Guild Wars 2

Hey all,

This is an extreme example. I was on my lvl 80 ranger in the norn starting area just doing events and killing stuff because I haven’t been there in awhile. I noticed though I do not one shot anything, I still kill things very quickly. I’m not even an offensive build, but more balanced.

I think it would be better if my stats were reduced even further so I am doing closer to the same damage as a level appropriate low level for the zone. So I’m doing low level damage, but at least I still have my traits and elite skill.

Otherwise it is just boring and other than playing with friends, serves no purpose in revisiting old zones.

Joey.3928:

Hey all,

This is an extreme example. I was on my lvl 80 ranger in the norn starting area just doing events and killing stuff because I haven’t been there in awhile. I noticed though I do not one shot anything, I still kill things very quickly. I’m not even an offensive build, but more balanced.

I think it would be better if my stats were reduced even further so I am doing closer to the same damage as a level appropriate low level for the zone. So I’m doing low level damage, but at least I still have my traits and elite skill.

Otherwise it is just boring and other than playing with friends, serves no purpose in revisiting old zones.

I do have to ask, are the enemies in the area at your downlevel?

i’ve recently found through experimentation that my level 79 character can three-shot anything two or three levels below my downlevel, while enemies at my level took much longer (though much isn’t as long as when dealing with appropriate leveled enemies).

all that said, a further decrease in stats the higher level you are would work, considering that there are tons of things to take into account, such as elites, higher tiered utility skills, traits etc.

I don’t necessarily disagree with this. But if they were to do something like this I think it would need to scale you on a curve. As a level 40 in the starter areas I still felt really powerful, but it wasn’t toooo powerful. But as with you, once I hit level 55+ it was in the realm of 1 shot kills through using utility skills.

But I think the point of this is that any high level character visiting a low zone is doing map completion (like me) and doesn’t necessarily want to spend obscene amounts of time there (although with the scale of the maps, the hearts, POI’s, Vistas and Skill challenges they manage to keep you around for a decent and appropriate amount of time.

But I agree, other than from a completionist perspective there is little incentive to go back to older zones. I think even if you were playing with friends it would get a little tedious. If they were low levelled they might just get sick of you 2 shoting all their enemies and detracting from their gameplay experience?

Yea. Plus you would rob them of any potential loot because they wouldn’t be able to get a hit off.

I play in the Norn starting area a lot – I just like it, it’s a very balanced and beautiful zone. I’m a necromancer and I find that I can take on as many enemies as I can aggro onto myself with my staff/well build. I can take on the champions without problem and I can handle all the events with ease.

But I also have max/near max level stuff, traits, and all my skills so the question is would a level 1-15 player with max level stuff, traits, and all skills be OP in that area too? The answer is pretty much yes, just like we are. But I would be interested if Anet actually tested this out and what their conclusion was.

I also do my best to not force bronze/silver status on the other players by taking out the mobs completely, I just tag them all with some aoe to help the other players take them out. I haven’t heard anyone complain that they got silver or bronze yet though.

I think things are fine as is and need to be left alone. At least for my ranger, I find the lower level areas still challenging.
Try using white weapons and blue armor to make it more difficult. If anything, make a hard mode like GW1.

Anytime you are scaled to below level 30, there is is a strong disparity in strength, but it is not because the scaling is messed up.

A character below level 10 probably does not have a full set of armor.
A character below level 20 probably does not have a full set of jewelry.
A character below level 30 does not have a full set of skills, and likely has a sub-ideal collection of skills.

When you are level 80, you are a seasoned adventurer that has already overcome these shortfalls that novice adventurers have.

Oh, but exotic gear, and traits, you say? From level 39 onward the impact of traits shrinks as you level. Higher tiers of gear are needed to offset this, as level 80 blues scaled to level 20 are the same as level 20 blues. Major and Minor traits, better skill selection, and gear that is the best you can have for the level (until 80, “best” is a moving target) all add to your strength, but this is not the cause for the massive disparity seen when you take an 80 to a level 2 zone.

