So. People seem upset about this. I posit that they're upset wrongly, and that this update is actually pretty fantastic.
Below, I'll be presenting some of what I see as the grievances being raised, and why they're inaccurate.
1: Accessories have no stat-related function!
Of course they are, and don't. They're an exercise in conspicuous consumption. By having accessories, you show that you're the kind of person with the wherewithal to have accessories.
2: Accessories are expensive!
Again, conspicuous consumption. Just like the Rose Regalia gear, the point of having accessories is in having them. Their being expensive (by virtue of keys currently costing 750 energy) only makes them an elite status symbol.
2.5: Accessories are too expensive, nobody will buy them
Included because it's related heavily to point two. First-gen Rose Regalia gear can go for 10kCE a set - how is 750 energy anywhere near as prohibitive? Sure, the market will be smaller than it might have otherwise been, but there will be a market.
3: The devs should've been working on [personal pet project], not this crap! Where's my endgame?
Y'know, there are two separate people employed to do art for Spiral Knights (Cherub and Boswick). They don't do level design / equipment design / whatever to begin with. Also, there's other content to this update - have you checked out the prize wheel after each level yet? Finally, there are always future updates. Maybe [issue] will show up in one of them!
4: Removing an accessory destroys the item.
This one, I'm not entirely sure about. I think that when it comes to gear with accessories on it, the accessory is definitely part of that gear - but should the removal necessarily mean destruction of the accessory? I get why it might have to from a design perspective, I think, but this one still rankles me.
Queue the hate-mail!
I'm with you, Brother. I'm grateful for the update and pleased that they made it hard. This is Spiral Knights.
Welcome to hard-mode, even when it comes to adding the cuteness.
-Kilbride