It's time to redesign Level Sync

[MomoOG]

they simply wont you can't balance someone who has 2 abilities and another person who has 15 to make them equal. its like this for a reason

Honestly who cares about balance in these low levels. There is already class imbalance to begin with because different classes hit different power peaks during the leveling phase. The main issue of balance in the low level dungeons is whether the low level tank can keep hate from synced down dps classes. The only thing they need to solve this problem is give the synced down dps classes very little enmity on their abilities.

[Aylis]

The issue though lies with the people who are actually leveling up and don't have their entire toolkit. That's probably a reason why abilities are removed in level-sync.

Pretty much this. This kinda system works great in games like GW2, however in GW2 players have a max of 8 abilities which are all unlocked fairly quickly and long before the player even reaches the first dungeon. It wouldn't really work in this kinda game. Even with weakened abilities I can only imagine how difficult it would be for a tank just starting out with only two or three abilities and maybe one combo to use against DPS with their full tool kits and all combos at the ready and how much flak the new tank will get for losing agro. Not to mention healers just starting out and having maybe two heal spells and agro all over the place with unlocked dps dieing.

[Squintina]

But then people might expect all tanks to do a real rotation and end up being abusive to the tanks that don't because they legitimately don't have access to those skills.People will also end up very anxious when a legitimate low-level healer who doesn't have in-battle rez unlocked yet is in their party.

If they did do this, they'd have to make it so the sync further nerfs each skill commensurate with how many extra skills the high level player has to make sure that the amount of aggro you hold in your full rotation isn't greater than if it was a player who actually is the minimum level for the dungeon.

It's a lot of recalculating, which will lead to many complaints when it doesn't end up right.

(and the same kind of nerfing applied to heal/dps of course.)

BTW I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad idea, since as it is the game does not fully sync already (seems Role actions are kept even when synced down to a lower level than it would be unlocked at, maybe a bug?), but the algorithm would need to be extremely complicated to make it viable without making real new players feel underpowered or changing player expectations.

[Naunet]

But then people might expect all tanks to do a real rotation and end up being abusive to the tanks that don't because they legitimately don't have access to those skills.

This literally doesn't happen in other MMOs...

[Jas710]

Was it boring when you first hit 20 as a newbie, when knowing your abilities and functioning in a group setting was uncertain?

The sync down is not meant to service established players by feeding us tomes, etc. Yeah it's a bunch of incentives for sure, but ultimately it all boils down to helping out the up and comers. All inconveniences are shared equally among the new and the experienced.

If we retained all of our skills like we do unsynced, then all it would do is overwhelm the new guys and create unnecessary confusion.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

Was it boring when you first hit 20 as a newbie, when knowing your abilities and functioning in a group setting was uncertain?

I have two words for you: Impulse Drive.

[Altena]

I have two words for you: Impulse Drive.

The combined potency of True + Vorpal is now greater than Impulse + Impulse.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

The combined potency of True + Vorpal is now greater than Impulse + Impulse.

Oh, I'm aware. The person I quoted asked if it was boring back at level 20. Any DRG pre-Stormblood knows the horrors of Impulse spam. Conjurer is equally dull pre-30.

[demonette]

Was it boring when you first hit 20 as a newbie, when knowing your abilities and functioning in a group setting was uncertain?

Yes, absolutely and without a shred of irony. It's hard to keep other mmo friends interested in this game because the low level experience is so mind-numbing.

[Ayer2015]

Yes, absolutely and without a shred of irony. It's hard to keep other mmo friends interested in this game because the low level experience is so mind-numbing.

PotD addressed that. New players can level very quickly now and experience higher level skill rotations.