I have to say, I don't know why this is such a big deal... I mean look at any other game that is loot based. If new harder content is launched, the new drops and gear are more beast than your old stuff. Pretty much every other game would make you just trash your old stuff or hand it down to an alt toon. Take WoW for example. Launch content gets cleared, after months of grinding you may get a full set of that coveted Tier # armor. Then comes the next content patch, with the new raid and Tier #+1 is released. You want to stay beastly and have the best stuff? you now grind the new content until you get a full set of Tier #+1 and you trash your old stuff for materials. No option to improve Tier # to be as good as Tier #+1 because you prefere the looks of it or because you worked really hard to get it and level it up. You just did it because that was the rules of the game. Here they are letting you keep your gear. You don't have to reset it, but if you do you can extend it's relevents in the game. It gets treated like new gear in that you have to rank it up again, just like you would actual new gear, but you can keep it if you like the perks or the looks. If I didn't need to get new gear with new harder content, my motivation to clear said content is reduced. In my opinion they are not really screwing anyone. They are not doing anyone favors. It is about on par with needing new gear, which is the entire driving force of this game and if they took that away what is the fvcking point. They just let you keep the cosmetics or perks you liked about the old gear. They are not going to let you hit the new max level easy. That would be retarded. It is fair to everyone. Everyone has to do it. What I hope they don't do is start this way, then change it because of whinny babies to something easier, there by screwing over those who took the hard road at the start.