Reach level cap, np there.

The problem I've had with the multiplier in PvE is when there are 2 alternate areas.

I'll lvl through the first area fine with a decent challenge, but when I move on to the second area i'm 2-3 lvls above all the mobs. That's when the multiplier trivializes the content even while playing solo.

Quote: coax on 03/26/2012, 11:51 AM

why is it so important to things to be "fair" when your lower? they were never fair to begin with.

That's just it: they're ALREADY not fair due to higher stats, better gear, more skills and more glyph points.

They don't ALSO need to pile a massive multiplier on top of that.

what would you prefer? kill the games progression for "fairness" or sticking with what has worked in every major MMO ever?

Quote: coax on 03/26/2012, 12:04 PM

what would you prefer? kill the games progression for "fairness" or sticking with what has worked in every major MMO ever?

Uh, Tera is the ONLY MMO I've ever seen where 2 levels makes this much of a difference in both PvE and PvP.

I have NEVER seen an MMO before Tera that uses this multiplication garbage, ever.

As you may or may not know, there's a damage/defense multiplier in Tera whenever a level difference is present.

If you don't know what I mean, go back to Isle of Dawn as a level 20 and use a single basic attack on a level 2 mob. You'll notice that you just hit it for 100,000 damage or so, even though your attack does nowhere near that kind of damage on any mob your level or near it (the treasure chests in this beta also provided an excellent demonstration as you probably hit them for 100k+ damage).

This also works in reverse: the damage done by that level 2 mob would face a multiplier on your defensive stat. This is also true for player vs. player attacks AND, oddly enough, HEALING (you heal players below you in level for more and vice versa on higher levels).

There are two colossal problems with this system as it stands:

1. Fun, challenging content becomes trivial after outleveling it by only 2-3 levels.

Here is what the progression for a player looks like when fighting a level 20 basilisk:

Player level : Basilisk difficulty
15 : Almost impossible
16 : Almost impossible
17 : Almost impossible
18 : Difficult but doable
19 : Definitely doable
20 : Intended level and challenge
21 : Easier than 20, allows for many more mistakes
22 : Far easier
23 : Trivially easy: attacks hit for far less than they did at 20 and the basilisk takes FAR more damage

The problem with this setup is simple: groups of friends often level at different speeds and tend to have a level deviation. Because of this, running SB with 5 players, four level 20s and one 24 makes it an immediately trivial experience because the level 24 will damage enemies much faster and take far less damage as well. You can't take a higher level into the instance without it suddenly becoming far too simple to really enjoy it.

2. It makes a player 6 levels higher into a raid boss.

I have no idea why BHS went out of their way to ensure that Tera focuses so much on skill in combat, then added the level multiplier system to ensure skill was almost hopelessly outmatched against raw numbers. A level 20 can beat a level 26 if A) the level 20 never messes up once B) the level 26 has no lock-on skills which are almost impossible to mess up with.

Levels already do enough for players: they raise the player's damage potential through stats, access to better gear and access to more powerful skills. This means that skill should >>>>>>>> levels and gear, but that's sadly not the case as it stands.

We don't need an artificial damage/defense multiplier on top of an otherwise fantastic combat system. It ensures that content becomes trivial far sooner than it should be and that PvP combat becomes a joke when the level difference is larger than 2-3 levels.

The damage and defense multiplier is applied between two entities in relation to each other. The multiplier won't even appear in the end-game if all parties (players, mobs, bosses, etc.) involved in any given fight are the same level.

Therefore, removing this multiplier in the game code would not require the developers to "re-balance the entire game." Please do not muddy the argument with your slipshod reasoning simply because you prefer the sick pleasure of one-shotting newbies who wander into your line of sight.

En Masse / Blue Hole, please remove this ridiculous modifier. The King of the Hill should be he with the most skill, not he who simply has three levels on everyone else.