A short preface...
I am not in any way supporting or opposing the inclusion of high level gear into any aspect of the game. I am by all intents and purposes completely casual. I have actually only participated in 10 arena matches, still not keyed for kara not exalted with any faction and have only ever maxed out one profession...Skinning (LOL!). I am bored in lab and decided to get on and ask a question to hopefully spawn enough discussion to pass the incubation time of my cells...
And now...
Why are the S1 (and as I'm hearing now soon to be S2) that are available for Honor now being called "Welfare Epics"? Is it because we as a community see the color purple as something that should require the planned coordination (and attendance) of at least 5 (thinking about Heroics here) and most often 10-40 (at least back in the day) people to repeatedly run the same scenarios over and over again? Or the planned coordination of 2,3,or 5 in a PvP setting? Perhaps its because we don't think that one should be able to solo and get epics (except the random world drop)?
What are the differences between Raid Epics and Welfare Epics:
Raid Epics require at LEAST 5 people (I realize that heroics arent raids but I use the term raid epics to exclude profession epics and world drops) working together (and in reality usually 10 or 25). Can this not be accomplished in BGs (premades? which are themselves looked down upon sometimes as EZmode)? Of course it wont be common but I don't think there are many common raiding guilds that are good either.
Raid Epics require consistent attendance. Well, I've never heard of anyone getting Welfares without "attending" the BGs.
Raid Epics require you too actually kill stuff. Yea I know folk who just come to AV and "bot up" and still end the day with 2-4k honor if they farm for a few (3-5) hours and I've heard of people grinding honor and ending a holiday weekend with 15k-25k honor (I must lack fortitude because I cant play that long...DMC4 starts calling me), so I realize that the actual "success" in a BG doesn't preclude the progression towards earning epics. Point for Raid in my book.
What about Arena Epics and Welfares:
Arena Epics require you to attend 10 matches a week. Well we discussed attendance in BGs above.
Arena Epics require you to have coordination between either 2, 3 or 5 people. But do they? Much like BGs welfares u can dance and killed faceraped and still get epics. Well now Blizz has made so that you can't get all the present season's arena epics (weapons, shoulders) unless u are of a certain rating and as such, presumably not dancing and losing. Point for Arena in my book.
Arena Epics require you to kill stuff and not doing so will impede progression towards said epics. Refer to above discussion of group coordination for I believe it's practically identical and I don't want to cut and paste.
Now the finale...
"Welfare" epics seem to be for all intents and purposes, easier to get and require less skill. They are all less useful for PvE than PvE epics and less useful for PvP than arena epics. So is it just the color?
Or something else that sushi nubiri such as myself don't have the intellect (the RL kind) to understand.
Okay 2hr and 15 mins left guys get to it.