Ratbeard Promises Interesting Gear Updates

If you don't keep up with the Pirate101 forums, you won't know that Ratbeard often posts as many update clues as Blind Mew. And if you do, you'll be just as excited and confused for the next update as I am. Let's analyze some of his proposed gear updates.

Logan Sharp asked a question on the Pirate101 forums about gear, to which Ratbeard responded:

There were a couple of changes to gear with the last update mainly due to the way that Marleybone and Aquila split along the usual 5- or 10- level increments. I'd like to avoid that again! 

I have no plans to change existing items. I do have some changes planned moving forward, which may include: ... 

Fewer Items with Powers from Other Classes

The concept is as simple as it sounds - you won't be seeing so many pieces of gear for your class with cards from other classes. In one sense, this is helpful. For example, my Musketeer has come across a number of Back Stab cards (which he actually uses, but most Musketeers wouldn't), as well as ones like Whale's Might which just have no use whatsoever. Getting rid of those for more 2x damage powers? I'm all for that.

Past gear sets have offered specific cards with "upgrades"
as you level. It sounds like future gear will stray from
this pattern.

On the other hand, having some of the higher-level cards from other classes has a variety of benefits. Some of them are just good, frankly. Everyone usually carries at least one copy of Big Guns, or should, anyway. Mournsong is never a bad option. Then from there, you branch off into other "best options" based on your class and play style. Having cards from different classes offers some diversity. After all, if we just create an arsenal of cards that we have multiple copies of, don't we just become wizards?

We've always debated whether to use gear for stats or for cards. A lot of items have offered a little bit of both, but it looks like, from here on out, we're really going to be making those decisions.

More Items with Higher Level Powers

Yes! If I have to have powers of my own class, I want the good ones. Only one item offers Rain of Mortarshells, and none offer Hail of Cannonballs or Tempest of Torpedoes - bombs are a Musketeer's bread and butter. And only one item offers Assassin's Gloom, a very useful (and deadly) 5x damage AoE for Swashbucklers. 

This could have its share of issues as well. Right now, the only team buffs that come on gear are Call to Arms. What happens when Privateers start getting extra copies of Espirit de Corps and Battle Zeal? Being able to have over 200 accuracy and dodge on all companions makes your entire team minus the pirate useless - what happens when this increases further?

The Hydra's fangs are one of the only
items to offer powers from level 52-65.
However, being rare drops from a
45-minute battle balances that out.

Also, what do you figure Witchdoctors are going to get? Extra copies of deadly spells like Chain Lightning? And Buccaneers? Leviathan's Call is all over gear for every class. Even Musketeers and Witchdoctors get at least a couple copies. Will Reckless Frenzy show up on gear?

More Items With Brand New Powers

This is where I'm excited. I'm hoping this doesn't just mean the newer powers to be released in the next update. Even if it were, that'd be a huge step forward - after all, we don't have any 52-65 powers on gear now, with maybe one exception.

But I'm wondering if this won't mean new powers altogether. We've seen very little of this, with only a few unique powers - off the top of my head, I'm thinking Megablast, Rally the Clay, Dispel Magic, Blood Flames, Stone Bastion, etc. In that case, I'm all for these newer powers, but here's hoping they continue to be on items for all classes (despite the fact that Megablast is on a shooty weapon which would be used primarily by Musketeers).

Auctionable, Rare Gear Variants

The exact wording was "Places to farm for 'rare' gear variants that are auctionable (most right now is no auction)." This might include the new encounter with Captain Swing to farm his gear. This opens up a whole new can of worms, though. If they're variants, does that mean they look the same with no stats? Does it mean they just look similar?

Furthermore, does it mean we're all going to be spending quite a bit more time in the Bazaar, and have to be careful when selling auctionable items now? I'm not yet sure how I feel about this one. If you can pick up Captain Blood's Jacket or Captain Swing's hat without stats in the Bazaar, I'd be pretty upset. Because most of that unique gear is farmed for the looks and stitched to other stats, and this would theoretically be achievable through these variations.

Let's muddy the waters even more. He specifically mentions new places - do this mean that there'll be some special bosses that drop these, perhaps only in a single fight rather than a long instance? How will collectors decide which they want or which is necessary. Will "good enough" become a more common thing with gear?

You tell me - let me know what you think about these potential changes by commenting. Until next time, thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral!