Using todays item levels as an example. Here what it should/could look like…
Honor gear scales up to 220 ilvl in PvP, regardless of what its upgraded to.
Conquest gear scales up to 230 ilvl in PvP, regardless of what its upgraded to.
Non PvP gear scales up to 210 ilvl , and gear above 210 would remain above (so if you’re a fresh 60 and go into PvP youre not 140 ilvl vs 220+).
You still have the upgrades available for reaching certain rating, but this wouldnt effect anything in PvP instances. And the item level outside of PvP would be lower than the equivalent PvE gear.
Pros:
- Players would be fighting on a more even playing field, without a huge item level gap.
- Conquest catch up would return, earning more conquest per win the later into the season it is (because PvE gear would be better for PvE than PvP gear would be).
- Players wouldnt have to pay for boosts because they could just do the weekly cap and in PvP its upgraded to 230. Also, PvE gear would be the best for PvE, so PvE players wouldnt be paying for boosts in PvP.
- Rated PvP would be down to skill rather than gear again.
Cons:
- People that have paid for boosts wont be able to smash people based off their gears item level difference at low mmr and have wasted their money.
- Normal BGs wouldnt be as fun, smashing players 100-0 in a global that have no gear. However this would even out for the players with low gear, allowing them to have fun.
- Rated rewards might feel scarce, but this could be rectified by giving title rewards, mounts, cooler transmog items(not just recolors) etc.