Exceed Your Limits: Level Cap to Be Lifted! (06/11/2010)

[Nyosan~]

As previously announced at VanaFest 2010, the impending version update will usher in the first stage of the long-awaited level cap increase! What factors led to this monumental decision? What implications will it have for adventurers? Today, we would like to take the opportunity to address pressing questions and concerns about the latest major evolution to hit Vana'diel.

Q: What inspired the decision to increase the level cap?
A: With the cap set at level 75 for quite some time now, a wide variety of monsters, equipment, and game content has been introduced over the years for players who had reached this limit. With such content having been fleshed out to the development team's satisfaction, it was deemed that the time was right to usher in the sort of new challenges that could only come with the ability to achieve higher levels.

Q: What changes can we expect to see after the cap is lifted?
A: Beginning with the upcoming version update, the level cap will be gradually increased to an eventual maximum of 99, with new job abilities, magic spells, weapon skills, and equipment to be made available at these higher levels. These additions, as well as refinements to existing abilities and spells, will focus on preserving and strengthening the unique roles that each main job serves, while increasing the tactical options available to each support job. Needless to say, new game content will also be introduced that will demand every onz of adventurers' newfound might.

Q: What specific changes will be implemented in the coming version update?
A: The level cap will be raised to 80, and new abilities, magic, weapon skills and equipment for players up to this level will be added. Level restrictions placed on certain areas will also be removed, creating additional high-level battlegrounds for players to explore. The level cap increase will also result in a number of existing skills becoming newly available to support jobs, with a few exceptions and adjustments to preserve balance and ensure that main jobs do not see their thunder stolen.

Unusable by Support Jobs
- The white magic job abilities "Afflatus: Misery" and "Afflatus: Solace", and the ninja job abilities Yonin and Innin will not be available to support jobs.
Usable by Support Jobs, with Altered Effects
- The ranger job ability Shadowbind will be subject to an accuracy check, with a miss generating no effect.
- The scholar job abilities Accession and Manifestation will triple (rather than double) recast time for the spells used.

Innin, nooooo! :verysad:

 

[CidBahamut]

Yay! I don't have to learn how use Afflatus thingies and can mindlessly sub Scholar for Accession. Unfortunately Scholar just became Super Mage now that they get Convert, so I guess I'm out of a job.

*wanders off to keep leveling /BLU*

 

[Nyosan~]

Between having to choose from Convert or Haste, I'll likely choose the latter the majority of the time.

So much to do after this update! I'm excited.

 

[Tagrineth]

So, more or less, so far they're nerfing exactly what they need to nerf to keep subjobs (relatively) balanced?

Inconceivable!

 

[Tim Wakefield]

Q: What are you going to do the day after the update when there's 2000 people lined up at your 3 possible exp/merit spots?
A: Oh, fuck.

 

[Nyosan~]

So, more or less, so far they're nerfing exactly what they need to nerf to keep subjobs (relatively) balanced?

Inconceivable!

I expected Convert to get some treatment, honestly. I'm surprised they didn't make it 2HP:1MP while subbed, or something like that.

Q: What are you going to do the day after the update when there's 2000 people lined up at your 3 possible exp/merit spots?
A: Oh, fuck.

I've pretty much accepted that I'll be leveling in Campaign, with the occasional FoV runs when Terrigan/Sky/Ro'Maeve aren't completely packed.

Who knows, maybe they'll be on point with the new and remixed zones and I can manage to get 80 on something before all of the new camps get leaked out.

 

[K. Ishitar]

So, more or less, so far they're nerfing exactly what they need to nerf to keep subjobs (relatively) balanced?

Inconceivable!

the problem is for sam they have issues using Innin with /nin since then they couldnt take advantage of Overwhelm


there's your backstory

 

[Nyosan~]

the problem is for sam they have issues using Innin with /nin since then they couldnt take advantage of Overwhelm


there's your backstory

Melee behind, WS in front.

 

[Elvaanmage]

id like to know what theyre adding spellwise etc for mages, convert isnt gonna be rdm-exclusive it seems, refresh still up in air since /rdm41 isnt avail yet til the next increase

 

[Tribalinius]

In before they announce the stupid random items quest for genkai where 2383478230498347820934702³² ppl will line-up~

 

[Raesvelg]

That is one of the bigger questions about the level cap raise; is there going to be a quest to complete, and if so, what's going to be involved. Given how frighteningly retarded SE has been about such things in the past, it's moderately worrisome to imagine what it'll be like if there's some item-driven quest required.

 

[Elvaanmage]

lets hope its not too ridiculous lol

 

[Suriou]

The new genkai quest will feature the player taking on maat and his shadow in a fight to the death!

that's where i'll draw the line..

unless they make it a 6-man party..

then when i'll consider drawing the line..

 

[Gohaan]

I thought they announced previously that they were not going to add Genkai quests saying the Adventurers have already proven their merrit or some shit?

 

[onedarkflame]

In before they announce the stupid random items quest for genkai where 2383478230498347820934702³² ppl will line-up~

NOOOOOOOOO. Until I read this I hadn't even considered that they might make us do more Genkai shit. ugggggh.

 

[Acutie]

lol new genkai = kill AV

 

[CidBahamut]

lol new genkai = kill AV

So raising the level cap is actually just a big hoax then?

 

[Divinius]

So raising the level cap is actually just a big hoax then?

That would be epic, and far too good to be true.

 

[Elizara]

Hold it. From the fanfest, I think they said they wanted to make the next few level cap quests "easier". For the life of me, I can't find the exact quote. So yes, THERE WILL BE A QUEST.

Look here if you wanna explore that.

 

[Divinius]

I'm more concerned with what is going to happen with events like Dynamis/Limbus/etc that are in non-instanced zones.

As evidenced by the myriad of threads on the forums, these non-instanced events are getting very overcrowded post-merge (on this server at least), and I have to believe that this problem is common across other servers as well. If SE doesn't do something like instance these events, or level-restrict them to 75, or alter the game in same way to greatly lower the desire to do these events, the overcrowding problem is going to get exponentially worse when groups of fewer and fewer people are capable of doing them.

You think the Dynamis scheduling system is in jeopardy now... SE could completely destroy it with these level cap increases if they don't take this stuff into consideration.