Guild Wars 2

I really dont like it at all to begin with because the logic for me is that, if im level 50 i should be able to tank 10 level 1s if i wanted to no matter what i am. I earned my levels after all and i think i should have a ridiculous advantage on things that have a much lower level than me. whats the point of leveling if no matter where u go, theyll force ur power to match the power of the npcs? i wouldnt have such a problem with it if i wouldnt get dumbed down to the same level as the npc’s in the area because often times, if i go to a level 1-15 area, a lvl 8 area, i get dumbed down to level 6, and im fighting level 8s. i think it would be fine if i get dumbed down, and still be a higher level than the area im in. say i go to a level 1-15 area ok? the highest level i can be there is level 17 where everything else is 15 where and the lowest is 1, instead of getting dumbed down to 3 i should get dumbed down to 5 instead.

if i get dumbed down, because i earned my levels i think i shouldnt be dumbed down to where my levels serve as no advantage in the zone

“dumbed” is not the word you are looking for in this context.

And, this feature was well publicized before hand. If you did not like it, then you should stick with WoW.

I agree to this at some point. I like the idea of never being over powered and that keeps the games challenge up all the time BUT I hate the fact that you are like glass at some points, you dont get the feeling that you have done something epic in your story when you all the time the underdog, sort of spek

Did you research GW2 at all before you bought it? Just wondering because your complaint is centered around one of the selling features of the game. You get “balanced” to one level above the “area cap”. Never below the “area cap”.

You are brought down to the level appropriate for the area +1, the only real time you fight higher leveled monsters is during dynamic events.

And you get your gear bonuses still, and hence you DO have an advantage in lower level zones, not to mention your traits.

i think it’s perfect. part of the problem with playing with some friends is sometimes they (or you) level too fast. soon, you’re playing in different zones, and it’s a sacrifice and burden to go backward. and for the lower levels, i found it so irritating to watch level 80 chars “run” other characters through for xp.

the worst things were dungeons in other games. you’d get in, but there’d be no tank, but it won’t matter because “my friend’s gonna tank for us. he’s 80!” and people would say that like it’s an awesome thing, but in reality you end up doing the dungeon by doing nothing at all and getting real bored real fast. soon, it became the norm to have an 80 friend “run” you through dungeons. (edit: which is why i stopped doing dungeons in wow. too pointless.)

this way is better. your friend can come back and help, without losing. they get xp, they get a challenge, and it’s all good.

it’s a no-lose situation for a GAME.

I actually found it borderline genius. My cousin is lvl 20, my kid 30 and I’m almost 50 and we can hunt together anytime and still have somewhat of a challenge. (we pull huge packs at once). Still gotta keep on your toes due to the level decrease though, which I like. Don’t want sheer easy mode and 90% of the world useless after max.

You have to understand that while this kinda takes away part of the feeling of progression most MMOs are built upon, it’s for a greater good. Yes, you don’t get to feel “oh my god so powerful”, but at the same time you are not ruining other players’ experience by slaying their dreaded group boss event in 2 hits. Not only that, but you keep your gear/traits so while you are not as powerful as you “should” be, you still have a significant advantage over the enemies. Get to level 40 then run back to your starting zone and tell me if you don’t 2-shot everything.

You still kill way faster if you have a good weapon and good armor to match. I have a lvl 80 and I slaughter mobs in lower level zones like no tomorrow even when I go to farm in lower level zones.

I think the level balance is a great idea. If i’m level 60 and I go farm in a low level area with some friends who happen to be a lower level than I, I don’t feel it’s fair that I OHK everything is sight.

Personally I love the idea of it. One of the big issues with wow (as the easiest example) was that after you got above the level of a content area that area became redundent. As a level 80 I’ve just been back and completed queensdale, sure it wasn’t hard but it wasn’t me walking around 1hitting everything.

It also means that every dungeon at all levels is still open to me, just because I missed the lvl 40 manor dungeon doesn’t mean that at 80 I cant now go do it and get the same level of enjoyment that I would have at 40. In fact most of the dungeons I go to have a mix of levels…Imagine that in wrath you could go back and do original naxx without it being trivialized, the idea of it sends shivers down my spine.

