Guild Wars 2

A new trait tier on its own wouldn’t add much, while adding more traits per tier on the other hand increases the variety of possible builds.

Vayne.8563:

Minion of Vey.4398:

With the nature of gw2 I don’t really see what raising the level cap would do other than make you regear.

Unless they add new, higher level traits which you’d be able to unlock by leveling. I know I wouldn’t mind more trait points.

FFXI had a merit system. If SE can devise a system wherein players can progress at level cap without having to grind new levels or reset their gear, then I’m more than certain ArenaNet can do the same.

If they do increase the level cap they may not necessarily increase the ‘gear cap’ by that I mean you could level to say 85 but the best gear will still only be level 80.
They could also release new utilities that could be unlocked with SP after levelling higher than 80, new traits at higher levels, new skins. There are many things that could come from raising the cap but I don’t think they would make everyone’s gear obsolete, how would that work for people who didn’t buy the expansion? Would they just have to suck it up that they are just plain not going to be as strong as others unless they buy it?

The day level cap is increased is the day I stop playing

Really depends on ‘how’ they go about it, however, if long time players return to the game and find out that they have to grind another 5 more levels to stay competitive there will be a lot of unhappy campers.

so you really think devs will rise lvl cap and have all the people in game have new high lvl and all their gear useless in 2 hours/character!?!?!?!?

i think i would leave after that. barely survived ascended treadmill fiasco.

Thereon.3495:

I can pretty much guess what theyre planning on doing with the level cap and it doesnt take a big imagination- itll be increased by a relatively small amount (say up to 100) and will be stupidly easy to get to, the same as is usual in GW2. By that time ascended armour and weapons will have been released and these will stay as ‘best in slot’ from 80-100. What will change is the infusions in that equipment. These will be the stat increase as time progresses and I can even see ANET allowing further customisation by allowing you to have both runes/sigils and infusions, allowing you to further adapt your character (eg: create a more tanky character by having +5def on all armour infusions)

I definitely see this as a possibility. Having ascended and legendary scale or stay as best in slot and then making the new infusions/runes/sigils what we grind for.

I’ll only support a level cap increase if they give the trait points for those levels and have a straightforward way to obtain gear for the new top level. (New tier of gear added to the dungeon vendors for tokens that cost alot more tokens for each piece for example.)

I sincerely hope they never raise the level cap. It wouldn’t make sense in a game like GW2.

buy game – Level all toons to 80
buy expansion – level all toons to 85 plus new professions
buy expansion – level most toons to 90 plus some of new professions
buy expansion – level one toon to 100 skip new professions

been there done that – never again

Except that ten levels in Guild Wars 2 could take like a day or two. Leveling at high levels really goes fast. If they open new zones, you might level just exploring them normally.

Vayne.8563:

Except that ten levels in Guild Wars 2 could take like a day or two. Leveling at high levels really goes fast. If they open new zones, you might level just exploring them normally.

Doesn’t matter how fast it is if I’ve already learned my class. Otherwise the time is no better used than if I had waited in a traffic jam.

If you all hate levels so much, why are you playing an RPG with 80 levels???

I personally welcome a level cap increase (not for a little while though). I am sure at the time I will be on a break from the game, and it will be the bait that brings me back in.

Vayne.8563:

Except that ten levels in Guild Wars 2 could take like a day or two. Leveling at high levels really goes fast. If they open new zones, you might level just exploring them normally.

It’s not the levels that matter. It’s the trait points that comes with those levels that matters.

Also, the trait tree can be expanded with a new tier of traits and create new variety of builds.

The biggest downside of course is I’d have to farm for a new set of exotic/ascended gear for my 8 characters.

DeathPanel.8362:

Also, the trait tree can be expanded with a new tier of traits and create new variety of builds.

That’s simply not true. A new tier of traits won’t increase the variety of builds, but more traits in the existing tiers will. A new tier will only give you the option to go for it or not. This, of course, results in a tiny increase in build variety, but, if those new tier 4 traits are powerful, it will also force you to invest 40 points in a certain line if you want to go for a specific build. You won’t get e.g. additional power builds just by adding a new trait tier, you will just have to spend more trait points into the power line to complete the new power build.

nachtnebel.9168:

DeathPanel.8362:

Also, the trait tree can be expanded with a new tier of traits and create new variety of builds.

