Guild Wars 2

According to ArenaNet’s Mike O, we can expect a lvl cap increase in the coming future. Here is the quote below:

“More generally, I hope we’ve been clear that GW2 is not a game with virtually no stat progression in it like GW1 was. That’s why GW2 shipped with a higher level cap, and with a hard separation between PvE and PvP. In GW1 we never advanced the level cap through four campaigns/expansions. The game design didn’t allow for it. But GW2 was designed without those restrictions, and we’ve always expected that we will someday raise the level cap in GW2”

Now, I hope when this does happen, we will get new lvl 90 zones to play in with new permanent content, basically an expansion. Also throw in a new villain in our personal story since Zhaitan is dead. (preferably they make Trahearne into a villain, a man who allow the taste of power to corrupt him).

Also when this happens, would legendaries automatically get bump up to lvl 90 as well with new stats?

So is this in the works for 2014?

Where are you getting 90 from?

This makes me so mad. When they release ascended armor, why bother, if it will end up being obsolete in a future release?

Lilith Ajit.6173:

This makes me so mad. When they release ascended armor, why bother, if it will end up being obsolete in a future release?

To keep people grinding.

Lilith Ajit.6173:

This makes me so mad. When they release ascended armor, why bother, if it will end up being obsolete in a future release?

I wouldn’t waste your energies getting upset about it now, when there has been no other mention of raising a level cap since the quote the OP provided (as far as I’m aware).

As for ascended armour becoming obsolete I’m fairly sure I read somewhere that they stated they would prefer to use an upgrade/infusion system to add any future verticality to existing ascended equipment, but I might have to track down the source. Or perhaps that was just a dream I had…

Who want to bet that getting to the new level cap will require X amount of gold / time gated resources?

inb4 “You’re already playing fine on level 80 nobody forces you to get the new max level!”

Seems pretty arbitrary to even bother increasing the cap when we can level up anywhere. We already still gain exp even at max level. Being at 90 changes nothing. The whole point games even increase their level caps is to give you something to work to while experiencing their new content. The new content which you are forced to participate in because they don’t allow progression in any other zone. WoW’s expansions area prime example. It just doesn’t make sense with GW2.

Waldir.2571:

Where are you getting 90 from?

90 seems to be the logical next cap. It could be lvl 85 though. But I do hope they give us more trait points to go with the lvl increase.

There have been so many moves of traits to balance out classes that it would be very very difficult to add 10 more trait points and not have a disaster.

For example, they are moving “Unsuspecting Foe” to a master trait to help balance with Hammer Warrior. If you get 10 more trait points you can take it again, and be more powerful than ever.

more zones to explore as well.

KOPPER.1458:

more zones to explore as well.

They can add those zones at any level range already attainable. What’s the point in making it extend our level?

10 more trait points would make some nasty new builds

He said “someday”. To me that means it’s something they’ve made sure is possible when they built the game, but they’re not actively planning it now.

Just like how I say I want to go to Japan someday. It doesn’t mean I’m looking up flights and hotels, or even that I’m saving money to go. It just means that if and when I can afford a holiday like that it’s where I’d want to go.

They definitely haven’t said anything about it being planned for 2014. I would assume the first time it might happen is when they make an expansion (which they’ve said they’re not working on yet).

Also I seem to remember hearing that part of the reason they made the level cap for GW1 so low was so they could increase it in expansions without getting into crazy numbers. But then they never increased it at all, and apparently decided it wouldn’t work. You never know, they might decide never to increase it.

We also don’t know how it will be handled with things like gear. Well, we know Legendaries will always have best-in-slot stats because they’ve promised that. But we don’t know how it would work with ascended gear. Maybe all ascended items will be bumped up to the new level cap, or there will be a mechanism added to easily upgrade them. Maybe getting to the new level cap will be the new ‘end game’ and intended only for hardcore players who want extremely hard content and don’t mind getting the gear to do it.

Thinking about it more, if they see logins drop off (and no, you don’t know whether the population is growing or declining, only ANet knows and they aren’t saying) AND they think a level cap increase will attract players the way Ascended Armor will not, THEN we may see a cap increase soon.

However, I seriously doubt that is the case. I wouldn’t expect a level cap until late next year.

LinkR.6190:

KOPPER.1458:

more zones to explore as well.

They can add those zones at any level range already attainable. What’s the point in making it extend our level?

To give players the sense of progression.

Coarr.3286:

10 more trait points would make some nasty new builds

They aren’t going to do that.
This would either cause major disbalance and all pre new max level content to become really easy OR would require a major overhaul of either the traits or the entire world’s mobs.

If there will be a new max level it will be a pure number crunch.

Lets keep in mind that this was something stated over a YEAR ago, and nowhere does it actually say that they WILL increase the level cap.

