That's a question that we're really going to have to look at after we've seen how the F2P culture shifts. If (as I suspect) most F2Ps take the option of becoming paid-and-lapsed accounts, then I think you're going to see a month's worth of dead time as everyone gears up, followed by -everyone- having guild looms, in which the question will be moot. On the other hand, maybe that won't happen, and only linked accounts (which, by my survey, constitute 75% of responding twinks on this forum) will have guild looms. Of course there will be those like me who are linked, but whose account is inactive and doesn't possess the guild looms on that account anyway. So there's going to be no way we can set a rule now, and hope it applies fairly to an unknown environment later.
With gear scaling so well i doubt guild heirlooms are going to matter that much.
only cases where it would be a huge advantage is when enchants get involved and i don't think the heirloom tab facilitates transfering enchants in its current state.
there will always be the f2ps that will never pay a cent to blizzard. Would it be socially acceptable to wear gear that they cant get in thier bracket?
Nope, this truly belongs to P2P 20-29, i don't know what blizzard intends to do with it, but for us F2Ps i think it SHOULD NOT be allowed. Why ? Well, lets say, what do we use the term F2P Restrictions for ?! Hmm.
Yeah. There is a reason why blizzard calls it "Veteran Edition" ... It is a once PAID account , but you can log on only to lv <=20 characters. Your characters might have guild heirlooms , might have enchants (111+ skill)... if they do, they are NOT classified as F2P, because Starter and Veteran are totally different things, (you can play a f2p with restrictions in a veteran tho) .
just keep trial gear for if you're doing a pvp event organised here and otherwise it doesn't really matter what gear you use i suppose
WHat premades,
As far as I see it - and don't get me wrong, I've had multiple P2P accounts in the past - seeing as you need to have paid for something on your F2P, I won't be using them on my account that's for sure.
I have heard people say things like "Oh you don't actually pay on your F2P so it doesn't matter." Yeah. Whilst that is true, you may aswell just make a P2P 20 and call it a day of you're going to pay for things on your "Free to play" account.
IMHO F2P should NOT have paid benefits in any "F2P" events, I'm surprised this is even up for discussion - if they were to be made allowed, then they would become the meta. I don't want to see that happen.
Edit: other option is everybody who wants to play in events could do what Efflorescence said. (Poster above me)
if they were to be made allowed, then they would most likely become the meta.