That’s simply not true. A new tier of traits won’t increase the variety of builds, but more traits in the existing tiers will. A new tier will only give you the option to go for it or not. This, of course, results in a tiny increase in build variety, but, if those new tier 4 traits are powerful, it will also force you to invest 40 points in a certain line if you want to go for a specific build. You won’t get e.g. additional power builds just by adding a new trait tier, you will just have to spend more trait points into the power line to complete the new power build.

It sounds you like you said that a new tier will not give more variety, and then you said a new tier will give you more variety. You then said the downside is the choice will be difficult of whether you want to put all traits in one tree or in multiple ones – therefore, increasing variety in what people choose.

???

Assume you want to player a power build. What do you currently do? You go for the best traits in the power trait line and then spend the rest of your points otherwise. If they add a new tier of traits this won’t change, you will still follow the same formula. This is what e.g. happened in WoW and this is what will happen if GW2 ever increases the trait lines.
More variety will only come if you include more traits for the existing tiers, add 1-2 balanced traits for every tier and you might end up having a second power build equally powerful to the first one with the additional benefit that players can probably switch between those two builds without reskilling.

There is no game out there where making the skill tree/line higher/longer really added variety in builds. The only way to achieve that goal is to make the tree wider, to give the player additional routes to reach the top or a certain point within the tree.

nachtnebel.9168:

Assume you want to player a power build. What do you currently do? You go for the best traits in the power trait line and then spend the rest of your points otherwise. If they add a new tier of traits this won’t change, you will still follow the same formula. This is what e.g. happened in WoW and this is what will happen if GW2 ever increases the trait lines.
More variety will only come if you include more traits for the existing tiers, add 1-2 balanced traits for every tier and you might end up having a second power build equally powerful to the first one with the additional benefit that players can probably switch between those two builds without reskilling.

There is no game out there where making the skill tree/line higher/longer really added variety in builds. The only way to achieve that goal is to make the tree wider, to give the player additional routes to reach the top or a certain point within the tree.

Ok that makes more sense.

I disagree though, I think maybe it is class dependent. There are lots of custom builds out there (for at least Mesmer which is what I am currently playing). If they added 10 more traits I would likely not put it into my current line of 30, though that depends on what is available. I also might switch up my traits completely and work down other lines.

RebelYell.7132:

Vayne.8563:

Except that ten levels in Guild Wars 2 could take like a day or two. Leveling at high levels really goes fast. If they open new zones, you might level just exploring them normally.

Doesn’t matter how fast it is if I’ve already learned my class. Otherwise the time is no better used than if I had waited in a traffic jam.

Not to mention that new levels will inevitably mean new gear, which means your old gear becomes useless.

Using the argument that you wont spend money on the game is childish and you are trying to put Anet in a tight situation and force their hand. They truly cannot satisfy everyone. For every one person saying they wont play the game or they wont spend money on the game if the level cap is increased, there is one person who will. I am also a GW1 player and i appreciate both methods of making an MMO. The best solution is add a variety of new classes! New classes mean new chances at leveling which will satisfy the people who enjoy leveling as i do, and will not bother those who don’t. It will not make us have to Grind for new gear and everyone wins. Throw in a few new maps spanning levels1-80 so leveling/map completion does not become repetitive (completing the same maps 6 times as i have done) and everyone wins.

I don’t really see the need for higher levels. I won’t get upset if they add them, just the way the game is set up adding new levels is kind of superfluous. My thinking is that with scaling you always have a reasonable ability to complete any content at 80. If they added a meta that needed to be completed to enter new areas it would do exactly the same thing as bumping 10 levels. Plus they would not need to go through the annoying re-balance of everything to take into account that increase in just about everything, this is the power creep that should be avoided.

Voodoo.1709:

So I just finished obtaining my first full set of exotics on my necro and was going to start farming for another set with different stats for alternate builds but got to thinking if it was really worth it. If the level cap gets increased I would rather have several level 80 chars instead of 1 80 with every exotic set I can since that armor will be void after reaching a new cap. My main question is do you see a level cap increase in the future and how far off would you estimate it to be?

Some other questions would be:
A- How will they raise the level cap without kitten ing off all the players that worked forever for legendaries?
B- Same thing with ascended items…

A. legendaries will be auto leveled up to the new max level.
B. no idea.

tread mill hamsters will be happy with new level increases though.