Coarr.3286:

10 more trait points would make some nasty new builds

more build variety = more fun.

lordkrall.7241:

Lets keep in mind that this was something stated over a YEAR ago, and nowhere does it actually say that they WILL increase the level cap.

“we’ve always expected that we WILL someday raise the level cap in GW2” – Mike O

Seems pretty straight forward to me.

They shouldn’t raise the cap, they should cut it in half.

“We’ve always EXPECTED that we will someday raise the level cap in GW2”

I would say that the expected part makes it quite clear that nothing is actually decided, only that they had those plans discussed.

If they raise the cap and the progression is based on the same skill points that got us to level 80 most of our mains have accumulated enough skill points to become instant level 90s (providing you’ve been playing your main for a few months since reaching 80), I know my main has over 100 skill points and accumulates more every time I play it, most of us used a few for the antitoxin heal but still have tons banked.

And YES new zones hopefully level 80+ zones would be just what the game needs.

Why would you want 10 more levels? Just seems to make things more complicated and for the worse. . . Unlike World of Warcraft, we get content and big updates without:

-Having to pay for an expansion
-The need to level 10 more levels
-Items being. . . Well, worth close to nothing after those 10 levels. (Unless you want to transmute everything for each character. . .)

. . . Benefits:
?

I don’t think anyone remembers when they also said something along the lines of Leveling shouldn’t be a large part of the game just something that offers a little challenge so that players can enjoy all of the other content in GW2.

I’d like to see 80 trait points start the trait points right out of the gate instead of waiting until level 10

lordkrall.7241:

“We’ve always EXPECTED that we will someday raise the level cap in GW2”

I would say that the expected part makes it quite clear that nothing is actually decided, only that they had those plans discussed.

That’s not usually how “expected” is define. Just as if you say your wife is expecting, that means the baby is coming. You wouldn’t question whether baby is going to come or not. So here we could expect a raise to level cap is coming. We just don’t know when. I think sometimes in 2014. Or course, there is a possibility it may not happen, NCSoft could pull the plug on ArenaNet for all we know. For now, I am on the side of the fence that’s it’s coming. I’m hoping it will be a nice expansion with lots of new dynamic events in lvl 90 zones.

@OP: That quote is many months, to over a year+ old. Its not set in stone that they will increase the cap, but they probably will. And how do you know it will be 90?

This is pointless.

Zepher.7803:

I’d like to see 80 trait points start the trait points right out of the gate instead of waiting until level 10

Agreed but why stop at 80? 90 or 100 would add much more build diversity which everyone would enjoy, 70 is just a weird number for trait points, it seems unbalanced since it’s a odd number. lol

Lol just pointing out 70 isn’t an odd number. Lol

Lilith Ajit.6173:

Lol just pointing out 70 isn’t an odd number. Lol

LOL….not odd as in odd or even, just odd as in too low a number IMHO

Haha I love you.

I want a trait point for every time I leveled since 80 sound I can have all of the traits.

Seriously, 90 points would be great. 30 in 3 things would be rockin’

Blanger.3162:

Lilith Ajit.6173:

Lol just pointing out 70 isn’t an odd number. Lol

LOL….not odd as in odd or even, just odd as in too low a number IMHO

I felt like 60 in Vanilla WoW was a freaking marathon and a half.

. . . All of those levels.

@OP, not soon. Probably in a few years.

I rather have a new level cap than grindy ways to get gear (ascended/legendary) as I always prefer level grinding over gear coming from someone that played games like PSO (phantasy star online) and RO (ragnarok online). Moderately good gear to just get through the game wasn’t an issue even very good or near best in slot was not too grindy to get. It was because most gear was level restricted or stat restricted (both cases in pso). But gw 2 doesn’t really do the gear progression well anyways! Its so rigid and well mostly cosmetic.

Having a new level cap would mess more up than good despite as much as I want it as weapons and armor are level restricted only. Instead of having a system to have gear based on your stats or some other factor and have things drop uniquely across the world with various drop rates.

The games I played had a very open leveling/stat system where you could min max in a way to get gear on you faster earlier at the cost of surviveability in defense (hard penalized by having a low enough level not to equip level restricted armor) or some other loss (accuracy/etc) but these are traditional holy trinity/no active dodging mmorpgs with a dodge stat (well exception being PSO 2 which has this stat based system with more active combat than before and a very good dodging mechanic).

So level 90 gives :
- new skills – could be given at 80
- new traits – could be given at 80
- new zones – could be done at 80
- new story – could be done at 80
- new cosmetics – could be done at 80
- new weapons skills – could be done at 80
- new combat mechanics – could be done at 80
- more time leveling up – not wanted, and not good for new players.
- new crafting – not needed
- new gear

The whole point is new gear. Anyone who has spent time in the new GW2 gear grind will not want to see it all become obsolete with a level increase. Nobody wants to buy more transmutations stones to take their level 80 look with them to level 90. I’m assuming legendaries would be taken up to max level but that doesn’t change the core problem. Gear treadmills are a horrible piece of game design and will alienate the player community.

