Matsui here.
New players coming into the game that are leveling are starting from a clean state not knowing about systems such as Fields of Valor, Trust, and Records of Eminence, and it’s also likely rare that they will get involved with Abyssea while they are leveling. Naturally, they will view various aspects of the game in a different light than those of you who have been playing the game for a long time.
There is no right and wrong and we are developing the game looking at it from both perspectives.
We’ve been receiving requests to make it easier to reach level 99, but we don’t have any plans to simply reduce the amount of experience points that are required to level up.
At level 20 you are able to ride a chocobo. At level 30 you are able to acquire the advanced jobs. And then at level 60 you can obtain a full set of artifact armor. At each pivotal point you are also able to progress through missions. This type of game experience is connected to the affection towards your character and Vana’diel, and this is why I feel it’s not right to increase the pace of leveling more than it is currently.
To support new players, we’re placing a heavy emphasis on creating systems so they can play comfortably and have a new experience while they are leveling their characters.
Trust is a perfect example of this. With the implementation of the Trust system, I feel it’s become much easier to play even in conditions where it is difficult to form parties with other players at lower levels, and missions can also be undertaken solo. (We’ll be addressing Zilart missions that do not support Trust in the future.)
Moving forward we will continue to add beneficial features for new players, which will revolve around the Trust system. With that said though, I feel that the progression from level 75 to 99 is lacking in variation in comparison to the time it takes, and we will be looking into making adjustments that will make this more motivating.
Linkshells and friends are also a very important part of the community, and we will continue to work on this. Right now we are in the midst of planning the
previously announced features for Linkshells.
To make a really useful system we expect it will take a bit of time, but once we are at the stage where I can discuss this in more detail, I’ll be sure to make a post on the forums.