Level up and Level cap

ArchivedUser

Hi, I go by online as dgj212, I was honestly thinking of writing an VRMMORPG fanfic for Worm and when I got to the issue of leveling up it got me in a rut. See in my fic I'm thinking of level capping the levels at like thirty or something, like LoL does for masteries. But it got me thinking, part of the reason people play MMO is for the immediate gratification, in this case EXP. Without a level up system, you would be playing something like Assasin's creed where your only desire is to max every skill and follow the story. I didn't want the former and in the later you make your own story. I came up with a few mechanics like a system where your character degrades stats if they don't get used, like in skills and what not, and they have to maintain the stats for the skills they want to keep. But I figured that would be punishing the players rather than keeping them invested and what better way it there to keep them grinding for hours on end? Levels. 

So I started poking around to see if I could find a solution and I came across this thing. And my gawd, that node system was exactly something I was thinking of incorporating in my fanfic.  I looked at the info I found and I like what I saw.

Now my question to you guys, that relates to my search but now I'm curious as to how you guys will deal with it,  is how will you deal with Player Levels? Are you going to do what WoW does (never played it) and just level cap until the next expansions where it becomes a bit daunting for new players to join the grind to reach higher levels and inspire people to sell their high-level accounts, and have people waiting for the next expansion? Or you going to level cap it, basically make the level as something to train the newbies and have the more experienced players focus on different more desirable goal?

Oh besides LoL, Skyrim, and Two worlds Two,  (the last two don't count I think) my only experience with MMORPG  in a fantasy setting are light novels, The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor, Ark (which was inspired by LMS), and Ark the Legend(the sequel to ark that goes from a fantasy setting to a syfy one but still epic as hell). 

ArchivedUser

AoC will have a very horizontal progression. You may get new skills at new levels but still find ways to improve those skills later on with Skill Add-ons or skill points. I don't imagine level being the decider as to how strong you are, just one of the many progression paths you can choose to sink time into. 

That being said the level will be capped and I'm fairly sure each archetype has its own level. 

ArchivedUser

Nothing has been set in stone or confirmed as of yet. The rumor is level 50 on primary, and level 30 before you can choose a secondary to augment. Once again, those numbers have just been floating around, nothing confirmed. (I know right after I post this someone is going to find a quote I missed.)

ArchivedUser

No worries. I have not seen anything about levels.. leveling will have a meaning, but it won't be super super important. You'll find every level is end game and farming up a node, fishing, and having fun in Ashes will be more time consuming than actually grinding.