If they added more levels, I’d only feel mad because I’d need more Transmutation Crystals.

That would mess up the skill tree system. Wont bring any value to anything.

Increasing the level cap in GW2 would be stupid and pointless, especially since they introduced ascended gear. Even without touching gear and only letting skills go past 80 it would break the balance and they d have to spend even more time on it.

They ll probably do it as ever since release they have been trying to cater to the WoW base more and more. Better gear to grind, soon raids, then 10 new levels, next mounts and maybe flying ones as well to top it off.
Way to show their core base that has supported them for so long the finger (again).

new classes = good
new traits added to existing trees = good
more points to play around with = whole new balancing act, but….. acceptable
new gear grind = BAD

one of the selling points of this game to me initially was that i wouldn’t have to worry about a gear treadmill. ascended gear took a dump on that, but they seemed to accept it as a mistake, so it was forgivable. however, that doesn’t mean that they didn’t put themselves on thin ice with a large portion of the playerbase, or that they ever moved off said thin ice. if ascended gear caused an uproar, a new multi-level gear grind will cause an exodus. by the time an expansion comes out, many new MMO options will already be out there. gw2 will already need to do what it can to retain as much of its playerbase as possible when the other games come out, failing to learn from their previous mistake with ascended gear is akin to putting advertisements for wildstar, TESO, and even WoW right on their homepage with a 15% off coupon.

no company that actually cares about its product would so blatantly shoot themselves in the foot.

Voodoo.1709:

A- How will they raise the level cap without kitten ing off all the players that worked forever for legendaries?

As they already declared time ago.

there is a reason why people on 15 onvember rised against anet decisions

Legendary IS NOT a skin

Legendary is a TIER

If they up level cap, legendary items get istantly upped automatically to the new LEVEL.
That means if they put ascended weapons, legendary weapons becomes ascended (already happened for mistake in the past but was reverted)

If they up level cap legendary becomes equal to the new best weapon.

Legendary will forever be BEST in SLOT and this was official by devs…..(as many other things they said and they changed….your call if to give anet trust or not).

p.S. agree on the fact they shouldn t up level cap.
Mostly because they would need to nerf traits and skills according and for the obvious grind that would follow.

why should this game ever raise the level cap? Your character level scales according to content in most parts of the game, raising the max level would barely change anything save a metric ton of extrawork for developers rebalancing builds and abilities.

SonicTHI.3217:

Increasing the level cap in GW2 would be stupid and pointless, especially since they introduced ascended gear. Even without touching gear and only letting skills go past 80 it would break the balance and they d have to spend even more time on it.

They ll probably do it as ever since release they have been trying to cater to the WoW base more and more. Better gear to grind, soon raids, then 10 new levels, next mounts and maybe flying ones as well to top it off.
Way to show their core base that has supported them for so long the finger (again).

I forgot WoW invented vertical progression and challenging group content. Also, WoW doesn’t update every 2 weeks.

I’d take mounts over instant way point travel any day… at least there’d be people passing through zones.

Mackdose.6504:

SonicTHI.3217:

Increasing the level cap in GW2 would be stupid and pointless, especially since they introduced ascended gear. Even without touching gear and only letting skills go past 80 it would break the balance and they d have to spend even more time on it.

They ll probably do it as ever since release they have been trying to cater to the WoW base more and more. Better gear to grind, soon raids, then 10 new levels, next mounts and maybe flying ones as well to top it off.
Way to show their core base that has supported them for so long the finger (again).

I forgot WoW invented vertical progression and challenging group content. Also, WoW doesn’t update every 2 weeks.

I’d take mounts over instant way point travel any day… at least there’d be people passing through zones.

WoW invented vertical progression and challenging group content… and you managed to deduce that from my post… somehow. Wow, you must be a magician!

And if you like mounts that much why did you start playing GW2 anyway? But dont worry i m sure ANET will listen to you.

Ok this whole idea of level cap has a lot of detractors, but the reality is, there are many more people who want some type of progression, rather than not. The fact is GW1 didnt increase levels, directly, however the game was as gated in other ways, there were places you could not go and things you could not see, skills you could not get. By adding new skills, they changed many builds, and you were often replacing or destroying gear sets anyhow.

