[Timefounder]

I disagree with the idea that the addition of title effects gives dedicated players an overwhelming advantage, mostly on the basis that all effects revealed so far are incredibly minor.

For example, the Wisdom and Treasure Hunter title lines give 3% higher chance per rank of preserving the item when you salvage a mod. The initial chance is 50%.
This means that salvaging 100 items, 3 of them (per rank) will be preserved instead of destroyed with the title. I hope you will admit this is a minor bonus.
Also, if you're taking an upgrade off an item, how likely are you to want the item?


Gladiator, Hero, and Champion: Increased Balthazar faction limit. If you're playing enough to hit the limit frequently enough to matter, you can probably get the titles.

Now, compare these small gains to a timesink with actual gameplay effects.
Unlocking all skills on a character: Easier to find and fit into groups, better adaption to skill updates.

Getting a weapon with perfect stats: Sure there are collectors and crafters, but finding the perfect modifiers can be difficult at best and impossible at worst. I think many people would agree that having a weapon that gives +30 hp rather than +20 is a more significant advantage than preserving a few salvages.

Will lacking a few titles hurt your enjoyment of the game? You realize that you lost nothing in the addition of bonuses. Will adding a few titles that reward people for putting time into the game hurt their enjoyment? I doubt it.

The existence of small gains for time invested does appeal to a small subset of the population, as you quoted. The existence of these rewards does not lessen or deny the ability to create a competitive character in 10 hours (at Factions leveling speed).

If you really can't stand the fact that someone out there has a 3% better chance of saving an item when they salvage it, find them and have them salvage your stuff for you.