Question for the Devs; will Heavensward include a new STARTER City-State?

I really don't see them adding anything for pre-50 characters with the expansion. We have enough of that already.

Though they could add a few more low level dungeons I suppose, but they could also easily place those in already existing maps so that they are accessible pre-50.

I expect all new areas and dungeons in those areas to be level 50-60, maybe even have the mob level cap be increased beyond level 60 in some of the areas for added challenge. (Since this is one of the complaints about the game that pops up often. ie. No danger in the overworld)

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Originally Posted by Felis

People got Ninja to 50 in the first 2.4 week. There is already enough 1-50 leveling content ingame. What we need are 51-60 leveling content.

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You seem to believe that new 1-50 leveling content and 51-60 leveling content are mutually exclusive.

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Originally Posted by Intaki

You seem to believe that new 1-50 leveling content and 51-60 leveling content are mutually exclusive.

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Given the vast amount of story that begins only after attaining level 50 I would say yes, yes they are mutually exclusive.

Well, not so exclusive for players in the 51-60 bracket as we do have the ability to go back and do lower level content and still gain some exp from it. Lower level players can't do higher end content because they do not get appropriate exp (if they even get any). For example, a level 35 player might be able to go to a level 47 FATE, but their contribution to that fate is heavily taxed to the point that it's really not worth it as they wouldn't get the full experience (assuming they can even survive and complete the FATE).

Likewise, a level 35 player can't join any dungeons that are above their level range.

With 60 being the new level cap we can expect to see level 60 dungeons, probably only a few at first. But we can also expect to see hopefully a handful or more new dungeons ranging from level 51 to 59 (though more likely the highest until 60 will be 57 or 58).

tl;dr version: 51-60 content is exclusive to levels 51-60 (duh). 1-50 content (gasp) is still able to be accessed by anyone 50+.

Added: Now that doesn't mean a level 10 person can't make it to a 51-60 area, but there just wouldn't be anything for them to do there. Right now I can take a level 1 character to Revant's Toll, but that doesn't mean there's anything there to do other than run around exclaiming how awesome you are.

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Originally Posted by Felis

People got Ninja to 50 in the first 2.4 week. There is already enough 1-50 leveling content ingame.

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But they didn't do it through content unless they hadn't leveled their other classes. I never said you couldn't grind after running out of content, but grinding isn't what makes a game, content is. It takes a lot more than one quest every five levels to raise a class/job from 1 to 50.

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Originally Posted by Felis

What we need are 51-60 leveling content.

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Well, by the logic of thinking that since you can level without it means content isn't needed, we wouldn't need that either. But the truth is we'll need it all the way through. We'll need new level 1-15 content, new level 15-30 content, new level 30-50 content, and new level 51-60 content. While some of that new content could be placed in the same zones we already have (and would be good for fleshing out some of the more sparsely-used sections of the current map), it makes more sense for the majority of it to be used in providing the character of the new zones. Particularly if the new areas are as widespread as has been suggested, they should contain the whole range of levels.

From what Square-Enix has hinted about the Dark Knight, in that it will not have a base class and that you will be able to play it right away if you buy the expansion (they didn't say you had to have an existing character at 50 or anything), I almost wonder if it could be a new job that starts in Ishgard right at some mid-level, like maybe 40 or even 50. If you start a new character on this job, you would jump right into the 3.0 storyline without going through the 2.0 story path. For example, you could be a Dark Knight that joins the Scions once Ishgard finally opens its gates. Of course it would also be possible to take an existing 50 or whatever and learn this job, and take one of these characters and learn the other jobs, which would progress as usual.

This approach would have some controversy, but because Dark Knight is a tank class, S-E might feel that such an approach would bring more tanks into end-game more quickly. And given the progression in the story, and since you can play them right away with the expansion, I doubt it makes sense story-wise to have them start at level 1 in some other city and go through the whole 2.0 path.

I guess we'll see how it plays out, but if so, Ishgard could be a new starting city-state, but in a different sense. (And if they do take this approach, it would make sense for the other new job to be a healer-type, because then they have an influx of healers and tanks in end-game more quickly.)

I doubt they'd make the new tank class open only for the end game since it would mean anyone that isn't up to the expansion won't get to play with the new toys or anyone who reached 3.0.

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Originally Posted by MilesSaintboroguh

I doubt they'd make the new tank class open only for the end game since it would mean anyone that isn't up to the expansion won't get to play with the new toys or anyone who reached 3.0.

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Well, you'd still meet them in old dungeons and FATEs using level sync, I imagine. But since it won't have a starting class and you can play them right away, I don't think anyone would be levelling with them from 1 anyway.

Honestly, in my opinion I would like them to do away with the home town concept entirely. As I feel, I am some random adventurer who just happened to wander into Gridania and adventure it up. I then went to Ul dah and took up Gladiator. Finally I settled in at Limsa and am in Maelstrom... Outside of quests I have not spent any meaningful time at Gridania so I really don't identify as bring Gridanian...more it was somewhere I worked for a bit.

Also, @polyphonica, as I understand it Dark Knight will be played just like any other class from level 1. I got the impression basically that YoshiP did not like the job and class system and just wanted it to be straight Dark knight from start to finish, no secondary nonsense. I got this from the London live feed.

Again, that is what i think YoshiP means by playing DRK right away... It is Drk from level 1 and not level 30.

New race probably will get retconned.

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Originally Posted by kaynide

Hon
Also, @polyphonica, as I understand it Dark Knight will be played just like any other class from level 1. I got the impression basically that YoshiP did not like the job and class system and just wanted it to be straight Dark knight from start to finish, no secondary nonsense. I got this from the London live feed.

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The real question should be what will the skills menu look like. Will all of your skills be under the job tab as a DRK or would there be some new tab just for the new job style? will the jobs appear in the "Class/job levels" list in the row of classes or jobs. and if they appear alongside the jobs will they just continue out past the class list the way smn/sch have? how will its cross class skills work? Can you cross class anything until level 30 or will it be restricted to two "select" classes (because there wont be any real basis for what two)?