If you really want to scale appropriately to a level 2-5 area, take off your gloves, hat, shoulders, rings, accessories, amulet, back piece, and use only your weapon and heal skills—no utilities or elite. The scaling is right, what is wrong is the expectation that a fully geared adventurer is supposed to fight no better than a poorly-geared one.

Fildydarie.1496:

Anytime you are scaled to below level 30, there is is a strong disparity in strength, but it is not because the scaling is messed up.

A character below level 10 probably does not have a full set of armor.
A character below level 20 probably does not have a full set of jewelry.
A character below level 30 does not have a full set of skills, and likely has a sub-ideal collection of skills.

When you are level 80, you are a seasoned adventurer that has already overcome these shortfalls that novice adventurers have.

Oh, but exotic gear, and traits, you say? From level 39 onward the impact of traits shrinks as you level. Higher tiers of gear are needed to offset this, as level 80 blues scaled to level 20 are the same as level 20 blues. Major and Minor traits, better skill selection, and gear that is the best you can have for the level (until 80, “best” is a moving target) all add to your strength, but this is not the cause for the massive disparity seen when you take an 80 to a level 2 zone.

If you really want to scale appropriately to a level 2-5 area, take off your gloves, hat, shoulders, rings, accessories, amulet, back piece, and use only your weapon and heal skills—no utilities or elite. The scaling is right, what is wrong is the expectation that a fully geared adventurer is supposed to fight no better than a poorly-geared one.

It is that expectation because that is the philosophy behind the game. I think it needs some sort of tweaking. They did take an awesome step in the right direction. I never visited old zones before with a max lvl character in any mmo. There was never a point.

Here’s the thing… the down leveling is based on your gear some it looks like… so if you’re going to a level 10 area in all exotics, it seems to treat you like a level 10 in exotics, which how many level 10s are equipped in exotics?

Kuari.8106:

Here’s the thing… the down leveling is based on your gear some it looks like… so if you’re going to a level 10 area in all exotics, it seems to treat you like a level 10 in exotics, which how many level 10s are equipped in exotics?

No, it doesn’t. Your stats are multiplied by the ratio of your base stats at your actual level to the base stats of the effective level.

Due to the 2nd order polynomial growth of base stats (it is actually a series of linear approximations of a 2nd order, but that is beside the point) and linear growth of traits, the effects of traits diminish with level. Gear follows the 2nd order polynomial as well, however, increases in quality are present to offset the decrease in value given by traits.

An 80 in full exotics has higher stats than a natural level 10 because the level 10 player doesn’t even have a full set of gear.

This is because of gear. There’s nothing ANet can do about that. Unless you are suggesting that ANet take people’s gear away or give them extra gear, and the only possible response to that involves all the /disagree in Tyria.

Put on low-level gear in lower levels if you’re that worried about it. Don’t make the game more irritating for other people so you can assuage some minor, hypothetical worry.

Joey.3928:

It is that expectation because that is the philosophy behind the game.

Actually no, what statement do you base that assumption on?
I think it’s fine the way it is now, you can go back to help people and be actually helpful without being overpowered. It’s a good compromise between no progression and the insane godlike-effect you have in other MMOs. I’m not a fan of item grind and endless stats based progression, but as Fildydarie already said, the idea that a level 80 character with a lot of playtime, used to fight the creatures of hell in an endtime warzone, should struggle to compete with a beginner and low-level mobs is way off in the opposite direction.

I think it works just fine.

Granted, if I go roll around in Shaemoor on my level 80 Warrior, most things die quickly. Granted, I can do some things I couldn’t when I was lower level, such as prevent the takeover of Nebo Terrace all alone. However, I still cannot solo any group events. The bandit chief in the mines in Shaemoor? Got my kitten handed to me. The Champion Wasp Queen? Got killed there too.

And besides, you can always just go to the nearest armorsmith and weaponsmith and get some blank white low level gear, that’ll make things difficult again.

do you wear full exotic? then that’s why try unquipping your armor and pick up a crappy weapon …problem solved

Yeah I agree that the scaling could use work, high levels scaled down seem too powerful.