Guild Wars 2

Before I get started, something needs to be made very clear.
In most games, you are expected to level up and move to areas appropriate to your level, in those areas you obtain gathering materials and drops that will help you get equipped.
In GW2, you have downleveling, meant to let you play wherever you want.
However, downleveling ruins the above.
Because in lower areas, you get lower gathering materials.
In lower areas, the drops you get can go anywhere from the minimum drop of the area, up to the maximum drops for your level, meaning in average you will get inferior drops.

As you level up, you outlevel your gear – crafted or bought.

Due to the arguably “tight” tuning of Dungeons, a level 30 in Fine Lv30 gear, may do fine, but if you level to 35 and keep the same gear, you start getting into trouble.
If you go to level 40, you will have nearly no chance, as the simplest of attacks will pretty much 2-shot you.

Having gear 10 levels below you isn’t uncommon while leveling, considering the speed at wich you level.
While crafting, you may make Fine Lv30 and Masterwork Lv35 gear, although Masterwork gear is quite expensive. Rare is even more.

So in alot of situations, leveling feels like regression, rather than progression.
This regression is softened by the increase in Traits.

Only at maximum level do you feel like you are progressing, because you no longer outlevel your gear.
Any new piece of gear you obtain will be valid until you get better.

Anyone else feels Downleveling needs to be handled slightly differently?

I concur, getting slapped around in WvW by a 20 with 20 greens gets old lol

Agreed. Level system in this game has little reason to exist. What if you had same system as in GW1, where max level is 20 and getting there is like doing tutorial. Then you could enjoy having your full potential and play the “endgame”. I think that system was just ingenious, it made Guild Wars stand out from all the stupid gear grinders of the time.

The other day I got level 50 with one of my characters, and had 50 Masterwork crafted gear waiting for me.
So I decided to go TA.
Since I didn’t find enough players, I had two choices:
- Change character to keep it at 50 to run TA.
- Keep playing

I went with playing.
I got to 53 just doing renown hearts, gathering, etc.
And as I level – but the area I’m in forces me to stay at the same level – I notice my damage goes down, my overall effectiveness goes down, and the only sollution is keeping my gear at my level at all times – wich is impractical.

I’m totally with you on that, Zenith.

GW2 could have 80 levels for the purpose of Traits, Skill points and whatnot.
But there shouldn’t be statistical growth linked to level.
The gear could have level requirements, but have smaller jumps in power.