Power-leveling is absolutely BROKEN

[Velhart]

That's a good point, but I wouldn't call it a "crutch." It's more of a glaring design flaw that will wreck the balance in the game.

Taking this a little too seriously? If you have friends and been playing for a while, you have an advantage. But to anyone coming in new. I am sure they are not going to have access to a power leveler right away. Also, isn't leveling just the learning curve for the true experience? Don't need to grind all day to learn your class.

You know almost every MMO most people can max a class in a week if they are on everyday? Same concept with FFXIV. I could get a WoW toon up to 35 in one night if I wanted to, and that isn't saying I have skill, anyone with time and experience can pull that off.

You basically want the FFXI experience, but don't forget, this is FFXIV.

[Isaaru]

Rage more please

lolinorite?

[Fiosha_Maureiba]

Doh, lost a majority of my reply from clicking on Reply instead of Post Quick Reply.

tldr: If SE wants to keep levels in the game, then the power-leveling mechanism should be reassessed and balanced (in this case, party level gap and its benefits). Like Punishing Barbs or a cheap AoE Cure before, we benefit, but I still think it needs balancing and will offer the suggestion as I have before on other topics.

long version:
@Violent_Django. I'm surprised to see so much posted from a small snippet. But I feel an unusual craving to respond with a post of similar length. Normally I would leave out real world examples, because that brings an entire new playing field into this discussion that can easily be dismissed under "but this is a game". And I can't convince what's real to me to be real to you. But read on if you were interested in what I had to say.

Here's my thoughts on it. You and your friend were leveling. There's content you want to see at the high levels. But you regret a choice you made earlier, the class choice, regret enough that you want to experience the unseen content with a different class. You're starting over, not him, because you've already seen the content, not interested in going through the same/similar grind over again. You want the same stretch of game to go by faster. It's personal that you don't want to do it again or that you started over. It makes sense (to me) and I agree that it could go faster.

But I don't expect friend to wait for me to catch up anymore or to hold him from experiencing the content himself, because it was my choice to start over. And I don't expect him to power-level me so that we're up to speed again. His choice to help me out every time I change my mind and likewise.

Real world example against: You start your major, you've invested four years, you decide that's not how you wanted to go out into the world. You change your major. Some things may transfer over credit wise to make some of that journey less painful (in FFXIV sense, cross class abilities, equipment you may be able to reuse). Anything that doesn't transfer, you start over on.

Real world example for: You start your career, you work your way from retail consultant to a managerial position of industry X. You shift flag ships to industry Y, but remain a managerial position with similar or improved benefits. You don't start over in some areas and you learn what you need to learn on the job, not from your education.

And that leads me to supporting your point on being able to adapt to a high level class after being power leveled. The grind is like college. What you do in an in-game party is like real world on-the-job training. And on-the-job training (to me) is more important than the college education that may not be as relevant to your future income. It's like a college class for Business Management, learning from a professor who has studied the topic (and could be a retired CEO who felt the need to teach) versus being the new hire apprenticed to the high rollers actually developing and managing a successful business.

You might learn things in college that you otherwise would never learn. But is that grind helping you apply it in the real world you ask? Some of us figure it out. Others don't. I support your point on that as it relates to in-game.

Trying to get back to topic with my example: But back to the power-leveling concern at hand. Did I benefit from it? Yes, yes I did. A party of level 27~30 taking on level 29~33 enemies in groups was very good. And while exploring, we wanted to see what was on the other side of a group of level 38 enemies. What did we do? Whooped out a level 50, cleared the enemies, and before discovering the other side, learned the XP was delicious. Too delicious. Do I want to see what the level 50s are seeing content-wise and wear that sexy shiny new Cobalt Cuirass? Heck yes. Do I think this promotes balanced gameplay, groups, and community? No. I don't.

Real world, hypothetical until a case can be pinpointed: If people develop a cure for a specific-type of cancer, the general hope might be that it gets used on the everyday person. And the secret hope (or it could be me) that the tyrant (orders the death of children, profits from the suffering of others, etc) that gets this cancer, is not going to benefit from the cure. I don't personally like the idea he gets to benefit from the cancer cure, live longer, get a chance he'll keep being a tyrant. But it's the way the world works, I don't* like it, but it's there. And if I or someone I care about gets that cancer (and aren't planning suicide), you bet I'm gonna try to take advantage of it.

