New Game + Item level requirements

[RowYerboat]

So I'm a bit confused here. Just started a NG+ after finishing Blood and Wine. So far my mastercrafted Manticore gear has still been good enough to get through on Death March, but I enjoy crafting new stuff and wanted to mix things up a bit. Items I pick up seem to be level appropriate, but generally weaker than the bonuses I get from the Manticore set.

What's really got me wondering is that every single crafting diagram I pick up has a level requirement far, far higher than my level. For example, "Enhanced Legendary Wolven Armor" has a 51 next to it on the list, but when you click on it it says its required level is 72. I'm 57 right now. In fact, every piece of craftable gear has a required level 21 levels higher than the number listed by it on the crafting screen. The Wolven Armor, despite being 32 levels higher than my Manticore Armor, isn't even any better besides a higher base armor rating. Some of the diagrams I've picked up have a level requirement as high as 88.

What gives? Will I even get to level 88? Is crafting just completely pointless in NG+?

[Famicom89]

I think that levels requirements are based on when you finish normal game, I started NG+ around lvl 50 and level requirement for the basic legendary feline armor is lvl 67.

Stat wise, you only get better armor ratings because resistances values on the armors in witcher 3 are like flat damage reductions, if those were to increase even further it would get you almost immune to damage types that your chosen armor have good DR.

As an example, by scaling the way you where suggesting legendary GM ursine armor would have like 60-80% DR on every damage type just for chest piece, the whole set would get you around 100% DR on most of those, rendering you truly immortal...

Armor rating is still valuable when fighting foes around your level or just a bit higher, but with those who are way higher than you only damage resistance make a difference.

So you'd better focus on keeping bonuses that matter to your build, hell I'm 65 now and still playing with GM cat armor from normal game, i'm doing so much damage with the bonuses I get from the feline set that I don't care to change armor right now.