My understanding is that Faction items are very similar to AURUM items. You pay GÇ£xGÇ¥ currency to get an item that has a lower skill requirement than the ISK variety, right?

HereGÇÖs my question: If I have proto skills, why would I fit faction items? I donGÇÖt need the skill dropGǪ. Because I have already maxed that particular skill. Therefore, once a person gets proto-level skills, the incentive to play FW goes downhill.

IF FW is supposed to be an ISK sink, the above paragraph is incongruous with this goal. If I donGÇÖt need GÇ£early-accessGÇ¥ gear, I donGÇÖt need loyalty points. If I donGÇÖt need loyalty points, I donGÇÖt need to do FW. So I am back into running pub matches and making ISK.

NowGǪ if factional gear had lower fitting requirements and similar statsGǪ. Or had better stats but was more expensive to fit (and higher cost)GǪ THEN youGÇÖd have people playing FW matches to get their LP in order to get their faction weapons.

FW has the opportunity to be more of an end-game type of playGǪ. You skill up to get into a more competitive game (more high-SP players), get better gear, then perhaps move on to PC.

But based on the current modelGǪ. FW is positioned as a mid-game type of gameplayGǪ. Get some skills at pub matches, play FW to get LP and access to higher gear while you wait to get skills, then move back to pubs once you donGÇÖt need the help fitting proto gear.

The problem we have had in the pastGǪ. Protos showing up and pub-stomping, wonGÇÖt change. Protos need some game-mode that only they can get intoGǪ so that they will go away and give the basics and advanced players room to grow.

If high-level, richer players won't do FW because there is incentive for them to do so... how can FW be the ISK sink we all wanted it to be?

Thoughts?