Yes, I do agree with most of what was discussed here already. And I plan to add some more thoughts from a relatively new player.

The reason I was not going for the leaderboards is that it gave me an impression that most stats would be unachievable. So, I had the surprise of my life when I found out that Permanoobs get their separate leaderboard and I see myself somewhere in the middle of the pack of most boards.

This actually encourages me to grind out some more since some goals are already attainable when a week ago I already resigned to boredom and decided to bombard Flamebate instead.

If this sounds self-serving, maybe it is. But the reason why I am still at it in the game is that I have not achieved some personal goals I set to myself, to name a few, the job boards and consecutive pwnd forums streak peens.

Regardless whether the leaderboards were changed or not, I would still be grinding til kingdom come until I reach Boiling Point and Chai as a Kite. It just gives me fodder that I also get a crack at the leaderboards as well (at least among Permanoobs). Take note, I don’t have EP2 yet so I am at a disadvantage since I have less number of forums to work with.

And getting cheap itembuildr stuff also helps. As for game balance, that is for CZ to deliberate since I also don’t have alts and I’m giving my full attention to this Permanoob.