I've been thinking about this lately too. Having gems be only be removable from items with EP is pretty P2W in my eyes.
Think about it, if a player works hard to put gems into his armor, and then later wants to take it out to put it into new armor, he has to be a paying player (means he has the EP to be able to do it). A f2p player on the other hand, has to sell his armor. There is nothing he can do. He has to start all over trying to remake that gem to put it into his new armor. Even if the f2p player can trade for EP, he is still at a disadvantage since finding a player to sell EP, and at a reasonable price might not happen.
No, gems are not just a luxury for players. A player with gems embedded into his armor is much more power than a player who doesn't use gems. Gems are a necessity.
Gem removal needs to be something other than EP. EP in my eyes was used for vanity and luxury purposes (respects, vanity, and more inventory slots). Removing gems isn't a luxury, it's necessary to be able to progress in the game at the same rate as a paying player.
- MrButlerC likes this