People keep using the same line to defend respecs, and it has begun to wear on my patience. That line is..

"What do people who don't want respecs have to lose?"

This is usually followed by some personal attacks, something about speccing out of FotM, something about fear of newbies, and general name-calling. So I'm here to clear up the confusion and shut down a few rather virulent badposters.

If we give a respec, Imagine we have Alex. Alex spent his SP willy-nilly, just playing and testing. He didn't have a plan in mind, so if he gets a respec he can start over, plan accordingly, and put points into his favored playstyle. It's all good... for Alex.

In case you didn't get the hint, Alex is players who want respecs.

Then after the respec, we have Bob. Bob spent his SP wisely, making each choice count. He has all his points placed in carefully thought arrangements, and doesn't regret a single level. When he puts his points in again, he puts them back in the exact same place. His game hasn't changed at all, and he is upset that the game rewarded Alex, who screwed up his SP, and snubbed him.

In case you didn't get the hint, Bob is everyone else.

The Alex's of the game refuse to see things from the point of view of the Bob's. Those of us who had a plan get nothing for it, and feel like all our work was for naught.

A simple solution would be to give some goodies out along with the respec, or make it a choice between goodies and respec. The former would probably be easier on CCP, but either would give the Bob's something instead of just telling them to sod off.

I never said Bob was afraid of Alex, that is you failing to see things from a Bob's point of view. You are having an X-Man moment: I am different and therefore better. You think that your poor SP choices are responsible for your combat failings. You think Bob is only good because he spent his SP wisely.

What is actually going on is that Alex is not getting punished for throwing his SP about, while Bob is not getting rewarded for being careful with his SP. Even if you tested some equipment, do you know how little the first level of any skill matters? You can train it off of two or three good matches. That is no excuse for being poor with SP. Bob is getting thrown to the wayside, and the DEVs are breaking their word to appease the Alex's.

Bolding everything you say is annoying. Fixed.

I won't even bother with a point-by-point, most of your points are pure opinion and heavily biased.

Bobs are not afraid of Alexs. Alexs feel persecuted and wish to turn that into a positive thing by thinking they are superior. You think you're better than a Bob. You are not. You are the same. Bob and Alex started the same, and had the same chances with the same points and same skills. Bob ended up doing better because he was careful. If Alex had simply been as careful, he would have been alot better off.

Also, if your particular Alex decided to specialize into a SIDEARM and a NICHE PLAY-STYLE without putting points into the basics, he shot himself in the foot. He never thought about what he would do in a wide-open map, he never thought what he would do without expensive caskets to hunt. He. Never. Thought.

Also, DEVs are not giving a full respec. Just a partial to vehicles because of major restructuring. Sensible and reasonable.

All of these are cases for partial respecs at best. To play Devil's Advocate though...
Deciding to stay in Militia is a stupid excuse, they will probably give Amarr Heavy a partial like they did with Vehicles, or split it like they did with Destroyers. Use what you have and move on. Waiting for the DEVs to add something isn't gamebreaking. If it was, you simply wouldn't be playing.
If your gun got nerfed, it was most likely for good reason.
Laser Rifles still have a niche as they have no kick. Perfect accuracy, perfect line of death.
The main reason they are respeccing the vehicle tree is because the tree is being torn up completely, so they can then put their SP into the new tree. Any player moving their points to the Infantry trees as a result deserves to start back at the bottom.

Bold stopped.

Bob has no unfair advantage. Bob had access to all the information Alex did, and made better decisions with it. He doesn't need a respec, nor does he want it because that means his care was in vain and fruitless. ALEX is being selfish, forcing his needs on Bob and not giving a damn. If he HAD planned better, he wouldn't be in this spot. He literally brought a knife to a gunfight in your case, what did he expect?

AV has not been nerfed. Vehicles and AV were scaled down, both of them. As such, if AV did 20 to a 200 HP HAV, it now does 2 to a 20 HP one.

Why should AR and Swarm users get a leg up when their weapons will function the way they're intended and no longer be god like points scorers?

We knew for months the AR was not the weapon it was intended to be and only a placeholder till the other weapons come in. Hell I'm an idiot and I knew it wasn't going to last with them dominating at all ranges.

As for the swarms its simply too easy and map dominating. Again you knew it wasn't going to last. If you honestly didn't then I pity you cus your weapon was horrible broken

Maybe my view is invalid cus I'm an existentialist and I take mastery of my choices. I don't see them as mistakes. They give me options

I have always been in the "no respecs" group, but I have changed my stance on one issue: when all racial variants come out i.e. Caldari heavy, Amarr scout it would be a crime for CCP to not allow a total respec. It is their fault for not including all of that at commercial release tbh. Then, and only then, is a respec permissable.

Also, what IF Alex got his respec....would the current "pro respec" crowd change their tune if another new Alex came into the game and then demanded a respec because he messed up? Because let's face it....year after year as new players filter in and discover the game, there will ALWAYS be another Alex.

Food for thought.

Forgetting Bob and Alex for a minute, you seriously specced into Forge Guns, Swarm Launchers, AV grenades, and Plasma Cannons, as well as Nova Knives? That's three Light weapons, a Heavy weapon, a Sidearm, and the suits to go with them. And not ONCE did you think of spending some on an anti-infantry firearm? I need to say nothing, this speaks for itself.

You are an Alex.

Reasons For:
Allows new players a chance to restart.
Allows players a chance to try something new.
Brings in new players.
Brings back old players.
Gear was nerfed.
Unfinished racial line up.
Gives new players the ability to compete.

Reasons Against:
Creates fotm.
Creates the cycle of more respecs.
Choices matter.
Everyone starts the same and it should stay that way.
New gear is easy to get into.
It isn't fair to players who are just starting or hasn't started.
Gear wasn't nerfed, it was balanced.
You had the same choices we did.
New players don't know about respecs.
Only a few players will return because the line up is still unfinished.