Camelot Grab Bag Q&A

In this week's Grab Bag Q&A for Dark Age of Camelot, EA Mythic's Richard Duffek answers questions about the game's system requirements, casting speeds, and more.
Q: I recently made a pair of Runed Cymric Gloves while leveling up. Out of sheer curiosity, I made a pair of the same level "padded Imbued Leather Gloves" to see what the difference was as the recipe was the same level (41). I suppose much to my disappointment, they were identical except the Padded Imbued Leather Gloves cost more to make and were a material level lower but with much higher required skill.

This leads to my question: With these two sets essentially identical... what's the point of the reinforced versions? Perhaps it makes a difference at the last level... but you get the recipes from 500 and there just doesn't seem to be a reason to make them.

A: As you surmised, the primary reason for the introduction of the padded leather line was to create a higher AF alternative at the top material tier. The other tiers were essentially only added for aesthetic reasons, as the padded leather line has a newer, more pleasing appearance.