So who is NOT getting Heavensward?!

[Lemuria]

WoW. Every Expac.

Two major differences here. Firstly, in WoW the cap is a hard cap. You literally don't even unlock the ability to level past your cap without the expansion. Secondly, in WoW, once the level cap is 'earned' by getting the expansion, you can still earn experience in earlier areas. It's not like all of your new levels had to be earned in expansion areas only.

[Lillia]

Two major differences here. Firstly, in WoW the cap is a hard cap. You literally don't even unlock the ability to level past your cap without the expansion. Secondly, in WoW, once the level cap is 'earned' by getting the expansion, you can still earn experience in earlier areas. It's not like all of your new levels had to be earned in expansion areas only.

But wasn't 11 the same in the sense of... some areas were locked behind expansion which ended up being really great EXP camping spots and skill leveling spots e.g white gate city raids? If not in fact the only exp spots open after a couple of levels. (Wouldn't know because I never really cared for leveling past a certain point myself.)

[seida]

Two major differences here. Firstly, in WoW the cap is a hard cap. You literally don't even unlock the ability to level past your cap without the expansion.

Uhh... isn't this the same as heavensward? You don't buy the expansion, you don't have the ability to level up...

[Lemuria]

Uhh... isn't this the same as heavensward? You don't buy the expansion, you don't have the ability to level up...

No. Everyone will automatically have their maximum level raised to 60, expansion or not. They're only restricting where you can earn experience. Basically, if you do level-capped content (level 49 or so) you'll earn experience points like you would normally. The current level 50 dungeons don't award experience since they're level 50 and the devs basically did a lazy and didn't add experience to these dungeons.

[seida]

No. Everyone will automatically have their maximum level raised to 60, expansion or not. They're only restricting where you can earn experience. Basically, if you do level-capped content (level 49 or so) you'll earn experience points like you would normally. The current level 50 dungeons don't award experience since they're level 50 and the devs basically did a lazy and didn't add experience to these dungeons.

Do you have source? I'm pretty sure they said you can level to 60 without needing to do story... but you still need heavensward.

[Lemuria]

Do you have source? I'm pretty sure they said you can level to 60 without needing to do story... but you still need heavensward.

Hmm, good point. I'm sure I read it in a live letter somewhere but I might have been mistaken. Again, I'm fine if it's actually locked off through the expansion. I just don't like the idea of 'open door' content which no one can access.

That said, I still hate the idea of not earning experience in the level 50 dungeons for several reasons. Firstly, new players who already have Heavensward are going to be stuck at level 50 for quite some time playing through the story. Between Castrum and 2.55 there's a whole heap of not-leveling going on, which will inevitably become more frustrating than fun. And, again, I reiterate my previous point that it renders all previous content obsolete. SE really need to get out of this planned obsolesce cycle. We've seen it twice before with the tomes changing on us, older gear being made irrelevant, and with dungeons being relegated to 'hard mode' roulette, which is now a list longer than my arm.

For people who already meet the HW requirements, this probably doesn't bother them, but the long term impact will be felt and that's where most of my concern lies.

Also, to reiterate for those who weren't paying attention -- I already have my HW pre-order. I've already beaten 2.55, so none of this directly affects me. I'm specifically concerned about the game experience as a whole. Drawing a clear dividing line between expansion and non-expansion content inevitably leads to everyone being in one expansion area and the rest of the game being a desert. I've seen this happen with Final Fantasy XI, and it needs to be addressed or the same will happen here.

[Lillia]

No. Everyone will automatically have their maximum level raised to 60, expansion or not. They're only restricting where you can earn experience. Basically, if you do level-capped content (level 49 or so) you'll earn experience points like you would normally. The current level 50 dungeons don't award experience since they're level 50 and the devs basically did a lazy and didn't add experience to these dungeons.

Has it actually been confirmed if people will be able to level up to 60 without the expansion? I don't recall seeing that anywhere yet by devs or sources. Not calling you a liar as you could of read it somewhere, I do not recall any of that being confirmed though.

[Sapphic]

Two major differences here. Firstly, in WoW the cap is a hard cap. You literally don't even unlock the ability to level past your cap without the expansion. Secondly, in WoW, once the level cap is 'earned' by getting the expansion, you can still earn experience in earlier areas. It's not like all of your new levels had to be earned in expansion areas only.

Why, if you have the expansion, would you want to level in the older zones when you have access to the new zones? Also the amount of XP needed will scale higher from 50-60. So could as easily take 100,000s of mobs in the 2.x zones to even get to 51, then xp from mobs will be less as you level requiring exponentially more kills.

[T2teddy]

Two major differences here. Firstly, in WoW the cap is a hard cap. You literally don't even unlock the ability to level past your cap without the expansion. Secondly, in WoW, once the level cap is 'earned' by getting the expansion, you can still earn experience in earlier areas. It's not like all of your new levels had to be earned in expansion areas only.

In WoW prior to any expansion, it was not very likely that any player was going to reach current level cap before getting to the end content zone of the current expansion.

Also, while you 'could' gain exp in the 'old' areas, after an expansion, the exp given was so miniscule that it was just ridiculous to even try, instead of going to the new areas where exp was practically thrown at you in barrels. Plus the questing greens in new areas were equal to or better than the raiding gear from the previous expansion.

WoW also did not have a specific laid out storyline we HAD to follow like ARR does.
Those of us who are currently 50 have been so for ages and have done over 100 MSQ gaining NO EXP whatsoever throughout those, as well as Coils, hundreds of CT runs and roulettes with NO EXP.
It would be an insult to allow anyone to remain in the old content and suddenly begin leveling up on those same activities we got nada for, potentially placing them at level 60 before setting foot on Ishgardian soil where they could then faceroll all the new 51-57 zones which those-of-us-who entered-at-lowly-50 will struggle through.

NAY, I say, no exp gain for ARR level 50 content! We didn't get it so neither should anyone else!