Thoughts on Reborn, XP and Leveling

Suggestions
#1

When the devs were originally considering the level scaling in Reborn, it was presented as a way to allow players to play together cross-level (so a level 20+ can join a level 5-10) to reduce the strain on the community caused by large level gaps. The same is true for the redesign of Highsteppe as the central quest hub - more ability for higher level and lower level players to meet up - and for changing the quest layout to not be focused on one MSQ.

What the past betas have shown, though, and particularly this latest one since the vast majority of the quests were available (up through level 25), is a continued disparity not because of the inability to fight similar monsters, but because of the way quests are handled. Instead of being blocked by enemy levels, we’re blocked by the locked quests. Each level (at present) gives a set amount of quests, virtually all of which are needed to advance the level, with no repeats until level 30 (which we should see in this next beta or at release). The needing every quest to level thing is also an issue for those who can’t do certain types of quests or just aren’t interested in them.

So instead of saying, “Rainforest - level 7-10 monsters, stay away until you’re that level”, we’re stuck with “flooded rainforest - this is all you’re going to do between levels 5-8 because you won’t get any quests elsewhere”. Effectively, if you’re within the level range of a set of quests on your highest level class, you’re doing those quests in whatever zone you’re being sent to. Nobody higher or lower level will be joining you on your quest (unless they’re helping out of the kindness of their hearts or they got stuck and couldn’t complete the quest on-level).

Potential Solutions:

  1. Make each quest completable (i.e. able to be turned in) once per class. - this would mean each person could turn in the same quest 8 times. It might mean some individuals taking advantage and raising their lower level class by questing on their higher class, but (a) that already can happen to a large degree and (b) they’re still doing the quest and can only turn each one in once per class, so the exploit isn’t exactly terrible. This would also resolve the issue of not having enough quests to level each class, but depending on how it’s implemented may or may not fully resolve the problem of questing with lower level players.
  2. Pick a set of quests each day (or week) randomly on each level region to make ‘daily’ quests (or weekly). I.e. decide to repeat 2 random quests for levels 1-5, levels 6-10, levels 11-13, etc. from the set of quests. This way, when someone logs on and wants to get some experience on their level 20 character, they can pick up the quests they feel like redoing for each of the level groups and can join others doing the same.
  3. Revise a subset of quests to be permanent repeatables, like monster capture quests or public event quests or kill quests, where you can keep doing them. This will allow higher level players to join lower levels, but would also cause significant potential for advantage to be taken.
  4. Same as solution 2, but using rep level instead of max character level to gauge which quests to provide. So the critter capture vendor reopens quests that were available at a couple different rep levels each day.

Anyone else have some ideas or thoughts on this?

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#2

Awesome ideas, nothing much to add, I very much hope to have quests for all classes and dailies would totally be an incentive to log in daily.

I remember the Defend of the Realm event when lots of people were online on tuesdays, even those who were inactive at that time, just to do at least the ‘weekly’ quest, now this target group would likely come back daily or almost daily for the dailies alike.

Repeatables: I am all for that OR a further raise of xp from monster kills - which is then, in fact, our “repeatable” source of xp, just as the events, once (daily) quests are all done.

#3

Just have every quest available at any level and make it repeatable once per week per the raid lockout.

#4

I think if you did this then people would heavily prioritize the lower level missions for the best return on time. May be worth considering, though. But I wouldn’t want to see the xp being reduced based on how overleveled you are for the mission, and I think that would be the first idea for resolution.

#5

I disagree. If the xp was based on the level of the mission rather than the player they would prioritize the high level missions on their main class and turn it in on their alt class.

#6

Those are great points, Atro. An additional idea is to give a small XP bonus to partied members when questing. i.e. You and I are in a party, I finish my quest and get the XP from it and you would get a small amount of XP when I complete. This would encourage more social interactions and would allow upper level players to still get a benefit to helping lower level classes quest. This would also make group questing more profitable and again encourage that social interaction. One issue with that would be ‘well I’m not with them when they complete’ or ‘I don’t have on the right class’. So then how would that all work out? One idea would be to have something like an XP ‘bank’ for quest assist XP. So when I complete that quest you are helping me on, that XP is accumulated in that bank. Then whenever you are ready to collect it, you change to the class you want to apply it to then ‘apply’ the XP. These are obviously rough ideas that would need refining, but just my thoughts on some potentially beneficial changes.

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#7

A big thing I want to see in reborn is for there to always be a quest available for me to have and work towards, even if I’m not strong enough to complete it. The MSQ line is really what kept me playing orbus through the early-mid game as I always had a quest that motivated me. There were a lot of times where I would have to grind to get strong enough to eventually complete that quest, but at least I had it and knew what I needed to do. That’s a big source of motivation to keep playing that I think is very important. Right now with the vendor quests it’s possible (if not expected) for you to complete all the currently available quests for your level without leveling up and with no other quests available. Without another quest to be working towards I’m not really going to want to grind out my next level.
I know it’s been said that there will be Lore Quests that the vendors give out, and I think these would be perfect as an always available quest. Like each vendor will only give you one at a time but you’ll be able to take the next Lore Quest after you finish the one before it. They could even go across vendors, like you get one from Sicilus that when completed opens up one from Darius, etc.

1 Like
#8

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