Looms should most likely never be touched. However, lowering the gold by a percentage might not be such an awful idea, if the old armor soak system were to be returned. Gold is no longer a scarce resource at all; this means that there is no incentive for competition anymore. Everyone has millions of gold, and most people have enough looms for at least a full set of gear. Getting a +5 used to be something that mattered - it gave people a reason to actually take winning rounds seriously. I don't think anyone would question that the temperament of NA_1 (I don't think this is true for EU) is less than serious. The game will live on even if the gold is completely left alone, and doing a gold wipe/reduction is a risky move since we *JUST* got the game back alive again; but I personally wouldn't mind losing my gold to see the battle servers become competitive again - imagine plate armor actually being a resource you choose to use carefully.