Low End Content *Until* Endgame Content

[Rambus]

I do not know how SE can do it past mimicing wow's system (make ex drops for lower level people) while gaining exp in said areas ( random dungons) then you have to make abyssea 70+ so people will do it more.

if you don't the few people that still want to level something now will most likey leech it and does not fix the issue having old players mingle with newer players ( part of the reason it is so hard to get new people in the game)

[Kuwabaraone]

Personally, Low Level is between 1-30, as you are now learning the basics of the job of choice. 31-60 will get you the better feel of that job and will give you a rock-solid idea of how it is to be played. After 60 is just icing on the cake, depending on the situation. If anything, the low levels are fine as they are. But would probably stand for a bit of better enemy dispersal. I practically grew up in the Valkurm Dunes, so I missed out on the other zones as potential training grounds. Thanks to Fields, I'm relearning jobs I hadn't bothered leveling in places I wouldn't expect. Also increasing Manuals in these zones would help too. Make it a little easier to find them, if they so choose. The REAL concern is the mid-range, 31-60. That's where a lot of new adventurers lose interest fast (Grind Burnout) and just plateau at that job. Leveling is insane at 1-30 and 61-(current)Cap, but the middleground isn't getting much love. We should definitely see to tweaking that SquareEnix.

KB1

[Xilk]

The drag and slow down in leveling a new character doesn't seem to kick in until about level 60 from what I've seen.

You'll notice a gap in the FoV here, as well as the absence of any exp parties. There is plenty of content for all those levels, what there isn't, is plenty of PLAYERS at those levels.

The content in this game is designed for parties at a certain level. Players have long gotten thru content low-man by simply being a much higher level than the content was designed for. Its not a lack of content, its a lack of players in those levels.

It is very understandable for a game of FFXI's age. The only rut I see is really in the low 60's. There is a very noticeable slowdown in exp (this was true before AND after the recent exp change).

Frankly, Olor, There are several viable solo camps for you as a bst where you can still exp at a good pace. However, I would have no problem w/ taking you to abyssea if we were in the same ls. I'm reasonably decked out for gear, atma and abyssite. There are still several items for me to get, but.. really not very much.

We often have calls in our ls where a member is working on another job, or trial or something. We invite anyone in ls to come leech as whatever they want. Depending on job, a single or duo can leech a full alliance up. its not as fast as having more DD, but any 2 level 90's w/ good atma can get leeches up at a good pace. Its a nice way to get support jobs up w/out having to gear them. I wouldn't want to for a job I played seriously, but I've no intention of taking rdm, nin, sch, others... to max level. I just want the support job options available.

Frankly, I always thought a party level-synced at 63 could do just fine in a visions zone. Player's aren't up to trying different things though, unless they have to, or there is a BIG carrot at the end.

[Saefinn]

Many of the people who level jobs today would never have leveled them if it wasn't for how easy Abyssea exp is. so instead of not seeing any low level players because Abyssea, you'll not see any low level players because without Abyssea a lot of people who leveled new jobs won't level any more new jobs since they're now forced to grind it old-style.

I think the "ITS THE EXPOCALYPSE" attitude is kinda funny though. I'm leveling Puppetmaster right now, I won't go into acting like its no problem everywhere, but on Asura i hardly ever wait more than ~1hour/2hour for an Invite. Of the time i use to Solo FoV pages. Its just not as bad as people paint it out.

I might be getting lucky, but on Asura it doesn't feel like the world is ending, and again, I just do not feel the Solution is ever Removing someones right to chose. Right now we have the right to chose Abyssea, or to Chose Old Fashioned exp. And at the very least on Asura, Theres a steady amount doing both.

Sometimes people just need to accept as a game ages, Less and less people level new jobs. The only reason you see a lot of leeches in abyssea is because they can leech in Abyssea. The game is old, stop blamming Abyssea.

