Thoughts on Level Squishes

[Raikai]

But why would it ever be needed?

FFXIV has a mandatory MSQ anyway, and a level syncing system that keeps all content active regardless of level.
Levelling in WoW was a long, lonely process, in FFXIV, progressing through the story at a certain pace IS the bulk of the game.

What would be gained from rescaling the level structure so that you finish ARR at level 30, HW at level 40, SB at level 50, etc.? It's still going to take you the same amount of time to get through the story.

Your point is technically correct, but there's something about the spacing of abilities and traits learned that would make earning levels a very barren experience, but other than that, maybe publicity. A lot of newcomers may not be particulary fond of looking at 200 levels ahead if they aren't aware of what you said.

But even so, I'd say they would need to at least adjust the experience so the pre-current-expansion levels could be earned entirely with the MSQ and the dungeon completions required for the MSQ;

[Seraphor]

Your point is technically correct, but there's something about the spacing of abilities and traits learned that would make earning levels a very barren experience, but other than that, maybe publicity. A lot of newcomers may not be particulary fond of looking at 200 levels ahead if they aren't aware of what you said.

But even so, I'd say they would need to at least adjust the experience so the pre-current-expansion levels could be earned entirely with the MSQ and the dungeon completions required for the MSQ;

So you'd keep a similar skill spacing as what we currently have, and squish the levels down?
So we're now not learning our level 50 skills at the end of ARR, but towards the end of SB instead? Three expansions and still not dealing with any signature abilities?
It just reframes the issue. Instead of waiting until level 60 to learn your gap closer as a tank for example, you're only waiting until level 40... except that level 40 doesn't happen until Stormblood... so you're still playing most of the game without a gap closer.
I feel that a level squish like this would simply give them more license to strip skills from lower levels. Only they technically wouldn't be doing so because those lower levels are 'higher' than they would have been.

I doubt we'll ever get to 200 levels.
6.0 will get us to 90, and 7.0 will get us to 100. I expect after that stage, we'll definitely see a drop off in content. We'll probably not get any more jobs, or we'll only get 5 more levels at a time, or maybe no new levels, who knows. Something in this respect will have to give way.
I do expect we will see a stat squish, but not a level squish.

[Raikai]

So you'd keep a similar skill spacing as what we currently have, and squish the levels down?
So we're now not learning out level 50 skills at the end of ARR, but towards the end of SB instead? Three expansions and still not dealing with any signature abilities?
It just reframes the issue. Instead of waiting until level 60 to learn your gap closer as a tank for example, you're only waiting until level 40... except that level 40 doesn't happen until Stormblood... so you're still playing most of the game without a gap closer.
I feel that a level squish like this would simply give them more license to strip skills from lower levels. Only they technically wouldn't be doing so because those lower levels are 'higher' than they would have been.

I doubt we'll ever get to 200 levels.
6.0 will get us to 90, and 7.0 will get us to 100. I expect after that stage, we'll definitely see a drop off in content. We'll probably not get any more jobs, or we'll only get 5 more levels at a time, or maybe no new levels, who knows. Something in this respect will have to give way.

To be fair I'd really dig a different approach to endgame with levels never advancing beyond 100 for future expansions. I that was the one of thr most interesting aspect of Guild Wars 2 and its expansion systems.

[DPZ2]

But even so, I'd say they would need to at least adjust the experience so the pre-current-expansion levels could be earned entirely with the MSQ and the dungeon completions required for the MSQ;

Your wish was already granted. You can now run from 1 to 70 by doing the MSQ quests, which include dungeon/trial instances, alone.

If you enjoy the side-stories and doing daily instances, you can also raise up many of your alternate jobs at the same time.