I ' m Wotlk for example , I started playing during the second patch , so about 6 months into the xpac . I was able to gear up and be equal to the people who started playing during the first patch . Once ICC came out I was able to keep up with the other top rated dps players , the fact I was late to the xpac didn ' t have anything to do with my max potential dps . In this Xpac , the 5 dps trait at the end of artifact traits means that people who have been playing since day 1 will have a mathematical advantage on a player with the same exact gear because theyve been constantly upgrading AK . It ' s never been impossible for players late to the party to catch up . There ' s never been such an advantage based purely on real time .