance and 11,000 health. You have 1000 valor from the Ascended Courage buff, perhaps 20 vengeance and 6,500 health. Tell me and be honest: who is going to win this battle? Barring unforeseen circumstances of a kitten pulling the plug on his router mid-battle or Steam deciding it needs to download it's 27th Team Fortress updates this week, do you have even the slightest chance against this opponent? I know, you know and everybody knows that the deck is more than just stacked against you here and your chances of defeating this opponent fall somewhere between winning the lottery and lightning chiseling out a blueprint for Meridian in the grass of your backyard. Certainly you could "contribute" in this circumstance. Perhaps you can survive long enough to waste that Warrior's time while your team captures another node in The Codex. Alternatively, maybe you decide to mount up and lead our mentally challenged friend on a chase around Whitefall Steppes thus taking him out of the game for the time being. The fact remains that you are not at all "competing" - you are "contributing" and the two are very different. To some, simply "contributing" in gimmicky, one-off manners such as these may prove adequate sustenance while you put in your time towards competitiveness. For most of us, however, this is not engaging game play and is absolutely no substitute for real competition.
Undoubtedly there are more arguments that could be presented here but in the interest of forgoing the production of a novel, I'll consider the point made with these three. To be clear, the entire concept of rallying in favor of barriers to entry defies logic. I don't know when this argument will be officially voted upon by Trion's development but with the release of Guild Wars 2 looming in the shadows, this decision cannot come soon enough.
