Itemization

[Skandranon]

I don't quite understand your complaint, considering that most of the high end caster items added over the last six months have involved some sort of +damage or +healing stats on them.

Yes, they have. The point I was making was: look at the mathematical implications of the formula. After about 50 some damage, the point cost for +1 additional damage exceeds the point cap increase for +1 ilvl. In short, at some point, Blizzard literally cannot put more damage on items.

As I said, orange and red/gold items change this, but the fact is that casters primarily depend on one stat which is exponentially penalized. Raising the orange and red/gold cap helps, but not by much. What this formula reveals is an inevitable growing discrepancy on caster items versus melee items.

To keep caster items competitive, Blizzard will eventually, in tier 3 and 4 gear, have to raise the caps such that numbers of say +65 to +80 damage to all are possible, representing a DPS increase of perhaps 8 over tier 2 gear. However, if they raise the cap that much, equivalent melee items are going to end up hugely powerful.

I present to you the following Tier 3 items, assuming an ilvl formula that caps their points at around 155.

Caster Head Item:
+80 to damage/healing with all spells

Rogue Head Item:
+25 strength
+25 agility
+25 stamina
+30 attack power
Improves your chance to get a critical strike by 1%
Improves your chance to hit by 1%

And of these two items, the Caster Head Item has the higher itemvalue.

For PvE, mages and warlocks are stuck. We don't want more int; all that does is let us cast longer, and unless Blizzard intends to continually scale up encounter length (and let's face it, they won't do this), it doesn't impact our DPS. We don't want more spirit; it does the same bloody thing. We don't really want more stamina; we do, kind of, but only because Blizzard puts in deadlier and deadlier RSTS attacks. What we want is +damage. +spell crit and spell hit help, a little, but that's it.

The system penalizes items that are "long" in any one particular stat. Mages and warlocks have no choice but to go "long" in +damage, no matter how much spell crit and spell hit get added. Rogues, warriors, and hunters, in contrast, benefit from a variety of stats. Rogues get more DPS from +agi +str +AP +crit and +hit. Warriors do as well, though only fury warriors are seriously aided by agi. Hunters can stock up on +agi, +AP, +RAP, +crit, and +hit.

Raise the caps high and you get comparisons like that one; keep the caps low and casters can expect something like +3 damage per piece when jumping up a tier. Casters get screwed either way.

And btw, if you're running around at 3k/6k, you'll have a miserable time while PvPing.  You'd better get up to 4k life if you don't want to be one-shotted by every rogue or warrior sporting the latest easy to get epic weapons and armor.
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Why yes, Mongo, I do PvP every now and then. I know that, and have a PvP set of items for extra hp. However, it's not strictly germane to the discussion. Not everyone views WoW end-game as PvP. While I enjoy it, my focus isn't completely there, nor, I believe, should Blizzard's.