New augments and it's implications on PvP - Not great.

[Beyrahl]

One of the major issues over the past two expansions has been the incredibly expensive augments introduced last expansion. While they have become much cheaper now, this change significantly alters that as augments play a large role in our stat pool. With the reduced costs overtime the previous tier was more accessible, but this would undo that and put us sort of in the same repeating situation.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for the current expansion. The existence of another augment treadmill will only widen the gap between experienced players and new, casual, or returning players. This persists as an ongoing issue; repeating this cycle will likely further alienate the newer players of the PvP community.

While I understand the desire for progression, there are better ways to approach this issue, which is why I'm making this post. I want to see progression in gear that is more achievable, considering that gearing for PvP and PvE involves different gear caps. Here are some ideas that could help remedy the situation:

1. Introduce New Gear Beyond Item Level 336: Add new gear that has augment stats pre-applied but retains the same item level as the capped PvP gear. This approach would eliminate the need to grind for augments, allowing players to obtain competitive gear without the extensive augment process. Each week/weekly, players could earn a token to purchase one of these pieces in addition to the regular warzone currency cost. This idea could certainly be adapted or refined further.

2. Introduce PvP-Specific Augments: Create augments that only function in PvP and do not work in PvE. While expertise used to serve this purpose, it currently does not offer any tangible benefits. A PvP-specific augment with various methods of acquisition—albeit easier to obtain—would provide something for players to pursue, as it would only work in PvP.

3. Establish Set Stats Similar to Guild Wars 2: We already have predefined stat pools with how stat sync works. By summing our potential tertiary stats, we could assign power, mastery, and endurance levels, with variations based on the gear type we select. For example, tanks might prioritize health while sacrificing other stats. This would enable players to fine-tune their stats for optimal performance in DPS or healing roles, effectively removing the gearing treadmill and creating a more balanced PvP environment. Additionally, having a system that allows for leveling and acquiring abilities/passives would help standardize the experience for all players in PvP, although I know many might be opposed to this idea.

4. Revamp the Tech Fragment Economy: Tech fragments currently control most of the economy surrounding augments and other crucial upgrades. Introducing alternative methods to acquire items or different patterns to construct these augments using various types of currency—such as Warzone-1, OP-1, or Conquest—would make them far more accessible, ensuring that all types of content feel rewarding. Currently, the tech fragment-centric system leads to monotony, as the meta for grinding often involves replaying story modes repeatedly to farm optimal tech frags per hour, which can be quite dull.

5. Cap Augments at Previous Tiers: Set a cap on augments at previous tiers and eliminate the requirement for OEM/RPM materials. By assigning these augments a purple recipe, they would become easier to obtain, phasing out the crafting of purple augments going forward.

In closing, I foresee many new players being deterred from engaging in PvP due to the existing stat advantages. Making the situation worse is not the solution.

Thank you.

Edited 13 hours ago by Beyrahl
AI overload fixed it.

[SeanGil]

I Respectfully disagree.

end-game augs are just that - end game. they are not a big part of the stats they do add alittle. 
im unsure how it will affect PvP, when the limit was 330 anything above that (acquired by R4 VM) actually lowered your stats in PvP so it might be the same in a way ? 

be that as it may, casual players can do all SM ops daily to acquire an amazing amount of frags and if casuals are not willing to do group content then we just learn the new dynamic encounters give 50 each ! so everyone can start collecting what they need for the new augs.

with that said alot of ppl are now running purple augs which are enough if you dont do some tough VM and NiM raids.
end-game gear should be hard to get and something you work towards. and there are more then a few ways to work towards it for casual players too.

new augs are definitely something big for the community, its gonna change the market for OEMs and RPMs its something new to go after and im excited to start working towards it.
 

[Setta]

Doesn't matter, the so called new players were already getting globaled in pvp, especially by premades. It doesn't matter if I overkill you by 10k damage, 15k dmage or 20k damage, you're dead either way, and you never stood a chance.  Instead do yourself a favor and gear up properly.  It'll help you in all facets of the game (gsf excluded)  not just pvp, but all of the pve content too.   

It does however fix other issues in the game, where we're over stacking a lot of mats, and bringing their value down.  Now this will make said mats more valuable, which will increase their price on the GTN, which will further help curb inflation, as the GTN tax takes more money out of the system.