I think its one of the best ideas I have ever seen in an MMO, its absolutely great for lvling with friends at a lower lvl than you, rushing isnt fun, if you like to play a game that includes rushing and being overpowered against old or lower lvl content, stick with WoW, its getting so watered down now soon you can just hit one button to OHK even things your lvl. Sounds right up your ally if you dislike a game that rewards skill instead of time invested.

It’s a great idea.

The only tricky aspect of it is that your relative power when you downlevel is the same as your relative power at the higher level — that is, if you are a level 50 and haven’t updated all of your gear and have some out of date pieces, when you downlevel you will be worse in many respects stat-wise to a character on that level (because their gear won’t be as out of date as yours). Something to keep in mind when downleveling.

knightblaster.8027:

It’s a great idea.

The only tricky aspect of it is that your relative power when you downlevel is the same as your relative power at the higher level — that is, if you are a level 50 and haven’t updated all of your gear and have some out of date pieces, when you downlevel you will be worse in many respects stat-wise to a character on that level (because their gear won’t be as out of date as yours). Something to keep in mind when downleveling.

This can be largely offset by the fact you have a ton of extra traits. Remember that trait lines grant free stats for each point put in and you will have things which just randomly up bits of your damage or survivabilty. Fex the mesmer trait which says “your phantasms do 15% more damage” should basically offset the gear deficit.

I like the feature. There is tons of lowbie areas that I like to visit if I fall behind on levelling and play it like it was designed and not just blown through.

The game was designed around this concept. Imagine fighting a boss event and a level 80 comes and destroys the boss before you could even throw a condition on it? Event ruined.

Annihilation.9510:

I really dont like it at all to begin with because the logic for me is that, if im level 50 i should be able to tank 10 level 1s if i wanted to no matter what i am. I earned my levels after all and i think i should have a ridiculous advantage on things that have a much lower level than me. whats the point of leveling if no matter where u go, theyll force ur power to match the power of the npcs? i wouldnt have such a problem with it if i wouldnt get dumbed down to the same level as the npc’s in the area because often times, if i go to a level 1-15 area, a lvl 8 area, i get dumbed down to level 6, and im fighting level 8s. i think it would be fine if i get dumbed down, and still be a higher level than the area im in. say i go to a level 1-15 area ok? the highest level i can be there is level 17 where everything else is 15 where and the lowest is 1, instead of getting dumbed down to 3 i should get dumbed down to 5 instead.

if i get dumbed down, because i earned my levels i think i shouldnt be dumbed down to where my levels serve as no advantage in the zone

If im not mistaken you’ve posted a thread about this already. They locked and deleted it… As for your 1-15 issues. You get droped in level depending on the mobs that are in your area. 1-15 means the mobs range from 1-15. Ok lets be honest they range from 1-17/18 but if you cant take 5 to 6 normal mobs if its down leveling you somethings wrong with your skill level. When i was in that area equal level i could handle 4 to 6 easy. Now that i come back normally i can take 7-9 normal mobs without much issues. Ya i have to actually work a little when i get 8 or 9 but heck its fun to fight it and survive. Heck i’ve jumped into other people’s fights while still having half my mobs to help them because they were going down. Thats what i enjoy. Im able to enjoy the content being 40, 50, or 60 levels higher than it.

I rather enjoy this aspect of the game. Also you do get quite a benefit from being a downleveled high-level player, just not one so massive that I can kill everything in the zone with the wave of my hand.

Annihilation.9510:

I really dont like it at all to begin with because the logic for me is that, if im level 50 i should be able to tank 10 level 1s if i wanted to no matter what i am. I earned my levels after all and i think i should have a ridiculous advantage on things that have a much lower level than me. whats the point of leveling if no matter where u go, theyll force ur power to match the power of the npcs? i wouldnt have such a problem with it if i wouldnt get dumbed down to the same level as the npc’s in the area because often times, if i go to a level 1-15 area, a lvl 8 area, i get dumbed down to level 6, and im fighting level 8s. i think it would be fine if i get dumbed down, and still be a higher level than the area im in. say i go to a level 1-15 area ok? the highest level i can be there is level 17 where everything else is 15 where and the lowest is 1, instead of getting dumbed down to 3 i should get dumbed down to 5 instead.

if i get dumbed down, because i earned my levels i think i shouldnt be dumbed down to where my levels serve as no advantage in the zone

Also on your “I earned my levels” you dident earn them you were given them. If you had earned your level’s you would still be super lower level.

