The problem is that they immediately showed stat upgrades with the line “This is just the beginning…”
I know that, and it is going over about as well as a kitten in a punchbowl. Making Ascended items statistically similar will be the best way to defuse the situation and make most people happy.
How about you just make Ascended items the same statistically as an upgraded Exotic? Only, with an Infuse slot. Making them basically the same as greens from GW1, but with Infuse for the dungeon mechanics. Problem solved, no harm done.
If only I would have known ArenaNet was going to put in a gear grind before I spent $150 on gems. Oh well.
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