I'm more interested in what a merit system, along with level sync and a few other things, would do for the game as a whole.

Consider the following:

- If you had been playing FF14 since launch, and one of your good friends wanted to start playing as well, wouldn't you guys want to play TOGETHER? In most RPG's, when there's such a large level difference, there's not a lot you CAN do in which the both of you would benefit. With level sync and merits, max-level players can party alongside lower-level players. While the lowbie player does leves, farms monsters, etc., the max-level player will still get exp proportionate to whatever level he's synced down to (in this case, whatever the low-level player is), and work on customizing his character further (such as an Enhanced Rampart, additional +enmity stats, etc.). Without such systems, one of you would probably be doing endgame dungeons and primal fights while the other would still be hitting dodos with a stick.

- Since both players can party together effectively, it discourages the rapid power-leveling and "why don't you know how to play your job?" problems that's been seen in FF14. Previously, the high-level player parties up with whoever needs to be PL'd, gets claim on all the monsters, gets kicked from the party (that technically ALSO has claim on the monsters), then kills all of them with something like Steel Cyclone, Firaga, etc., gets re-invited back, and repeats the process when the mob camp respawns. The high-level player does all of the work and doesn't get anything out of it (unless he/she forces the other players to pay him, lol), while the low-level players getting PL'd stand around and do nothing, don't learn how to play their jobs, and probably go afk to make themselves a sammich or something. With level sync, EVERYONE has to cooperate together; with merits, the high-level player has a reason to be in the party, but can still help show the less-experienced players how to play their jobs by way of example. In the long run, it also encourages camaraderie amongst the community when players can get together and effectively accomplish something together.

- If done correctly, it can also make certain maps more relevant and worth coming back to. I remember seeing my friends often fighting colibris in places like Ronfaure S(?) in FF11 because they said it was easier to get exp in level sync parties than it was trying to take out much more formidable monsters in other, more "end-game" areas. Along with the usual quests, NM's, dungeons, etc., little things like this can help make each area more engaging and interesting, as well as memorable. I'm sure anyone who has played FF11 for even as brief a time as I have remembers areas like Valkurm Dunes, or Qufim Islands because they were prime areas for leveling... it was almost a "rite of passage" in a way. Finally, giving each area more significance would help encourage a wider distribution of players across the maps, meaning (unless the population was spread REALLY thin), everyone could find something to do with others in each area, instead of certain areas being ghost towns or packed to the point of server lag.

- Along with the right gear and materia, merits can promote unique character builds. You could make a PLD that's near-impossible to pull aggro off of, or another one that can shrug off a Hellfire with ease. You could have a BLM that's really good at managing its MP, or one that can crit with Thundaga almost every time for insane damage. Yes, I realize that this can get into the "you should always build this way or else you'll suck" mentality, but if it was properly balanced, it could provide a lot of choices that would cater to how each individual likes to play.



Finally, as a side note (and this goes for any topic, not just this one): Who the hell cares if it was in FF11, or WoW, or whatever other game. Good game design in general encompasses ALL games. Hell, pretty much any standard RPG since freakin' Dungeons & Dragons has used experience points and levels because it works and sets a standard. A HELLUVA lot of games let your character jump as a means to get from point A to point B, to dodge or attack *coughdragooncough,* or utilize other game mechanics, such as hitting blocks in Mario games.

Instead of being butthurt because "it was too grindy," or "looking at people jump gives me cancer," or *insert anything related to grass here,* ask yourself how such ideas helped make the game FUN, or INTUITIVE by design, IMMERSIVE through graphics and sound, or otherwise SUCCESSFUL as a whole, and see if it's worth such blunt criticism.