Bound items exist in MMOs for one reason: to FORCE the player to HAVE to go through a pain in the but grind to get the item in question. Ultima Online didn't need bound items and it did okay. Why? Because the freedom to give an item to another player or sell it on one's vendor actuallty encouraged what sadly has become watered down in MMOs today: Social Interaction.

Bound items are an unrealistic control mechanism just to give developers an excuse not to develop new content on a more regular basis... Say you have a raid with several pieces of gear as part of a complete set. The gear is BOA, meaning you cannot trade it. Okay... most raids are on a random loot drop mechanic, with some pieces more difficult to obtain than the others. You see where I am going? If someone wants the complete set, they have to run the raid over and over until chance lets them get everything. And because it cannot be traded, there is no "I got the Boots of Blablabla again. Here. I know you need them" option. In ultima Online, you could have someone run down th the depths of some dungeon and come out with a whole bunch of some enchanted whatever. He'd keep a few for himself in case he got ganked and robbed, but he'd put the rest up for sale so those who, get this, did not WANT to go to the depths of a dungeon to get the item would not have to.

It all comes back to what MMOs have gotten away from: FREEDOM.

I played UO for several years. In all that time, I think I explored only part of the shallowest level of a few dungeons. Not because I bought dungeon gear from someone. I didn't. But because there were other areas of interest that occupied my time that were more about supporting my guild as a Fletcher. We had a lot of archers and there were days where all I did was craft arrows and put them in a chest we had designated for dropping off and picking up essentials. Many of these archers were into dungeon crawls. So while I myself didn't go, I was able to contribute.

That is what is lost on MMO developers these days. Some people just want to be useful without having to go raid or do PvP. And in some cases, without having to go run solo quests. They want to define their own personal goals and just do them. I never once had any fellow guild members in UO tell me I needed to PvP or go dungeon crawling with them. I was treated with kindness and respect by everyone, because what I chose to do helped them. I never asked for gold. I did what I did because I wanted to. Because I knew it served a purpose... and most importantly, because the game actually ALLOWED me to.

So I say no to bound items, unless there is a really good reason, like I suggested for artifacts supernaturally bound until the item is done with the player unless the player does some required action to make the item release its hold on the player.

I want MMOs to get back to being socially friendly. Where developers don't force players down any particular road. The thing is, if there was ever an IP that would be supportive of this, it would have to be The Elder Scrolls.