Only if you're willing to assume that Bound crafting won't ever increase. I would not gamble on a level cap on a newly introduced system in an MMO not ever being raised.
Even still, for just reaching 100, I'm better off starting over. Others might not be, but they'd still be gambling on future bound cap raises if they continued leveling their current crafter.
Very interesting and well thought out, but not really that important. Leveling a gimpy DMarked character isn't that big of an issue to me. Leveling a character that has no future past capping it is the issue. And once you swap in those feats, it's a crafting bot.- the cost of feat swapping at level 20 (well, level 19, just before you take level 20) is negligible, actually.
This is true. However, I would greatly prefer a modification to the crafting system to make it cheaper that didn't involve throwing away my previous effort, and making a lame crafting bot.- if it is cheaper for you to stop crafting now and start crafting later on an artificer, that means it is still cheaper for you overall.
Making a part of an MMO harder/easier/grindier/less-grindy/whatever, that doesn't bother me. That's par for the course. Doing it in a way that renders my previous effort completely pointless? That's what bothers me. That's not business as usual, at least not from what I've seen in DDO.
But it not being as cheap as if I'd sat out of crafting and kept my essences and not participated is a legitimate comparison. Is it in Turbine's best interest to make non-participation in Live "betas" more rewarding than participation?yes, not as cheap as it would be for someone who didn't craft at all, but at that point, you're getting into pointless comparisons which everyone is claiming they aren't making. you're complaining about what someone else is paying.
Yes, I'm closer to my desired crafting level after U11. Doesn't mean I have to like the things that come with it. Still doesn't change that I'd be even closer had I not participated as much in the Beta. Waste means something.you will either get closer to your goal in crafting after U11 goes live, or you will at the very least not get any further, regardless of what you choose to do. there is no outcome where you personally, or anyone else, are any worse off. regardless of how it happens, U11 is going to make it cheaper for you to reach the crafting level you would like to have.
But, even though I'm disagreeing here, I have to say it's refreshing to actually be responding to someone with some solid arguments, and that actually understands the issues.