Through the reliable mercy of badges, I've finally got Tier 7.5 shoulders for my Enhancement shaman, Mengtzu. The blues I've been wearing for months are gone to the oblivion of the vendor, along with the feeling that my gear, while skillfully chosen, was impoverished.
The enormous shoulderpads of WoW raiders may appear absurd at first glance, but I find them a remarkably compelling signifier of character power and guild achievement. Easy recogniseable from a distance, even in a crowd, they inevitably colour my first judgement more than any other piece of gear. I'll usually notice them before the stupid name or the absurd haircut, and learn a useful piece of information (even if that is "attended four raids and rememberd to pick up their badges" right now ;)
This makes me suspicious of cosmetic gear schemes, where the appearance of one piece of gear is laid on the stats of another. I want to see gear that tells a tale of what the character has done, not the player's sense of style.
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