Power leveling, book burns, Speed leveling. What is the appeal?

[Leonlionheart]

I don't know why people keep saying that leveling in a fast manner creates gimps. Initially of course your skills will be under leveled, but any player worth anything will have no problem overcoming that. If someone doesn't fix that situation than they were most likely going to be gimp even if they did it the old fashioned way.

This is very true.

The fact of the matter is that there were just as many gimps at 75 cap, however they were stuck in between 10~75, and couldn't get into LSs.

Now however 80% of content is easily pugged, and everyone gets to 90 easily. You see the gimps more than you did if you were a good player at 75 cap.

[Coldbrand]

Because there was nothing redeeming amount killing the same robber crab as I saw in the last zone for the 8,000th time, and it was never challenging the 1st time. It just made me wish I was done and onto something actually entertaining.

[JackDaniels]

I had absolutely no fun the other day in a book burn party, so I made a sync party in yhoatar jungle, just a drg blu dnc and brd. It was a lot of fun minus the whm we kicked due to excessive afking and the drk who decided to leave after the afking whm got us all killed. Even without a proper page to do (seriously wtf mandragoras and bees?), it was a lot of fun. We managed the occasional chain #5.

There's no challenge at all with book burn alliances, I couldn't even make it past 1400xp/page without getting bored to tears.

EDIT: It's not like this game is going anywhere any time soon, what's the rush? Being at level cap these days doesn't mean anything if you just burn your way to the top.

[Zagen]

As many have said my first job to 75 at the time, felt like an accomplishment everything after that was a grind.

EDIT: It's not like this game is going anywhere any time soon, what's the rush? Being at level cap these days doesn't mean anything if you just burn your way to the top.

I enjoy being able to offer BLM/BRD with all yellow procs, WAR/NIN with all red procs, THF TH proc, THF/NIN/MNK/DNC/BLU/WAR/PLD(lol) for tank options, BRD/COR for buffer, WHM for extra healing, RDM for support/debuffs. All of these help me get gear or help my LS and friends get gear.

Being at level cap never meant anything more than it does now past your first job. The more jobs you had at 75 the more useful you were at multiple events, the same is true at 90.

[Coldbrand]

I had absolutely no fun the other day in a book burn party, so I made a sync party in yhoatar jungle, just a drg blu dnc and brd. It was a lot of fun minus the whm we kicked due to excessive afking and the drk who decided to leave after the afking whm got us all killed. Even without a proper page to do (seriously wtf mandragoras and bees?), it was a lot of fun. We managed the occasional chain #5.

There's no challenge at all with book burn alliances, I couldn't even make it past 1400xp/page without getting bored to tears.

EDIT: It's not like this game is going anywhere any time soon, what's the rush? Being at level cap these days doesn't mean anything if you just burn your way to the top.

There's no challenge at all to mindless grinding either.

On an unrelated note people need to learn that the whole "learn the job" arguments are flawed too. I've never had anyone first voke Bukhis for my THF so far. In fact, get this, nothing about conventional party play is in any way relevant to playing a large number of jobs in content that actually matters that you were leveling for in the first place.

[Ravenmore]

I don't bother watching people damage or misses since you eye balling it to start. Its not like you need 18 people all killing mobs to bring in great exp. I see abyssea exp as a easy none thinking way of getting gil/cuor if people are skilling up at least they are engaging the mob and not trying to hide on a low level job. Now it doesn't impact me in anyway they are not capped since 2 decent melees and one decent mage can carry 18 other people.

Its a way to keep people coming to LS exp nights. I get paid they get skill ups its a fair trade. Its not the same as a 75 sam showing up to a bird party with and starts skilling up polearm he hasn't touched since he left his drg sub at 37. Its not going to slow down exp and I have since really stop caring about what other people wear to exp again if they are engaging thats good for me.

[Olor]

Yeah, I don't miss lfg for hours and hours and hours and only getting an invite when people were desperate as a blu/whm... and then having people hassle me about my sub. No one cares what I sub for my blu for exp now, and, in fact, since I rarely get hit (with 17 other bodies around) they are more than happy to have the extra healing I bring to the table with my whm sub.

I don't miss old exp at all. Either I solo (for spells and skill ups) or I book burn, and it is fun! FUN! People laugh and joke between pages and mobs, and don't bother with the elitism that used to plague even the most mundane aspects of the game.

I am cool with elitism where it matters, but it shouldn't matter for mundane things like exp.

[Zatias]

I am cool with elitism where it matters, but it shouldn't matter for mundane things like exp.

Speaking of this, I had a cor in a book burn in Gusgen Mines who was just this. Elitist for exp.

"This is how exp is done now? GAY! I can get 1k a kill in Qufim Island!" Needless to say he got booted ;P

I like the laid-backness of book burning and that's just about it. I just get waaaay too bored killing borderline Too Weak mobs and running all the way up to the stupid book. This is only my preference though, I see a lot of people who really enjoy it.

[Dew]

Main healing a party on blm in Bibiki Bay at 67 wasn't fun. So no, why would you miss old way of xping. Was faster soloing in sea the rest of the way then getting parties on blm. Deco weapon parties sure they were good back then, but now they suck and aren't worth wasting time with. Skele burns with mnks in KRT were good before, but not anymore.

Things changes, more types of parties are formed. Being able to level faster don't matter. Noobs will be noobs wether they take 5 years to get 75 or 1 day to get 90. I have seen too many people claiming they are great at their job cause they leveled the hard way. Later then you see them play the job and they suck at it. Leveling slower and taking more time doesn't make them good at anything.

[Seriha]

Just curious to the appeal.

I imagine others have said similar since I haven't read through the thread, but ultimately, leveling is one of the least enjoyable aspects of the game, perhaps behind making gil. Simply killing many of the game's weaker mob families over and over and over and over again does not really teach you how to play a job, as a lot of endgame encounters through some monkey wrenches into the works even if it's just some hate resets.

More personally, I've been playing since NA PC beta with, at most, 6-7 months of break spread over that time span. Of the 20 jobs, you can figure breaking them down into the main archetypes of tanking, support, and damage. Once you get a feel for one of those families, branching out to similar jobs isn't particularly difficult. And assuming you pay attention to those around you, you can also learn other jobs by proxy.

Eventually you can hit a point where leveling holds no appeal. No, you could choose simply not to level a job, but if you're interested in being an overall well-rounded player, you'll probably eventually level jobs you "hate" for those "just in case" moments. Slogging it out oldschool doesn't really make the end of that trip any sweeter. In the case of consumable heavy jobs, it can also make things much more pricey, and in turn even more time spent making gil to cover your expenses.

Overall, I have no real issue with how one levels as long as if they're coming to something for an expected function, that means having all your spells, things skilled up, and some passable gear. Not meeting those criteria are by no means solely hinged on how you level, as the "gimps" certainly hit 75 prior to FoV, Campaign, doubled EXP, level sync, or Astral Burns.