I think you guys are making a big to-do about nothing. Spending materials to masterwork something should be a valuable choice you make. Spending materials to infuse something should be a valuable choice you make. Requiring a rare material to do these things is the best way to make your decision actually be worth something, rather than willy nilly masterworking every weapon and armor you have on day one and endlessly infusing them as you get 1 more light level. At that rate, there might as well not even BE masterworked weapons/armor. Just give all weapons and armor higher base stats at the start and scrap masterworking altogether. Everybody here is just butthurt because they aren't being handed everything for free.