Level Sync feels worse every expansion

[Atreus]

I feel as though I've seen more discussion about level syncing since Endwalker and Dawntrail where people, in higher numbers, are thinking "wow, level syncing is feeling worse and worse", and I agree.

The experience of level syncing changes for each job and for each level bracket to the point that I have zero interest in doing most roulettes or older content, and I know I'm not alone. The restriction of job abilities makes old content extremely unfun and clunky.

Some examples of discussions held recently on this subject, obviously only scratching the surface:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxivdiscus...rked_it_sucks/

https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxivdiscus...d_more_boring/

https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxivdiscus...on_level_sync/


The concerns, and my responses

• Balance: jobs keeping their abilities when synced down will trivialize that content.
  
  It already doesn't exist between jobs when synced and each job has a vastly different experience when syncing, ranging from "passable" to "jesus this sucks". Also, almost all old content is faceroll at this point due to the massive gap between required item level and the sync cap.
  
  
• Culture: may breed toxicity toward players who are not synced or create an environment where they feel they are not contributing.
  
  You can't predict this, nor can you really account for it when trying to create a potentially more fun game experience. Again, balancing efforts are needed, but I do not see anything changing culturally. Just go to /r/TalesFromDF.

The most valid concern here, in my opinion, is the balancing aspect. You cannot just allow all abilities for jobs when synced down without some form of compensation. Many ideas have been discussed and the following bullets are individual and independent solutions, not to be combined.


Solutions that have been discussed

1. Reorganize abilities so that every job has the mainframe of their kit by level 50 (HIGH EFFORT)
   
   
2. Allow job abilities while syncing, and introduce traits that only activate when syncing, similar to the "Mastery" traits that increase potencies. The objective of these sync traits would be to cull the potencies of certain high-level abilities (HIGH EFFORT)
   
   
3. Allow job abilities while syncing, and severely cut the item level gap between what's required to complete a duty and what the cap is for that duty (LOW EFFORT, easiest method of testing and needs to happen anyway)

I recommend diving into the threads posted above, as they are filled with different perspectives and solutions that expand far beyond what I'm able to fit here.

All in all, I implore SquareEnix to revisit this system.

[Atreus]

Follow-up concerns

• What about the new player experience?
  
  This isn't meant to hinder that experience or trivialize it. It's meant to create a better experience for older players jumping into roulettes, to make it more enjoyable and in the long run encourage more participation in those activities.

• Just don't do old content then?
  
  Okay. You could tell people that, or we could find a solution that's fun for everyone.

• Solution #1 doesn't account for anything pre-50, and what do you consider "mainframe" anyway?
  
  It's my least-favorite solution.

• This is going to ruin Ultimates!
  
  No it won't, because this content should be exempt from any reform I'm proposing. It's been made clear that Ultimates should remain challenging as intended and should remain at the cap they were intended. I have absolutely NO desire to take that away from anyone.

[Ritsugamesh]

I've been a proponent of this for years at this stage, but you're absolutely right that it has gotten so unbelievably bad now we've literally DOUBLED the original level cap.

Too much effort has been put into keeping content relevant and in rotation during daily gameplay for CBU3 to have us play lobotomized versions of our characters. Some cases are so extreme that it's like an actual different job as you go through the levels.

The best case scenario is to allow all abilities and balance potencies as required. This lets players actually play their jobs and helps them improve rotations and feel when not at max level content, which in turn improves the overall feedback loop of the game and makes old content more engaging - more difficult job rotations, etc.

The second best would be as you say - ensure a jobs bulk kit is acquired at 50 and have small iterative changes throughout each 10 level band. This is too fundamental to be feasible in my opinion unfortunately.

[escapeRealm]

CBU3 still can't properly balance some fight from the previous expansion so they would actually play as intended and not just get steamrolled before the middle point of the fight (Endsinger phase 2 dialogue skip and scaleless Naldthal are the recent example that come to mind), those are the things that need to be fixed first before allowing to use any of the skills from higher than duties level, because otherwise it would just destroy the already poor fight balancing.

[Fynlar]

Then don't do level sync content?

Roulettes are fine; there's more than enough people who want to do them even if you don't.

[Bitmoar]

I agree. And they obviously don't care about the problem on their new jobs either. Reaper was miserable til 80, and only felt good at 90. And now they've done the same with Viper. It's a massive snoozefest until 90. I got a level 80 normal raid and was shocked at how bare bones it still was at that level. All the arguments against keeping skills when synced can be rebutted by "but fun". I do think they'd have to go with the "high effort" solution of scaling potencies via traits. You should feel more powerful synced from a high level than someone at that level. That's what leveling is for. But obviously the super inflated potencies on high level skills would make early content even more of a meme than it already is.

I purposefully queue for leveling dungeons instead of roulettes sometimes just so I can enjoy the job at level. If you level strictly with roulettes, there's a possibility you never even interact with your post-50 skills. I think the feeling of progression is hugely important in an MMO, and they miss the mark in so many ways.

[Ritsugamesh]

Then don't do level sync content?

Roulettes are fine; there's more than enough people who want to do them even if you don't.

You are having a laugh right?

The game revolves around a vertical progression system, where tomestones > gear > raiding. Roulettes are the primary source of tomestone, as well as XP, currency, and all sorts of things. It's literally the most common form of completed content in the game and your answer to a legitimate issue is 'well just don't play that part because someone else will ensure I still get a queue'? It's a funny joke for sure, but I'm not convinced you are joking.

[Avoidy]

Then don't do level sync content?

Roulettes are fine; there's more than enough people who want to do them even if you don't.

Based, this is what I do and what everyone else should do too. Just stop playing the game, people. It's that simple. Just log out. Just give up.
LOL

[Azurarok]

I don't see how #3 can be managed for defensive/healing skills. I sure don't want to have nigh invincible tanks or the overbloated healing kits healers have in an ARR dungeon, at least.

Also I don't want to be permanently stuck with light mage WHM.

[Collin_Sky]

Follow-up concerns

This is going to ruin Ultimates!

No it won't, because this content should be exempt from any reform I'm proposing. It's been made clear that Ultimates should remain challenging as intended and should remain at the cap they were intended. I have absolutely NO desire to take that away from anyone.

Old ultimates are already ruined, so a change like this wouldn't make any difference. If anything, ultimates need the unreal treatment and syncing up to 100.