The truth is the game needs progression, it needs goals, and it needs experience as another reward. Now this doesnt mean they HAVE to add more levels, but levels are the standard understandable measurement that many people are familiar with.

Now here, i think they can break out of the box. Many people are afraid of their gear becoming useless, they dont have to make gearing up in the future be a process that requires you to destroy or sacrifice your old gear.

They could have improving gear post 80, be more about upgrading older gear through use of adventure, and skill points, adding rarer means for obtaining case gears.

They could make the gear stop at level 80, and only your charachter level and access to skills/abilities increase with levels post 80

But the fact is, the game really does need to extend the goals, and it probably needs ways to progress you charachters, i already have 7/8 classes to 80, barring new classes, there really isnt that much to do or see with the cap at 80.

In the future, to get me really hyped, they will NEED some type of goals, and some type of new interesting abilities/skills that i can work towards. They dont have to label it as levels, but it essentially needs to have a similar structure;

while i go on these adventures, i want to become more skilled, and experience new events, as well new abilities/skills/synergies with the classes i enjoy the most. GW2 had this, with all of the PVE only skills, with ranks, they skill capture system that sometimes required you to go to places you had never been(as well as getting the skill points to buy the skills, and later with the hall of monuments that clearly tracked your achievements and gave you special trophies you could view for your achievements.

SonicTHI.3217:

Mackdose.6504:

SonicTHI.3217:

Increasing the level cap in GW2 would be stupid and pointless, especially since they introduced ascended gear. Even without touching gear and only letting skills go past 80 it would break the balance and they d have to spend even more time on it.

They ll probably do it as ever since release they have been trying to cater to the WoW base more and more. Better gear to grind, soon raids, then 10 new levels, next mounts and maybe flying ones as well to top it off.
Way to show their core base that has supported them for so long the finger (again).

I forgot WoW invented vertical progression and challenging group content. Also, WoW doesn’t update every 2 weeks.

I’d take mounts over instant way point travel any day… at least there’d be people passing through zones.

WoW invented vertical progression and challenging group content… and you managed to deduce that from my post… somehow. Wow, you must be a magician!

And if you like mounts that much why did you start playing GW2 anyway? But dont worry i m sure ANET will listen to you.

No magic here, just wondering how you equate gear grinding and raiding to be “copying WoW” when GW2 has been chasing its own niche for months now, and hasn’t been biting ideas from WoW at all. But it’s cool, go ahead and back pedal.

Thanks for ignoring the “makes the world less empty” reasoning for taking mounts over way points. I guess you like having all that lovely landscape and downscaling mechanic go to waste after the leveling curve.

(mounts are also horizontal progression)

phys.7689:

Now here, i think they can break out of the box. Many people are afraid of their gear becoming useless, they dont have to make gearing up in the future be a process that requires you to destroy or sacrifice your old gear.

They could have improving gear post 80, be more about upgrading older gear through use of adventure, and skill points, adding rarer means for obtaining case gears.

They could make the gear stop at level 80, and only your charachter level and access to skills/abilities increase with levels post 80

But the fact is, the game really does need to extend the goals, and it probably needs ways to progress you charachters, i already have 7/8 classes to 80, barring new classes, there really isnt that much to do or see with the cap at 80.

Bam. Phys gets it. Nail, meet hammer.

If they plan to raise the level cap; I hope they do so before the release of ascended weapons/armor. I know only the ascended weapons have been confirmed. I can’t imagine the time gating involved with the gear.
It’s bad enough that you need to commit to a build before getting ascended trinkets (or do like I did and use the celestial versions). Imagine if a level cap increase occurred and everyone needed to get new ascended gear. The rings, if you like fractals, are not a big deal, but everything else will take time. -Especially if you have alts.
Plus if they do widen the skill tree instead of lengthening it, what exactly would they use for bonuses? We already have power, precision, healing power, boon duration, condition duration, condition damage, etc.
Maybe agony resist or magic find?
Finally will they draw a line in the sand and say no more level increases after xxx level, or will it go on ad infinitum?

EDIT: If Anet really wanted to reduce grind and add functionality to old gear they could allow for an exotic —> ascended upgrade. It was done for the tri-forge pendant in a very short period of time. Hopefully we won’t see ascended weapons/armor until Anet puts them in game fully via: crafting, karma, laurels, badges, tokens, rare loot drops, etc.

