The ESO-Wiki site has published a column where they reflect on high-level equipment and if it should be linked. A subject that deserves our attention! Exchanging equipment, potions and other items between players is the basis of an economy in an MMORPG. While some argue in favor of the global trade, other players believe that high level gear should only be available in Raid and PvP. But that is like putting the craft all the way down, in an uninteresting position.
All exchangeable items
Previous Elder Scrolls have placed player freedom as an essential part of their gameplay. Players who have never played an MMO will quickly find that they cannot exchange any limiting items.
However, if everything is tradeable, there will be players who are fully equipped too quickly, having obtained their equipment either through a gift from a friend or through barter. People raiding or PvP for fun will certainly get rich quickly as they will acquire a lot of items that they will not need and can resell. It also means that the same raids will not have to be repeated as often as each item will quickly be released and purchasable.
At this rate, some players may come to the conclusion that they no longer need to raid or PvP. Others will find that killing low level monsters for money and buying high level gear makes more sense.
If players can sell high level gear, they'll want to trade in their old gear as soon as they get better. For players purchasing this old gear, it reduces game progress and allows them to avoid wasting time and content. It is advantageous from a certain point of view. However, since high-level items will require Craftsman-placed Enchantments to produce the desired effect, most of the items traded will have already been enchanted by their former owners. This means that as time goes by, high-level artisans will be less and less solicited. The only solution would be for the objects to break without the possibility of repair after a certain time.
Unlike other MMOs, PvP in TESO has a focus that goes beyond personal progression. The ability to capture territories and thus contribute to the interests of their faction gives a way for players to be able to move forward without actually getting items as rewards. Could the adventure zones (raids) also be linked to factions and give access to new equipment? Just trading equipment with other players from your own faction also contributes to your PvP success.
High level equipment linked to the character
For equipment to be truly a sign of accomplishment and prestige, the best equipment must not be tradable or very difficult to obtain. This will appeal to players of other MMOs, but may come as a shock to fans of the Elder Scrolls. It is however the obvious choice for Zenimax because the goal of an MMO, from an economic point of view, is to keep players as long as possible, which means forcing players to invest their time to progress in the content.
Players have some advantages with this system, however, as if the equipment is not tradable, when inspecting a player it does not only indicate what the player is wearing. It also provides information on the monsters killed, the progress of his raid and its achievements. While PvP rewards players with equipment, that also explains how much he has invested in his faction. A player's equipment is part of their history, beyond a simple list of statistics.
It's yours ! Do you think high-level gear should be tradable or tied to the character receiving it?