I won’t play any MMO without some form or downleveling/exemplaring. I want to play with my lower level pals and play for real. Not run around tanking entire dungeons because I brought my max level hero. If all the extra traits, utility and elite skill unlocks and gear bonuses you have are not enough to make you feel aweome/special/advanced, then I’d suggest the fault is not the game but the outlook of the player.

I play to have fun with friends not play to have better gear/stats/whatever. Those just come along for the ride.

I like this feature… But i could appreciate a little boost in the stats left after the downleveling (maybe up by 10%?)… I mean, i upgrade my set every few levels in chunks rather than change 1 piece at a time (works great since i AH every after i complete a whole zone).

It comes to a point that you reach this awkward stage that leveling up makes you a bit weaker than your last level because your stats got adjusted downward (yes, even besides the traits and stacking gear stats).

P.S. Maybe its also just me, jumping in and mob killing as I feel significantly stronger than the mobs and get exponentially more careless regarding enemy CC.kittenyou knowckdowns and daze while i try to spin in the middle of 5 of you….

You don’t understand the reason behind your level being “lowered” down for the specific area you are in; you need your level lowered down so the game is still enjoyable and challenging for you and so you can truly earn your new skill points once you reach the highest level available.

However, your level being lowered doesn’t change the gear you are wearing. Sure, it has a big impact, but your gear matters more than your level, especially on higher levels, you won’t mind being leveled down.

This system has been added to keep the game enjoyable for everyone and especially lower level players that seek to complete events or renown hearts and to also keep the game enjoyable and interesting to you.

You have earned your levels, let no-one tell you otherwise, but you should also understand that without such a thing you would have high-level players causing problems that you often encounter in other MMORPG’s.

In other games I avoided low level zones as a high level because there was no challenge, unless I wanted to go back to an old zone to find points of interests or harvest materials. Otherwise, this downscaling is great especially when grouping with guildmates that are playing various levels, we can all roll together like we did in older level-less games like UO and SWG.

Level balancing per zone was a masterstroke on Anet’s part. It’s been near perfectly implemented.

I can be a level 80 character and go farm some copper, and take part in local events without feeling like I’m both wasting my time, and ruining the experience of everyone around me.

After playing GW2 for the last two weeks, I don’t real notice my level at all any more. It’s not important. All that matters is that I play. I just get to enjoy the game.

Downleveling is indeed awesome feature. Having the whole world for meaningful play at all times instead of only 1-2 high end zones like in most other games.

No matter where you are, it’s always fun for you and others around you.

It is also kinda more “realistic” this way. Lvl 5 bandit should not be so much weaker than a same kind of lvl 50 bandit. After all they’re both same species and graduated from the same school of banditry.

You should try to forget the meaning of levels as a meter for how powerfull you are.
Meaning of levels here is more of an indicator for how much of the world is open for you to play. And I mean open for meaninful play, not oneshotting 90% of the world kinda play.

Best feature of the game. If you want to play with absolutely no challenge, GW2 is not the game for you.

“I’ve earned the levels” lol… so hard to level in GW2…

the level scaling thing is also there to prevent higher levels from finishing low leveled events before the lower levels can get exp from them

I agree with with everyone but the OP. it is genius. When my main hits 80 I will be able to run other areas without missing out on the DEs and hearts etc. the same with dungeons. When I hit 40 or 50 I didn’t feel I had to go straight to a dungeon in order to not miss out on the maximum challenge of it, I can do it whenever. When I feel more confident with my character and skills I can go back and do all the explore modes mostly as intended (though with a little boost which helps a mediocre play like myself)

My interpretation of people complaining about this brilliant idea is they are rush freaks who just want to get everything ASAP because a game isn’t about playing it and enjoying it but getting everything they want and strutting that… Then whining on the forums about how it is all finished.

