Comments from the Devs

[Takiwaki]

I am not sure how it can be viewed as working as intended when a level 34 conj level synced down cannot use stone skin but a thaum can no matter how long its been like that.

[Lucavi]

And lv sync is probably the greatest innovation to the MMO world. It prevents lower lv content from being steamrolled and obsolete and allows you to play with your friends so you arnt afraid of outleveling them and can't experience content together.

XIV's level synch pales in comparison to GW2's version, which synchs entire ZONES so that anyone walking through those zones has a challenge, not just during fates. They also don't restrict your abilities, instead scaling their power down, so you still "feel" as strong as you've always been at max level, just in lower zones. None of this "I have to go back to mashing 1 and 1 only as a mrd going through a low level fate.

[Ratatapa]

Not his point.

His point is:

At Lv 5 THM, I can equip Stoneskin
At Lv 5 CNJ, I can't.

Who cares if the potency is reduced? The point is that THM (theoretically) gets more versatility with Stoneskin than the class that it actually comes from.

I never really thought about it until now, and it is quite weird. I would imagine you shouldn't be able to use cross-class skills at a higher level than your current main.

The point is it was like that in 1.0 and Yoshi said it doesn't plan to be changed

[Enygma55]

They've already maintained an overall balance by limiting the amount and which skills can and can't be cross-classed.

Stoneskin as it currently is is very weak as a cross-class skill and at lower levels.

[Takiwaki]

Was there level sync in 1.0?

[Evane]

No.

[Deuce]

XIV's level synch pales in comparison to GW2's version, which synchs entire ZONES so that anyone walking through those zones has a challenge, not just during fates. They also don't restrict your abilities, instead scaling their power down, so you still "feel" as strong as you've always been at max level, just in lower zones. None of this "I have to go back to mashing 1 and 1 only as a mrd going through a low level fate.

I don't think GW2 system is all that great. When I'm playing my high level class I want to have the freedom of going through old zones and have the ability to steamroll everything. It reminds me that I've actually accomplished something. Plus, I get to remember all the times I used to have to run from aggro or struggle with lower level mobs as a newbie.

Also, the system used in GW2 could easily be replaced by eliminating levels entirely and providing every ability right from the start. It is hardly a creative solution and in my mind is a lazier method from a developer standpoint.

[Spider-Dan]

^^^This. A major part of the reward of leveling up is to be a high-level badass, not to have to carefully sneak around a pack of LV10 goblins for the rest of eternity.

In any case, cross-class skills are usually weaker anyway, so I don't think it's too big of a deal for a synced ARC to have access to a gimped Stoneskin while a synced CNJ doesn't. And the knife cuts both ways; CNJ can use Quelling Strike or Mantra or Swiftcast while those main classes can't.

[Lucavi]

I don't think GW2 system is all that great. When I'm playing my high level class I want to have the freedom of going through old zones and have the ability to steamroll everything. It reminds me that I've actually accomplished something. Plus, I get to remember all the times I used to have to run from aggro or struggle with lower level mobs as a newbie.

Also, the system used in GW2 could easily be replaced by eliminating levels entirely and providing every ability right from the start. It is hardly a creative solution and in my mind is a lazier method from a developer standpoint.

The zone synching is a matter of opinion (I agree on the feeling of being a "badass" but disagree on the terms that you can only help your friends via fate), but there's no debating having your entire arsenal of abilities available vs. being locked out on mains (yet not on subs?). Its wonky at best and jarring at worst.

A simple compromise would have been to allow for players to always have the option to toggle level sync on and off, thus allowing for true adventuring with a friend instead of only fate-hopping and dungeon-running, but I'm imagining that something in the code would explode, given that SE has a penchant for using 15-year-old tech in anything PC that doesn't have to do with FMV.

[Lokus]

To add to the wonkiness of cross-class skills, the UI makes no mention (unless I completely missed it) of being locked out of cross-class skills when you level sync based on the order you place them in the cross-class section. It's probably just a legacy issue but I was under the impression that when synced, I'd be unable to use skills that were above my synced level and not whether I put the skill in the first or tenth spot.

I'm trying to remember how it was in 1.0 on whether I could have used a cross-class skill when I was below the level of the skill. I'm leaning towards no, so this seems like an oversight on SE's part.

[arus2001]

Rift probably handled syncing best of games I played. Voluntary in all things (though you should probably expect to be synced for random Instant Adventures) with all abilities maintained, just scaled. Just couldn't get into GW2's forced syncing.

[Grey Jorildyn]

You could use skills of any level that you had in 1.0 iirc, regardless of class level.

[Kelenae]

https://na.alienwarearena.com/giveaw...ey-Giveaway-NA

if anyone wants to get in for this last weekend

[Lokus]

You could use skills of any level that you had in 1.0 iirc, regardless of class level.

My memory is too fuzzy but you're probably right. They just need to design cross-class skill UI better to know which skills you'll lose when you synced down then.

[Obsidian]

My memory is too fuzzy but you're probably right. They just need to design cross-class skill UI better to know which skills you'll lose when you synced down then.

I thought it was already made pretty obvious. When you drop from 50 to 15 you lose 8 skill slots (I think?). You gain skill slots left to right, you lose skill slots right to left. It doesn't randomly choose which ones you lose, you keep them in the order you set them.

[Carraway]

If there is multiplier scaling, and level is taken into account vs mob level, how much of what we currently know would really apply to the encounters that matter? Could be that there's a lot more to be investigated and I'd really be suprised if we knew so much given what we have access too. Regardless, the fact that we can already know a decent amount of game mechanic formulas is a testament to how well communities understand game development mechanics. At least, it's a better starting point then most MMO's I've been privy to.

I estimated PLD WS enmity multipliers last night. @L35, Savage and Halone were roughly x2.0 and x3.5 respectively. Last night, @L50, Savage and Halone were roughly x3.125 and x5.0 respectively. Given the estimates on Skull Sunder and Butcher's Block @L50, there should be enmity multiplier parity between WAR and PLD, with 2nd-step WSs producing (damage)x(level/16) enmity and 3rd-step WSs producing (damage)x(level/10) enmity.

I might do some more sampling this weekend but I'm at least confident about the ballpark unless someone can produce dramatically different numbers.

[Churchill]

I think one of the bigger mistakes that has come from people trying to be the first tester thus far is that there is no dLvl and that there are specific percentages.

All we really know (in phase 3) is there there is dLvl bonus, or player bonus/coefficient.

Until we're in Phase 4 and a Hard mode/Raid/Dungeon boss has no dLvl, Lv51/52/53/54 mobs parse exact damage reductions per their defense, etc, then there's a really big assumption being made.

[Carraway]

There are certainly a lot of unknowns, but that's not going to stop me from establishing whatever I can now and then adjusting that knowledge if/when things change; I'm personally at least observant enough to acknowledge when something breaks prior understanding. Given that players do the exact same ranges of damage to level 50 mobs as they do to level 5 mobs, I don't expect level 51 mobs to completely break that particular formula, but I could be wrong.

[xopher]

Guildhests are cool. Fast and good exp.

[Charismatic]

The first time you do them, yeah.
The EXP drop-off is just way too much though.