Low level gameplay: A growing problem

[Nedkel]

I like what they did with warrior on low lvls.

They just gave me replacement low lvl skills to use that are weaker than ones on high lvl. They could do the same with other classes.

[Reap00]

I won't even spend the time to read this. If you don't enjoy the leveling go play another mmo. I am sick of this incessant complaining from whiny kids. ARR is a great start to a great story. If you don't like it then skip.

[The_Last_Dragoon]

Considering it's easier than ever to level up during the 1-50 grind, I'd have to say that the gap between lv1-50 is continuously getting shorter. If you're a new player you don't even have to grind out all of the side missions if you do all of the dungeon content, and that's if you didn't splurge to get an Aetheryte earring. While of course it hurts to get one of the first trio of dungeons on leveling roulette, it's simplicity in the beginning allows for players who are new to MMOs to gently ease into the gameplay.

[Lyris-Lyanther]

Any player that is just starting an MMO that is 5-6 years into its life is going to face this, especially if they aren't playing regularly with friends. The feeling of not fun is because they are pressuring themselves to catch up on 6 years of content to be part of whatever cool thing players are talking about right now.

I will agree that some skills getting removed can change the low level experience, but you can't expect a company to redesign content that old or make drastic changes to it because people did not play and support the game as early as others did.

If lower level stuff make someone shy away from playing, then I hate to tell them that the mechanics have not changed so much that later game is vastly different. You just have more buttons to press. It doesn't mean that there isn't that time investment requirement that they are currently not happy about, isn't still there.

[RayneBoemir]

I also have to agree with TC the beginning of the game is mind numbing boring. Every time I have to tell someone new that it gets better it just feels wrong. It shouldn’t be like this as this acts as a deterrent for new players.

[Mistyregions]

New game +

aside from that EVERY MMO has the same low level experience

Say that last part louder, for the people in the back!

Has anyone played a MMO where you get a full kit of skills right off the bat? You know why we need to trickle feed skills in? Because you master the class as you go. You get comfortable with one set, then we add another button, then another.

Why am I correct? I have played with to many people who buy skips and don't even know the core rotation let alone slamming them with something like MCH.

[Lissyl]

You know why we need to trickle feed skills in? Because you master the class as you go. You get comfortable with one set, then we add another button, then another.

Why am I correct? I have played with to many people who buy skips and don't even know the core rotation let alone slamming them with something like MCH.

People have told me I'm dumb because I think this is a good way to learn. That you can just 'read all the skills and figure it out'. And maybe that works for them, I dunno. But for me, the slow way works very well. I understand the people who want all the stuff now so they can rush off - they're totally valid and that's a fine way to play. But I'll never be that person. I want to level a few combat classes, a stack of gathering classes, and all the crafters all at once. Slow and steady makes the game enjoyable. Maybe a good solution to this 'problem' is an upfront choice at character creation, like a tortoise and a hare or something? Do you want fast action or slow and steady? Let the player and their playstyle decide.

Just my thoughts.

[Fynlar]

People aren't just going to start out with the majority of their kit. That would be intimidating and ruin the sense of progression.

If people are going to complain that they start out not being able to do anything particularly fancy, well... too bad. You're basically a nobody at the start of the game; the whole idea is that you have to earn your power. And doing so in this game isn't even that particularly difficult compared to many others.

[linay]

I had fun the moment I started playing. My problem is I don't like redoing things, so since I've done ARR, HW, and now SB, I tend to use boost potions every time I start a new character. The only partial exception is this character since I wanted an extra fantasia for Viera, so I played through to The Ultimate Weapon quest (and actually had fun with the story since it's been so long since I played ARR) before boosting to the end of SB and boosting to 70 since I've already played through it with previous characters.

[ForteNightshade]

To be rather honest, low level dungeons (up to 50) feels for me better now than in was after 3.0 and 4.0 redesign. Maybe it's just me, but I think they did work better this time. And I'm glad there is no 60 button overblow which would not feel any fun, it would be annoying as hell.

As for MSQ.... I'm tired to see how new players come and cry "I want my shinies right now, why I have to work for them!?" Just... duh???? But I will not argue about this, because this will be meaningless hassle part 900000.

What is there really to work for here though? Players joining today already have an easier time than we did. Ever played on a Preferred or New World before? You'll be level 50 before the Titan quest chain even starts. The actual road block that remains extremely frustrating for a lot of people is the sheer amount of generic quests ARR gates you behind. Let's be honest. ARR has a number of warts courtesy of a hasty development cycle and an uncertainty how to even approach what they wanted to build. Yoshida and his team didn't really have a chance to show their talents until Heavensward. And it shows given how far and away superior each expansion has been compared to ARR. This, in turn, leaves the grind up to Heavensward incredibly taxing. In fact, there's a thread on reddit about it how—citing many people who lost friends or quit themselves several times simply because ARR took so damn long, and felt like a boring slog to get through.

I think it's bad form expecting someone to put in 30+ hours before your project gets good. While I didn't mind ARR, I also had friends who brought me into the game and we RPed. So that broke things up a bit. Still, for someone who typically watches every cut scene and has played RPGs their whole life, it took everything I had not to skip Company of Heroes. I was bored to absolute tears by the time I reached Titan. It wasn't a fun experience. It was a chore I told myself to just grit through because Heavensward is supposedly amazing. Turns out, Heavensward was absolutely fantastic. I also really liked 2.4 and 2.5. But yeah, I'm not going to fault someone or insinuate they're "entitled" for either wanting ARR to feel better or to skip it entirely without coughing out $50.