I just want to add my voice to the clamor that’s already against this design choice. I’m very troubled at what seems to be a new direction; troubled enough to post on the forums for the first time. I absolutely loved how straightforward it was in GW1 to get max stats gear, and loved the focus on horizontal progression. It was so nice to be able to return after sizeable breaks knowing that the only place I had fallen behind was the metagame. I really, really hope ANet reconsiders adding new items that are statistically superior to what’s already in the game.