Nothing gets me going like the talk of “welfare epics.” Thanks to Aspect of the Hare, we now have a new classification for gear: “soulless epics.” Pike talks about a soulless epic in his latest post:

“I am having a really hard time convincing myself to replace it with stuff that is being held in sterile confinement in Dalaran and that I earned by doing ‘chain Heroics’. I feel like there would be no soul in said gear.”

I find it hard to believe that World of Warcraft players in this day and age would refuse an upgrade — no matter how it was obtained — because it was not accompanied by a “story.” The fact that the gear you worked ever-so-hard for in 25-man Ulduar is obtainable from an emblem vendor doesn’t make it any less special. Why? Because there’s newer content to experience, and better gear to be had.

The Game has Changed

Today’s WoW is all about gear. You are judged completely by your various in-game ratings (item level, gear score, arena ranking, etc.) and nothing more. Having purple-colored items with as high a rating as possible is how you are judged.

The days of being a tank and having a Quel’Serrar are over. The days when you judged a Hunter based on whether or not they had Rhok’delar are long gone.

Those were the days when your gear helped craft the story of your character. In today’s WoW, achievements help tell the story of your character. You have to realize that gear is simply a means to an end. How you pick up the gear is irrelevant, and does not tell the entire story of your character or you as a player.

Stop it with the Welfare Epics

There’s no such thing as a welfare epic. Period. Just because gear is now available by different means doesn’t make it welfare.

“I don’t really have any moral problem with the way ‘welfare epics’ are implemented.”

I’ll restate this from my perspective: I don’t have any moral problem with how the various methods by which you can obtain gear in the game is implemented. Believe me: if you’re relying on a healer to keep you alive in the heroic version of Trial of the Champion, you don’t care how he or she picked up his or her healing set. The fact that his or her headpiece came from Emblems of Conquest and not Ulduar doesn’t mean they are any less of a player. It just means they utilized their time in a different way.

Time is Money, Friend

World of Warcraft is all about the time you put into the game. You spend your time as wisely as you can in order to maximize your enjoyment. It’s as simple as that. When time spent produces gear that helps you progress your character, you feel a sense of accomplishment. The progression of your character then opens up doors for new content, gear, experiences, and even “stories.” This is the never-ending incentive — the dangling carrot — that players have to keep progressing.

How and when your paper doll was decorated with purple pixelation is not something you should rely on to tell your story. Progressing your character, gaining achievements, and working with your fellow guild members speaks volumes.