Because a good number of people that run constant proto gear can afford it. If you're fairly good at the game, it's not difficult to pull a profit even when running prototype gear.

"boo hoo hoo, you couldnt kill my 300hp suit if your suit wasnt proto. i mean 300 is alot. why put complex mods on at all? waaaa you killed me again. i'll get you next time. OMG this guys suit is so OP. i'll try a MLT sniper........from the MCC."

Please, keep pushing new players out of the game.

I'm sure that'll help.

This is a perspective that really isn't true. I run proto 100% of the time and I pull a hefty profit 9 out of 10 battles. You say my one death really hurts me, but if I go 20-1 and am top of my leaderboards, I am going to still walk away with 200K ISK in profit, usually more if I am facing gear that is ADV+. Hell, my rig needs usually 4 deaths before I'm in the red. If I'm facing Team Militia, that's a 1 in 1000 matches.

Too many people DON'T use any gear. It is painful to see how many people are constantly running militia gear. The difference between militia and just standard is incredible, much less having to deal with advanced or prototype gear. To choose to ignore that for the sake of a few thousand ISK, a currency whose only worth is to BUY GEAR, is mind-blowing.

You say that none of it actually matters... Then why not burn through your isk? Why save it? It has no purpose in Dust save for buying gear to use.

I'll save a percentage of my ISK earnings into proto-gear until I hit the Cap per week. Makes the remaining couple days of the week a little less boring. As far as the OUTRAGEOUS cost of a 80-100k suit, who cares when you have Millions worth of gear that you'll just replace in a week? Ahh, the grind that is Dust514, I love it.
That is all. Eriknaught out. END TRANSMISSION.

Like I've always said (well, this is the first time, but hey):

Remove sniping, tanks, LAVs, dropships, heavies and scouts from this game, and you'd really have something.

Easy mode for vets to kill newbs.

Duh, anyone who sux at shooters rocks proto gear, and tanks

i run advance logi majority of the time with advance or just an exile because most people dont know how to set up a good proto suit so i get paid for it.

but when i do run proto gear is when i see a stacked q'sync and im q'synced with my guys or when i see some real solid players i recognise.
reason for this being is because i love the competition and its fun to kill.
another reason is because im worth 800 million at the moment and can afford it.

I'm not...