Guild Wars 2

A feature I would like to see is the ability to lock and unlock my experience points. I feel like I am always way ahead of myself level wise. As an example, I would like to be able to craft items for my character but halt my progress while doing that. I don’t want to feel like I am bypassing content because I chose to craft items.

I feel like I have to skip a lot of content because I out level it when I am moving through new areas that are in the natural course of leveling. Sure my level is scaled, but the drops tend to be useless as they are always several levels lower than my character level. Essentially I just end up buying better gear on the TP.

You don’t bypass content because you downlevel to whatever area you’re in.
There is little to nothing stopping you from staying at the same area from level 1 to 80.
So enjoy the game wherever you want, however you want.

The problem here lies in the crafting itself, not the experience you gain from it.

Nurvus.2891:

You don’t bypass content because you downlevel to whatever are you’re in.
There is little to nothing stopping you from staying at the same area from level 1 to 80.
So enjoy the game wherever you want, however you want.

I realize level scales. I find the gear drops useless. I would prefer to be able to keep my level near the content I am working on.

I feel like I should skip content and come back to it for completion, but I would prefer to go at it in a truly progressive fashion

Maybe you’re just unlucky.
On a Lv20 character, downleveled to Lv11 and killing level Lv9 enemies, I was getting Lv17-19 blue gear and some Lv14-16 green gear, without any magic find boosts.

Where I agree with you is that it is quite hard to keep crafting at a level that you can fully gear yourself with items of your level.

To make it worse, if you have 2 professions that use the same type of materials, like any combination of Armorsmith, Weaponsmith, Jewelry, Artificer and Huntsman, or Huntsman and Leatherworker, you’ll be needing alot of a specific type of material, wich is virtually impossible for you to get by yourself.

Because while exploring you find all types of gatherables, not twice the one you need most, wich promotes spreading your crafts in types of materials used.

The drops are the zone’s level and your level. So you end up with trash and possibly useful items. It’s a mix. So I understand.

Plus, I out-leveled the zones quickly as well. That then forces me to decide between finishing the content (and getting crap money and karma rewards) or go to my appropriate level zone and get real money.

Every repair and waypoint scales to your level, not the zone you are in. So you get rewarded copper but it costs nearly 2 silver to repair or waypoint.

It makes repeating earlier zones a timesink that rewards very little. It’s fun when you want to do it. But not fun when you have in the back of your head all the karma, money, and materials you are not getting that you need for ‘endgame’. Or to finish your craft.

Everyone I know (everyone) gave up crafting until they hit 80, and now are catching up. Crafting will not be useful on your main. At all. It’s useful for alts, or at 400. Nothing much else.

Cheaper (by tons) to just buy upgrades off the TP and never craft. Only craft for the 400 goal. It’s not great to not be able to play the way you want, but it is the situation of the game.

You can go on with gear under your level, it won’t scale down more the higher your level. In a level 3 area, you are effectively level 3.

You’ll find better gear as you play and get to areas of your level. Don’t worry so much.