Since then they also mentioned decreasing vertical progression and increasing horizontal which I’m personally extremely excited for.

Just because there is potential does not mean it will happen. It definitely won’t happen soon. I can imagine they are talking about it though. For me it makes no sense but with their future plans it might. It really messes up games that I have played before when they do things like this though.

Stooperdale.3560:

The whole point is new gear. Anyone who has spent time in the new GW2 gear grind will not want to see it all become obsolete with a level increase. Nobody wants to buy more transmutations stones to take their level 80 look with them to level 90. I’m assuming legendaries would be taken up to max level but that doesn’t change the core problem. Gear treadmills are a horrible piece of game design and will alienate the player community.

Yepp .. pretty much this.

But i think they will leave us enough time to grind out ascended gear first before they invalidate that with level 90 and even grindier Ascended MK II gear

That quote is very vague. My guess is that it wouldn’t happen at all until an expansion is released.

PSO 2 does it right in ways, as all gear is restricted by stats not level. Its soft capped by level if you don’t build your character right, as most stat gain is gradual from level.

So no matter how high the level gets leveling to the higher cap just makes wearing stuff easier and new stuff may or may not be added to compensate. The level cap soon becomes meaningless after a while if best gear is capped to a certain stat requirement. Everyone soon becomes around equal and its just skill based after that trying to avoid tells of enemies and one shot or high damage boss attacks and mechanics.

If you can’t get 700 attack you can’t equip that best in slot sword/spear/w/e, but the gear below it isn’t half bad either. I get away with very good stuff if not best.

Much like here one wearing all rares.

Increasing the lvl cap its a long way of constant updates that leads directly to the game’s death, in a way or another.

This was said before they decided to do Living Story updates. I honestly think because they may never release a boxed expansion, there won’t be a level cap increase and that is why they added the Ascended stuff. The Ascended stuff is the progression.

Also, to the OP, a game like GW2 wouldn’t raise the cap by 10 levels. That’s absurd. They would raise it by 40-50 levels. I could get 10 levels on all my characters by crafting alone.

I hope they will never add level 90. It would be completely pointless in every way. If there is new high level content planned, it should be lvl 80. They already use multiple ways of making the content more or less difficult.

Eh, I have no interest in an increasing level cap.

I would love to see new skills and traits introduced, but the idea of having to grind out another 10 levels and get a new set of gear is something I really don’t want to see. This is the kinda stuff that made me leave games like WoW.

Lulz @ lot of you.. In the future… I bet ya we wont see a level rise till 2015 if not later.. We still have kitten loads of zones n stuff to go through before a level increase is considered.. calm ya weapons fools lol

The funny thing is also, we don’t even need new Zones to level to 90+ or whatever, we can even do that in Queensdale.

So it really would only be to invalidate all current items so that we have to grind again for new lvl 90 gear.

Well if they can give new zones, new skills, new gameplay mechanics, etc. that a level cap increase would give, i see no reason for a lvl cap increase, but most of the time a lvl cap increase gives fresh things for many ppl to do and not get bored.

Imo a progression must always happen, else u get bored soon.

Another issue with raising the level cap is all classes, whether magical or not, have one attack stat and that’s power… the game is too rigid for any progression except high stat tiers like ascended and leaving game at 80 cap or going above 80 and making old gear obsolete by rigid tiers, ascended, ultimate gear or whatever next gear tier name you want to give it etc…

It just doesn’t work with the rigid structure Anet has in place for gw2.

Only options are to lv 80 with new traits, skill and areas and stuff or raise cap, get new level restricted gear with higher stat trios (or quads), traits and anything else.

Having every class based off one stat (power) and not have different attack stats for magic, melee, and ranged sucks. Then you can have gear separated by stats not level to be able to equip them. No trinity required either! Armor could still be level based and have one defense stat still to make it easier to code/update. You can also raise level indefinitely and still no one will be left out as the stats and level will blur eventually with stats based gear.

I believe that quote from Mike’O’Brien was from a half year before release :P.

They’re not going to improve the level cap… I hope x.x

Alissah.9281:

I believe that quote from Mike’O’Brien was from a half year before release :P.

They’re not going to improve the level cap… I hope x.x

Yes that information is more than half year old, somebody just trolling forum with it.

So long as our gear Lv80 Exotic gear/weapons gets insta LvXX, I could care less (of course, you can’t wear them because your char is Lv80 and the new item requires the character to be LvXX).

But then again, if Anet released a new level cap instantly making our current gear obsolete, I guess I can quit or try if the game is still worth playing.

Touting stat progression as a good thing now? Yeah, I don’t see this game having much of a future with how misguided ArenaNet is in their efforts. Even World of WarCraft has resorted to an item squish after realizing just how bad stat progression is for MMOs.