Getting from a to b is better if you don’t do it in 5 minutes, just ask your girlfriend, she’ll totally agree.

To be honest I look forward to the day a MMO is released without levels and the whole world is accessible from the off. Progression should come through things like the weapon slots opening up and traits but should happen slower than GW2 – the only frustration with the GW2 implementation is that it seems a bit pointless because it happens so fast then is over, though maybe future patches will enable us to unlock subsequent weapon skills at w slower pace and we can switch between, say, 10.

If you really love, say Queensdale.. Is it then not nice to be able to go back to that area and still get interesting gameplay even after lvl 80.
You can still feel that you are stronger then you where at lvl 1, but if you insist on eing able to “tank damage” then you are playing the wrong game cause that is not what gw2 is about

I adore this feature, one of my absolute favorites of the game. I can explore ALL the zones without them being meaningless! Brilliant design decision!

I used to love the level scaling system, but then I took an harpy to the knee. Lol, a DE started right next to me while I was npc’ing/using TP and I almost died to a crowd of harpies.

Love this system. I don’t want it to go away. May sounds weird, but when things are easy, too easy, it’s boring.

I loved the idea at first, it was really cool being able to go quest with low level friends. But after time i grew to hate it.

The deleveling should be optional and toggled on or off as the player desires. If he wants to go back and do content he had difficulty with at earlier levels, he should be able to. And if he wants to get good exp and play with friends then he should be able to toggle on his deleveling. I just don’t understand why the player doesn’t have the choice, it seems like a win win to give them the option.

Skor.4652:

The deleveling should be optional and toggled on or off as the player desires. If he wants to go back and do content he had difficulty with at earlier levels, he should be able to. And if he wants to get good exp and play with friends then he should be able to toggle on his deleveling. I just don’t understand why the player doesn’t have the choice, it seems like a win win to give them the option.

It only takes one player with deleveling off to ruin the event/zone/dungeon/whatever for everyone in there, so its not a win win. It’s a 1 win, 100 losses situation.

You just cannot have optional core elements in MMO if they affect everyone else too. Story instances are the only place where deleveling could be optional.

The deleveling in this game is one of the best features about it. Every mmo should operate this way imo. Being able to over power everything is a serious game breaking mechanic which makes MMO gaming horrible in general. You should have to be careful of your safety no matter the zone you are in. That should be a quality of all games.

And no, you should not have the option to toggle it on or off. If you were able to toggle it off, it would destroy the game experience for everyone in the zone around you. This is one of the best features of the game.

Lastly, if you out-level a zone you are in, you more than likely outgear it to the point where 1v5 should be pretty easy. If you can’t, then you should probably learn to play your class better. I can take my 80 ranger into a 25 zone and 1v8 mobs fairly easily.

Sure, you earned those levels. That doesn’t mean you should be able to god mode everything low level like in most games. That would be dumb. The point is that you do still have an exceptional advantage over the zone by outgearing it to the point that you shouldn’t have any problems if you are playing your class correctly.

I don’t know where people get that scaling makes the game arbitrarily difficult. In my experience as a 80 Guardian, it is extraordinarily easy to faceroll through content as an 80 going retro.

I never had a problem with delevelling. What are the exact downsides of it anyway? Most mobs in lowlevel zones are rather…civil. You never die in one hit. You are still relatively more powerful. Allows you to go back helping people on equal level instead of summoning that level 80 players who drops lowlevel zones bosses with one hit for ‘the lulz’ thus bypassing zone difficulty. The only thing I see as negative is the embarassment of getting killed by a lower level monster. I like the fact that things remain worthwhile even if they are technically lower level than you.

I both love and hate this feature, if that makes any sense at all. I love it because I can run to any area that I may have missed and still have fun fighting mobs and doing events, be it with a group of friends or on my own. I never feel like there’s nothing to do when I’m in game. I hate it because it does take away the sense that I’ve gotten stronger when I get killed by the same group of skritts that killed me when I first started leveling. Really though, the pros outweigh the cons for me.