If they ever raise level cap I’m sure they will plan for these concerns. The player base was very clear when they introduced ascended gear, so they know it is a delicate subject.

Odds are you will be able to upgrade your current level 80 exotics to the new max level stuff somehow (maybe with mystic toilet).

By the time level cap increases, we will have a full armor set of ascended gear available to us.

It comes down to this:
Will that ascended gear be obsolete after the first few levels? Or will it scale with your level?

If it scales, we have nothing to worry about. If it becomes obsolete, then I dub GW2 as a cheap copy of every other MMO out there, gear grindy and treadmill.

Really think about it people, the issue here isnt just a level cakitten ue, by looking at the thread, you can see its an issue of stay the same, or change with time.

I personally think no game can continue without changing with time. Level cap going up is one sign of this, its not the only way, but the game needs new goals, and it needs these goals be something you work towards, and probably gain some benefit from , that allow you to play the game in new and interesting ways, evolving your charachter.

Mackdose.6504:

SonicTHI.3217:

Mackdose.6504:

SonicTHI.3217:

Increasing the level cap in GW2 would be stupid and pointless, especially since they introduced ascended gear. Even without touching gear and only letting skills go past 80 it would break the balance and they d have to spend even more time on it.

They ll probably do it as ever since release they have been trying to cater to the WoW base more and more. Better gear to grind, soon raids, then 10 new levels, next mounts and maybe flying ones as well to top it off.
Way to show their core base that has supported them for so long the finger (again).

I forgot WoW invented vertical progression and challenging group content. Also, WoW doesn’t update every 2 weeks.

I’d take mounts over instant way point travel any day… at least there’d be people passing through zones.

WoW invented vertical progression and challenging group content… and you managed to deduce that from my post… somehow. Wow, you must be a magician!

And if you like mounts that much why did you start playing GW2 anyway? But dont worry i m sure ANET will listen to you.

No magic here, just wondering how you equate gear grinding and raiding to be “copying WoW” when GW2 has been chasing its own niche for months now, and hasn’t been biting ideas from WoW at all. But it’s cool, go ahead and back pedal.

Thanks for ignoring the “makes the world less empty” reasoning for taking mounts over way points. I guess you like having all that lovely landscape and downscaling mechanic go to waste after the leveling curve.

(mounts are also horizontal progression)

I m the one back pedalling? You cant even get your point straight.
Guess i ll have to explain it like i would to a child:
All i said was that GW2 has been more and more catering to WoW players who enjoy those things i listed and whom are the majority in fantasy MMOs. FYI that definitely does not mean “WoW invented vertical progression and challenging group content” and it does not mean “equating gear grinding and raiding to be copying WoW”. So stop pulling rabbits out of your _ _ _ and start debating rationally.

As to your actual points in the last post:
GW2 has not been chasing its niche for the most part. It gave up most of its niche long ago to get more players into the game and to keep those who came with false ideas on what the game would be about playing and paying. Yes GW2 has many small niche elements in it but as a whole its further from GW1 than it is from your average themepark MMORPG.

As for mounts:
How is a world more populated when people are just passing by on their mount to reach a destination like a dungeon entrance? They dont interact with me. People who WP to an event i m doing do. It is a different system it has pros and cons. GW2 went with it and you are here whining you want it changed.
And mounts most often actually are vertical progression in terms of speed before they are in appearance.

On the actual topic of vertical progression:
GW2 itself is proof you do not need perpetual gear or level progression as it is built upon GW1 that had neither and is the reason GW2 can even exist. Now before someone points out that GW1 had lightbringer ranks or similar things: those never devalued your armor or level and were only applicable in certain areas.
Besides pleasing the people who prefer chasing the proverbial carrot perpetual vertical progression is utterly pointless as in reality it gets you nowhere. The wheel turns. The hamster stay in the same relative spot. At least till he quits or gets flung out.

i think they will raise some day the level cap, even if it is pointless since all the down scaling and since there is no real improvement in what you can do at level 60 or level 80 actually, but they will just to make us start over with their new shiny gear and pretend there is some new end game

I hope they raise the level cap in the next expansion.

I’m definitely a player that loves a little progression in the game. Not even close to enough time for WoW-style progression, but GW2 does it very reasonably i.e. with Ascended Gear that takes about a month of casual play to acquire.