Back to game: I think even the power leveling is broken and could be alleviated with an XP penalty when level differences are strong. When the r45+ is in the group, nerf the XP gains the r25~30s are getting.

It's like Punishing Barbs, thought it was suspiciously good at launch. Reflected the full amount of damage you received, even if you mitigate the damage with Aegis Boon, etc. No SP for it back then, but you killed what was attacking you, chance to get whatever it dropped or the pleasure of seeing it die. My thoughts on it? Cap the damage that it could return, make it trigger based on the damage you actually take, etc. It needed be balanced.

Or casting Cure on a group, suffering no potency loss on multiple targets, for the same MP cost as a single target cure. I think that's broken and could be fixed. I may like an inexpensive, party Cure. And I definitely could take the beating, but I could out heal it and with Stygian Spikes to keep MP up while party members smack the creature. I don't think that's balanced.

I've lost my train of thought in between work here and forgot where I was going with this. Hitting post so I don't lose this and will edit or post a response as desired.

edit: don't like the tyrant living, he should be defeated and looted

[Travesty]

Are you people arguing that this shouldn't be fixed completely crazy?

There isn't even 10% of the end game content they'd need to satisfy advancement as rapid as this. Even if you argue leveling should be easy or nonexistent and the game should focus on content for high levels, that content needs to exist before people get there and right now it doesn't. How can anyone be in favor of this?

[Mindx3]

Are you people arguing that this shouldn't be fixed completely crazy?

There isn't even 10% of the end game content they'd need to satisfy advancement as rapid as this. Even if you argue leveling should be easy or nonexistent and the game should focus on content for high levels, that content needs to exist before people get there and right now it doesn't. How can anyone be in favor of this?

Ifrit seems to be a gear check fight, with materia being new and new armor recipes it should take some time to enhance yourself to actually complete this content. You also have to wait untill your group enhances themeselves with new gear and materia as well. And even if we can lvl multiple classes quickly (i have a feeling it will still take some time even with plvling) there is still the process of enhancing each class with gear and materia. So overall the grind is still there. There is also the process of learning and waiting for everyone else to learn content. Leveling shouldent be the biggest growing process, preparing for end game and completing end game should. Besides we are getting more primals soon

[Travesty]

Ifrit seems to be a gear check fight, with materia being new and new armor recipes it should take some time to enhance yourself to actually complete this content. You also have to wait untill your group enhances themeselves with new gear and materia as well. And even if we can lvl multiple classes quickly (i have a feeling it will still take some time even with plvling) there is still the process of enhancing each class with gear and materia. So overall the grind is still there. There is also the process of learning and waiting for everyone else to learn content. Leveling shouldent be the biggest growing process, preparing for end game and completing end game should. Besides we are getting more primals soon

Someone earlier posted they went from 35-44 in 2 hours. By exp, that's 30% of the total grind. I don't care what the learning curve is, there is nowhere near enough content for level 50 players to support that.

[Mindx3]

Someone earlier posted they went from 35-44 in 2 hours. By exp, that's 30% of the total grind. I don't care what the learning curve is, there is nowhere near enough content for level 50 players to support that.

Really? Thats awesome hopefully i can get plvld to 45 (im 38)And kill off the last 5 lvls so i can fight hard mode ifrit with my ls, if that can happen by the end of the week then im super excited. I still have all my other classes to level, gear up and add materia to. Thats a ton of content right there. Theres also the quests i need to complete and crafting/ gathering to do. I really dont think i can acomplish all that by the time new primals come out, as i do have a life >.>

[IStolzI]

Sure...good luck getting insane amounts of EXP on your higher levels...

I went from 44-48 LNC in a few hours yday. Woulda got 50 if not other ppl hitting 50 and disbanding pt.

[Meleena]

Has anyone noticed that a topic called "its almost impossible to level a new character" and one thats called "Power leveling is broken" coexist in the most popular topics at the same time?

[elreed]

whenever a good thing happens theres someone that has to take it down ><, massochist