So who is NOT getting Heavensward?!

[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.