Keep in mind that all stat benefits (basically everything but runes/rune like effects) from gear are also reduced at the stat totals (not the gear itself), by what seems to be a percentage based on the area level and character level differences.

The major issue realy is if you have not found/made/gotten gear appropiate for your actual level. For example, if your character is level 15+ and their gear is only level 7.
While a minor issue is if you can’t do something there realy is no option to level up some and then do it (a handful of levels wont make all that much the difference).

Those issues however dont realy out weigh the benefits (as mentioned by others) of the system. Sure it could likely do with some tweaking in some cases, but overall its the better option.

I love the level scaling, I can hunt with my lower level friends at any time. EQ2 had a mentor system which was similar but you would still be overpowered for the areas event mentored to a low level. GW2 does it much better.

This isn’t going to change anytime soon my man

Stryker.9632:

This isn’t going to change anytime soon my man

That’s right. And it shouldn’t change.

I hate it in theory. But in practice it’s been very well implemented tbh

Annihilation.9510:

I really dont like it at all to begin with because the logic for me is that, if im level 50 i should be able to tank 10 level 1s if i wanted to no matter what i am.

No, not in this game you shouldn’t.

But bear in mind, when you downlevel, the only thing that’s actually downlevelled is your main stats – all the rest of your high end stuff, the gear, traits, etc., is still proportionately much more effective than anything a newbie at the same level will have.

So you do have an advantage in low-level content, just not an overwhelming one.

I love the de-levelling, i have reached 80 and there is still a mountain of content for me to do, lots of it low level. I will go back and do it, yes i will be more powerful than usual at that level but it wont be one shotting veteran + champion mobs like it would be in other games.

Some of my friends are going to start playing soon and i can go back and do some of the content with them on my main char without ruining there gaming experience. also means they wont be hassling me for boosts.

I love the de-levelling system. Although I would like it to be optional for personal story quests. ONLY personal story quests though!

They can be extremely tough for more squishy characters and should really be solo-able since they are supposed to be ‘my’ story.

Have to say another huge convert to the delevelling system.

Originally I wasn’t sure as I like a lot of players have gotten locked into the ‘level is everything’ concept the most games use. Two thing have really swayed me to loving the idea:

Firstly as a completionist I have gotten used to outleveling zones before finishing them. It then becomes frustrating as you have to choose between: leveling effectively (and so moving on with the zone incomplete), or sticking around and completing the zone, but with the unsatisfying sense of no risk and no reward . Here I just keep playing, the game adjusts me to the difficulty

Secondly, and what really sold me on deleveling was me collecting cooking mats in Queensdale last night. While there I realize that an event has popped up that I missed first time around. It was wonderful to: dive in and not overwhelm everyone else, gain XP that I felt I earned, level, and gain a piece of gear that I immediately slotted. All in a starter zone.

It has been great to get off of the leveling treadmill that a lot of recent MMOs seem to have gone for which consists of getting you to the level cap quickly so proper endgame can begin. Here I barely keep track of my level or XP bar as they tend not to matter, compared to the important thing, which is playing the game.

Heh, i actually like the deleveling system. Played alot of mmos where usally high levels would pull like 10-20 mobs or so when thier farming or so on, it can get pretty annoying when your trying to level or quest and this is happening all day. xD

Like few people also mentioned its also fun cause i think it gives higher levels a chance to go back into the lower areas and explore the quests in that area.

Coming in from WoW I have to admit that I died quite a few times in my first week of playing GW2 simply because of the deleveling system, and, I’m still loving it.

The point is that no matter where you are, it’s gonna be “challenging” unlike rushing through to lvl 80 and then sitting in a town or facerolling the lower lvl areas.

Challenge = good.

It’s area level +2 and not -2 as op mentioned.

I like it the way it’s implemented. By the way “some” loot is also upgraded to your real level making it still interresting to help peeps out or finish a zone.

I love the deleveling system.. I like to see as much as possible of a game and this makes it rewarding to cruise through low level areas too, as compared to it being a drag in other games..