'We' don't expect it of crafters. I don't doubt someone's IC ability to do a craft just because they don't have the fancy 50+ Crafter clothing. Saying we expect it of crafters is a bit of a sweeping statement. I've never done such a thing. The statement also has a bit of a false ring there; how does one 'prove' one is a badass in roleplay by doing mindless pve grind and acquiring over the top shiny outfits and super duper magic weapons?
I don't think it has anything to do with roleplay at all aside from fancy duds. Well, unless all of your dungeons are RP dungeons and it genuinely fits into the roleplay history of your character as having visited those places. Yes, this is an MMO. But just as there are people who pvp all the time and people who pve all the time, again, there are people that roleplay all the time. And refusing to acknowledge their character advancement in roleplay they've legitimately done and put real work into because they didn't go grind World of Darkness all day seems a bit of a snub. They work just as hard, by roleplaying their character, spending hours developing their story, interacting with others. So are you saying the work they put in creatively is less equal to the work someone else puts in button mashing and yelling at bad healers and tanks when a group wipes?
I don't think it has anything to do with roleplay at all aside from fancy duds. Well, unless all of your dungeons are RP dungeons and it genuinely fits into the roleplay history of your character as having visited those places. Yes, this is an MMO. But just as there are people who pvp all the time and people who pve all the time, again, there are people that roleplay all the time. And refusing to acknowledge their character advancement in roleplay they've legitimately done and put real work into because they didn't go grind World of Darkness all day seems a bit of a snub. They work just as hard, by roleplaying their character, spending hours developing their story, interacting with others. So are you saying the work they put in creatively is less equal to the work someone else puts in button mashing and yelling at bad healers and tanks when a group wipes?