I would like to start by saying the PvP ranking changes were a step in the right direction. There has been more PvP since the change, even if you don’t consider AV real PvP. I think there is a way we can all win with a little more adjustment. Blizzard, please consider lowering the cap or getting rid of decay completely. You can set a max amount of ranks you can increase per week, so no one gets R14 too quickly. This will help with the long-term population of Classic Era. This will increase PvP longer especially since the ones who were grinding R14 have reached or will reach in the next few weeks. The ques and games are getting longer making it even more difficult. People who have real life responsibilities and cannot reach 500k every week for weeks on end have no chance at R14. I know people will say not everyone deserves R14 but R14 isn’t skill based it is time based. This is why we need to lower the cap or get rid of decay. That way every point of honor goes towards R14 not decay. These people will eventually quit because they will not be able to compete with the ones who can. This is a 20-year-old game on a 4+ year old server there is no reason to gatekeep R14 at this point. What will eventually happen is the R14 players will have no one to PvP with. If more people have access to R14 more people will PvP and PvE. You will see more AB/WSG and open world PvP. These people will be able to compete which will mean more PvP outside AV. Even the playing field and you will see more PvP.
Here is how everyone wins:
Blizzard wins by keeping monthly subs coming in. If it takes someone with real life responsibilities months or a year to get R14 that’s more subs than if they quit after realizing, they will not get pass R10 after a few weeks. The decay is real. You can even sell a character boost like TBC and WOTLK where you get a 60 char with like R14 or Tier 2 gear with a Spectral Tiger or AQ mount and a diablo or lilith pet (promote Diablo 4), hell throw in a copy of Diablo 4. This will solve the countless character clone threads and be a way for people who didn’t purchase a clone to get an equivalent toon. Your character is gone but here buy a new one. Blizzard wins, cloners win. This may bring more players to Classic Era from retail, wotlk and private servers if they can get right into end game. Retail, WOTLK and private server players already buy boosts, mounts, pets, toys and tokens already. May as well add the token since a lot of players are buying gold anyway. Whatever it takes to keep Classic Era alive.
PvPers win by having more people to PvP with. If you really want PvP and not pug stomp this change would definitely help. If more people had R14 or equal gear, they would que for AB/WSG and there would be more open world PvP. Once you’re R14 you don’t have to que AV for max honor. You can que AB/WSG or open world PvP for fun. Don’t we all want to have fun? If you just want to pretend to want PvP and make no changes enjoy AB/WSG as it is now which is nonexistent. World PvP is just ganking from R14/Tier2-3 players. Serious question how would more R14 players affect you negatively?
PvEers win by having more people for groups, dungeons and raids. You can get gear from ranking to use in PvE. This may even cut down the GDKPs by having more R14 geared people actually doing raids instead of buying raids.
Casuals win by having a way to get geared for PvP and PvE. They will play longer because they are progressing towards something not hitting a wall and quitting. The pre-raid BiS will not be limited to PvE. You can have fun in battlegrounds and still acquire gear for raiding. This adds options instead of farming pre-raid or buying gold for GDKPs.
IMHO Classic WoW is the best version and the best MMO ever created. I would like to see if stick around for a long time. The way it is going now I think it will fade away because of gatekeeping, bots and gold buying.