As a new player that fell in love with the game and wants it to succeed, please reconsider Bolster/Grouping of t2-3-4.

[Tisaya]

It's tough to balance. On one hand, new or just low level player don't deserve to get stomped just because they are low. On the other hand, it takes lots of time to get to BiS, why would you even waste time doing it if it wasn't making you strong?

Luckily, it doesn't take much time to become reasonably strong in RoR At rr 65, which can be achieved relatively fast, you you should be able to hold your ground against 80 if you know what you're doing.

[Culexus]

There is definitely a balance to be struck between closing the gear gap for lower levels and retaining better gear as a reward for higher levels. The power gap between lvl16 and rr60 is certainly a factor in new players leaving, but equally, the lack of carrot to chase at endgame causes higher-level players to leave once they have BiS. I know plenty of players who have left after getting the ranked jewel as there's nothing else to work towards.

[Fey]

The gear sets and itemization feels pretty solid in this game to be honest. Tanks can do just fine in conq with the 100 wounds proc. Vanq is pretty damn good for healers, and the grind for those gear sets are appropriate in my opinion.

What could level the playing field are some stronger procs on duelist/mercenary tier sets. Endure for example is a decent proc that could be included in those lower tiered sets. Adjusting the set bonus procs for balance sounds easier than starting to adjust all the the stats on lower gear sets.

Abilities are a trickier issue. If you're out in the lake at a certain level without a certain crucial ability no amount of skill or gear is going to account for that gap. That part of the leveling up process is working as intended imo. Bolster can't fully assuage the gap between 80 Bis and a 16 in Keeper, and it shouldn't.

Would be fun to watch a duel between an 80 BiS and a level 20 that is a hard counter.

[Bozzax]

Don’t agree wo bolster and bf vanq itemisation is a mess. Skill isn’t a factor at all

Especially low wounds on top of less defence is very hurtful

[Hazmy]

I think both gear and skill should matter with a nice balance between the two if achievable.

True, it is a PvP-centric game but it is an RPG first and foremost, so progression and itemization should remain a central point of power too.

[havartii]

From 16 to 40 most of your time should be spent in scenarios where you are fighting same under geared players. Watch the lakes for keeps and forts and learn your roll in warbands. It really is not as bad as you all seem to make it sound.

[Rubius]

One thing I'd also recommend is to either jump into a guild with or run with some of the more experienced warbands. This can teach you a lot, and by about level 30 almost all of the Warband-viable specs are available for every class. There are lots of solid guilds on both factions that welcome new players.

Some groups are more elitist than others, but finding a fun group to play with in the game can be crucial, especially for new players who are still learning all the tips and tricks.

One thing you can also do is use the XP Boost scrolls to get to level 40 faster. This is generally not recommended by veterans who are trying to min-max their Renown rank, but may be a good option for players who are getting bored in mid-tiers and might drop off if they don't hit end-game faster:

https://wiki.returnofreckoning.com/Apprentice_boon

[amputationsaw]

if lowbies should at least be rr58 when they ding cr40 the rr gain should be way more easier from 16-40. i can hardly see how this is possible for new players.
you have to normaly cut all PvE content so you have more time to grind renown while at the same time getting mayhem/ruin gear for Wards you should not get through Armor Sets which require War crests to buy because you have to save those crests to buy sov gear.
i had many big breaks from this Game which means all my toons are very old therefore have low rr due to lesser knowledge.
i grinded my choppa 23rr27 up to 37-46 with rr boost pots. hoping to get to rr50 with maxlvl.

older toons had popped 40 with rr45 and dungeons weren't a thing back then

newer players will struggle hard with this progression system if they no nothing about forums or helpful youtube guides

[shoelessHN]

if lowbies should at least be rr58 when they ding cr40 the rr gain should be way more easier from 16-40. i can hardly see how this is possible for new players.
you have to normaly cut all PvE content so you have more time to grind renown while at the same time getting mayhem/ruin gear for Wards you should not get through Armor Sets which require War crests to buy because you have to save those crests to buy sov gear.
i had many big breaks from this Game which means all my toons are very old therefore have low rr due to lesser knowledge.
i grinded my choppa 23rr27 up to 37-46 with rr boost pots. hoping to get to rr50 with maxlvl.

older toons had popped 40 with rr45 and dungeons weren't a thing back then

newer players will struggle hard with this progression system if they no nothing about forums or helpful youtube guides

Rolled a char a few weeks ago that I haven't had time to play much, but was rr40 at lvl25, rr50 at lvl30. 3k crests. Bought all war crest sets. 90ish genesis crests. And in t1 where it is Utopia and the "sov gear gap" doesn't exist I was something like 160-2 with a lvl1 sc death and a afk rvr lake death.

There are certain rr80+ players that will be more or less unkillable to anyone under BiS. But there are a boatload of really bad rr80+ players that are renown/crest pinatas.

Certain classes can excel with the low level (17-29) bolster. Some peak with bolster in the 29-35ish range. All of them fall off from 35-40. Generally every class is missing key skills until the late 20s and early 30s though. -crit is almost impossible to get on low level characters so they all have way too high of a chance vs. mediocre geared 40s. The armor values mean they'll all take more physical damage. And the low level sets do not have enough wounds, most people you run into will have 2-3k more than your char which needs to be addressed. All my main healers have 9kish hp, I just logged on a 35AM that had like 5200 when bolstered to 40.

And denying that knowing when, where, and how to take fights (from experience) is a huge advantage is laughable.

[Morpheus]

What would you prefer? Starting the game and walking around in endgame gear at lvl 16? Work for it, every veteran has done the same