While it definitely is something that artificially changes the way users act, it does actually provide motivation. When there's a limited rank that only a select few will ever reach, then some genuine users will be motivated by that.
Yeah I understand that, but we have so many things already at our disposal to make distinction between power user and just some casual forum member. Right there on profile you can see someone else's activity and merit, and then if you have that browser extension you can see bpip ranking, DT status etc so is another rank really needed? And what when many people reach that rank, should we get new ones, making forum look like some endless mmorpg grinding game?
A long time ago Legendary rank sounded proud and divine. But now Legendary rank means nothing.
You mean back in the good ol' days where all you had to do is write one mindless shitpost each day (might as well been one of those bounty authentication posts) and in a couple of years you got Legendary rank. Classic rose-tinted glasses case.
Some farmers pump this rank in a short time. This rank has turned into something like a Newbie
In what universe is 2-3 years short period of time? You can farm as much merit as you want, but you can't speed the activity.
At now the Legendary rank achievement is very buggy
It's not buggy, it just has some RNG element to it. AFAIK, activity number needed to reach Legendary is decided when you create the account. I personally wouldn't mind if its fixed number like for other lower ranks, but don't mind this either. What's the rush anyway, is there something that you can do with Legendary that you can't with Hero rank?