The objective situation is that out of the 2500+ weapons out there, over 1500 are rendered completely useless because there are substantially better and cheaper alternates. Additionally, the functionality of the battledome has changed dramatically over time. When I first started rating weapons sometime around 2003, there would not be over half of the weapons deserving of the bottom rating.

In the early days, there was a huge advantage to being the best battler as that allowed access to the best rewards from the quests. This simply hasn't been true for 5 plus years, and with lots of other factors valued in, my rating style has evolved.

If a rating is somewhere between 6-10, it has some use to some battler somewehere, and there's not a guaranteed better cheaper alternate. It may have a very narrow use for a very small subset of battlers, but it might be useful.

If an item has a rating from 1-5, I am rating it strictly on aesthetic appeal, or historical signifigance, or as an investment that might appreciate on non-battledome grounds. The vast majority of weapons will still earn the 1-5 rating, but I will be giving far fewer 1's than my fellow colleagues, who are probably rating in a strictly more accurate sense.

Lastly, as we've evolved from a maximizing culture to one where "good enough" is truly "good enough" I will be a little more generous to some of the middle class weapons as well.

If anyone has any questions on the battledome, please neomail. I do not get to play every day because of my job but I will be happy to help however I can!