How will Item Levels work with new expansions / level cap raises?

[MasamuneBranford]

Probably a dumb question, but slightly hard to search for an answer. How do other games handle this? Currently a level 50 with item level 90 gear is substantially stronger than a level 50 with item level 50 gear.

If a new storyline is released (likely in an expansion) or the level cap is raised, SE will clearly make a level 50 with item level 50 gear able to progress in the main story (SE won't punish players who are casual and don't participate in grinds / endgame). However, veteran players aren't going to want the main story to be a cake walk. How is this resolved?

Imagine a level 51 main story battle. Does SE cap the item level to 51? Or is a level 51 weapon / armor more powerful than a level 50 item level 90 gear. If the latter is the case, the stat difference between your storyline level 50 gear and your level 51 gear would be absurd.

Any thoughts or previous MMO wisdom?

[luggz]

When new ex packs or more storie is released they nerf the previous content so people can play it and also they give you the gear that you will need for progression in your story as quest rewards and all the current end game gear will be replaced with crafted gear or gear from first dungeon or around 3 lvls of questing rewards

Now to the ilvl not sure what those will be but they will make it easy for people to see the stuff they want them to see

[DoctorMog]

ilevel just keeps going up and up. At level 60, expect ilevel 120+ items. At level 70 expect ilevel 200+ etc...

[C000kiemonster]

Probably they will re-examine the levels of gear....

Fact is that anything you farm now will be useless gear wise when caps are raised. This holds true in all MMO ... unless by chance... they do it by upgrades to force people to still do the old content ... However great an idea that is, people would gripe and complain and it would be removed.

My hope is on a side topic.... that they revert to class quests like XI and you have to beat your class quest to continue leveling every 5 levels. Not doing that in the first place, even though quests were there has caused end game to be total BS and people not knowing their jobs.

YEs I have all 50... however I will admit that while I learned them all.... and played them all.... I am still a novice tank in this game, though amazing in others. IF I had been forced to do more as I progressed I would have learned more.... maybe some forced 8 man like the guildleves early would help players.

Also.... I still think its complete BS that they dont make you start back at 1 when you unlock an advanced job.... starting at 30 there takes away time to learn as you grow... and less playing = less time you will keep subs going... was a very strange move for a sub mmo

[Espon]

In WoW they just have an item level jump every expansion and you'll quickly replace everything you're wearing. Within a few levels, your heroic raid gear is worse than what you get from quests and dungeons. Makes it easy to catch up if you're a new player, otherwise it kind of suck if you're unable to continue to get a relic+4 because no one does level 50 content anymore.

In WoW, at 60, item levels were around the 60-90 range. Four expansions later and level 90 gear has an item level around 480-600.

[Sylve]

In WoW they just have an item level jump every expansion and you'll quickly replace everything you're wearing. Within a few levels, your heroic raid gear is worse than what you get from quests and dungeons. Makes it easy to catch up if you're a new player, otherwise it kind of suck if you're unable to continue to get a relic+4 because no one does level 50 content anymore.

In WoW, at 60, item levels were around the 60-90 range. Four expansions later and level 90 gear has an item level around 480-600.

Heh yeah and several hundred thousand HP. seriously, they need to do an ilvl squish fast.