Guild Wars 2

I was trying to catch up on the important points of the recently closed CDI thread for Vertical progression and it struck me that a lot of the discussion there could have been more effective if people had more of a clear idea exactly what elements of GW2 constituted either vertical or horizontal progression.

To prepare for the next CDI thread I thought it might be an idea to compile a list of GW2 features and what type of progression they embody so going into the next discussion people are more likely to be on the same page regarding the definition of these things.

Here are some examples to get us rolling. I will add everyones to this post so that there is a handy summary here when we have made some progress.

Vertical Progression (Things which make characters more powerful)
Stat increase from lvl 1-80 (with level adjusting this might not count for much though)
Gear increase from lvl 1-80
Gear quality increase from Common to Exotic (at game release)/Ascended (since Nov 2012)
Agony Resistance (especially since Oct 2013 fractured patch but applies to fractals only)
WvWvW XP (applies to wvw only, obviously)
Skills/weapon swap/class features unlock (up to lvl 30)
Trait unlock (lvl 20, 40, 60)
Trait stats (up to lvl 80)

Horizontal Progression (Things which make characters more interesting and versatile)
Skills (weapon, healing, utility and elite above lvl 30)
Traits (after lvl 60)
Trait stats (after lvl 80)
Gear variety (Zerkers, Soldiers, Clerics etc etc)
Skins (Character Appearance)
Collections (eg minipets)
Achievement Points
Personal Story (including race, gender etc)
Class

No doubt Ive missed many, please point them out to me so I can add to the list.

Cheers!