This is the perfect balance, and a little more levelin’ would be nice!

SkyFrog.9742:

I don’t belive level cap will EVER be raised.

I can’t see a reason to ever raise it. I know it’s been mentioned as a possibility in the past, but levels in this game are so much more insignificant than older MMOs, so why bother? Levels are for training. Life begins at 80.

phys.7689:

Ok this whole idea of level cap has a lot of detractors, but the reality is, there are many more people who want some type of progression, rather than not. The fact is GW1 didnt increase levels, directly, however the game was as gated in other ways, there were places you could not go and things you could not see, skills you could not get. By adding new skills, they changed many builds, and you were often replacing or destroying gear sets anyhow.

The truth is the game needs progression, it needs goals, and it needs experience as another reward. Now this doesnt mean they HAVE to add more levels, but levels are the standard understandable measurement that many people are familiar with.

Now here, i think they can break out of the box. Many people are afraid of their gear becoming useless, they dont have to make gearing up in the future be a process that requires you to destroy or sacrifice your old gear.

They could have improving gear post 80, be more about upgrading older gear through use of adventure, and skill points, adding rarer means for obtaining case gears.

They could make the gear stop at level 80, and only your charachter level and access to skills/abilities increase with levels post 80

But the fact is, the game really does need to extend the goals, and it probably needs ways to progress you charachters, i already have 7/8 classes to 80, barring new classes, there really isnt that much to do or see with the cap at 80.

In the future, to get me really hyped, they will NEED some type of goals, and some type of new interesting abilities/skills that i can work towards. They dont have to label it as levels, but it essentially needs to have a similar structure;

while i go on these adventures, i want to become more skilled, and experience new events, as well new abilities/skills/synergies with the classes i enjoy the most. GW2 had this, with all of the PVE only skills, with ranks, they skill capture system that sometimes required you to go to places you had never been(as well as getting the skill points to buy the skills, and later with the hall of monuments that clearly tracked your achievements and gave you special trophies you could view for your achievements.

I’m very glad to see someone who “gets” it. I actually made a couple of lengthy write-ups about end game and character progression around the time that ascended gear was released.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/The-End-Game-Debate/first

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Discussing-Progression-Reactions/first

While I do not agree with how ascended gear was implemented; I still believe that MMORPGs (even GW2) need some kind of character progression to give players a sense of growth.

There’s no good reason to raise the level cap. Anything that can be accomplished from a game design perspective with level 90 characters can be accomplished by level 80 characters. The only possible reason to raise the level cap would be to force everyone into a massive amount of pointless grind. I will leave the game before I am forced to farm new sets of armor for all 7 of my characters.

Blaine Tog.8304:

I am forced to farm new sets of armor for all 7 of my characters.

You might be confusing “want” with “forced”. I don’t think you’re ever really forced to do that.

I feel like raising the level cap would be a mistake. Especially given the way the game is designed, it would be far better for the level cap to always stay at 80 and for new content to be spread across the current range with a focus on horizontal growth rather than vertical growth and the living story used to provide narrative focus to the end game.

The WoW paradigm of hyperbolic scaling in each new expansion and pigeonholing all new content into the new 5 or 10 levels and effectively truncating the rest of the game is just awful.

From reading what their plans are for the game, I find it highly unlikely that the level cap will be raised.

I wish they don’t. Honestly, I wish they would’ve decreased it rather than increasing it (but that would break the whole entire game). It is so dam boring getting to level 80! The first 3 toons were fine, but the fourth and onward are stale and redundant. -_- “More to Explore!”

Increasing level cap = goodbye to remaining GW1 fans.

Affirmative, Joey. In GW1 (I KNOW! This isn’t GW1! I’m just sharing my thoughts), I like the fact that we work ourselves to level 20 slowly, but right before the main event is served, we are already level 20! It was a thrill! All that was left was to stay strong and focus, search far and wide for elite and rare Skills (using skill caps), purchase stronger armors (rare and unique if preferred its looks), look for stronger weapons with max damage (do more damage with 50% or more health). It was truly the best adventure I have ever had in my gaming life

How would you guys feel if they implemented something similar to FFXI’s Merit system? In the old days, earning exp at level cap earned Merit points which could be spent on new spells and abilities. In this game they’d probably be used for additional trait points or access to a new tier of traits, but the concept would be similar.