I'm kinda beginning to wish they would cap Abyssea to 70 just so when they do, it'll prove my point.

That's an interesting one, that people are levelling jobs they wouldn't normally and I think that it's a fair point. As much as I like the idea of Aby being 70+ because I love level 30+ parties and I feel there are fewer as a result (but not dead, I run a few myself and have had invites), but I don't want to take people's choice away from them - I can understand why a person might opt for levelling in Aby, it can get repetitive doing it the long way for every job. Hence my suggestion to spice up the mid levels more. It gives people like me, who don't want to leech more options and offers those who do already leech an incentive not to. I think the real problem is the mid levels aren't interesting enough - or at least, interesting enough to repeat, hence people cut that part out.

As for invites on Asura, I think it depends on your job. Black Mage - I have waited all day before deciding, "bugger it, I'm doing my own party" (at the point where I got bored of playing on my DS). Corsair on the other hand, I got it from level 1 to 57 in a week because I got invites very quickly - we had one awesome party from Qufim to Yhoator Jungle because we had a Bard and a Corsair, 4 DDs and a PL and the exp was epic.

I find that I get people inviting me as SCH70 quite quickly, even though I'm not looking to join an Aby party (or an exp party for that matter). I did SCH from level 50 to 70 in Aby because people were that badly in need for healers. Whilst I was not the perfect healer, it worked. It kind of leaves me to assume that there aren't many healers LFP for Aby?

[Eldelphia]

Cap the entry point to Abyssea at around 50. Allows people to get their capped subjobs done and swells the lowlevel xp pool. You could even argue for level 60, so not nullifying af etc. The problem with all the 'leeching' is that there are too many people who need DNC/NIN/WAR/SCH/WHM subjobs done - hell almost everyone needs 1-2 of those. Let them xp to 50 or 60 with FoV etc and then let them into Abyssea.

Abyssea encourages greed (but admittedly atma make it possible to low man most stuff) and poorly skilled players. Some people take the time to skill up and research the jobs they're playing with, others don't. As a group we insist on people having their quested WSNM weaponskills and all proc WS and spells so that slows it down a bit. Of course there were always people who can't or don't play the game to elite levels and that's fine but we're not talking about elitism here. I respect someone who levels fast but then works out they need skill/practice/gear to use those jobs effectively. Unfortunately Abyssea gives us way too much leeway... I want some seriously challenging, non-atma supported content. At that point, a lot of those underskilled, clueless, loot-grabbing jobs will suddenly go back into the closet.

[Ordoric]

those that leach their way 30-70+ only hurt them selves un less they are exceptionaly gifted and adept. but it seams like its 2 x the work sitting leaching then going and skilling up seams pointless to me. i have a 68 sam and i wont enter abby much less on any other low job

[Glamdring]

I leeched my war sub to 49 and my pup from 50-60 in 1 party, then quit the party to do a solo skill-up on pup. War I intend strictly as a sub for pup for the foreseeable future so skill wasn't a particular worry, getting to work on my pup was. I leeched pup to 60 quite frankly for the inventory space; I've done my full pup AF so leeching to wear I can use all of it means I can put it back with the armor storer NPCs when I'm on one of my 4 90 mains. However, I will not be taking my pup back into Abyssea until I recap my HTH and my pup's magic (and hopefully ranged) skill. I despise being useless in anything, but without skill you just are. While leeching, I used the WHM auto, because he could at least do some skilling (fyi, a 50 auto generally skills about 1/3 of the way to cap at each level at the rate you level doing dominion at 50ish).

I so wish more players understood that it is SKILL, not level, gear or whatever that makes you good in this game. That was why I made the comment about getting my Auto's ranged skill up. I haven't had a chance to use sharpshot now in 30 levels and the skill gap shows it. If I don't get that closed by the time I reach Aby levels he'll simply miss 90+% of his shots making skill-up all but impossible in Abyssea. Even with great Atma the fundamental problem will still exist.