Gear Levels - Are they Required? Could they be Removed?

Avran_Sylt · July 2017

Given that this game has yet to advance gear CP requirements past 160, at this point, are they really required? These gear levels provide no grind incentive for players who surpass CP160, and for new casual players under cp160 this means that all the gear that they get or make is going to be worthless when they start to advance in the game.

I understand that an argument against this is that these levels act as a carrot for new players. But I'd like to counter-argue that CP levels and the stat increases inherit with them already act as that carrot. And CP is ever increasing, where gear level requirements have become stagnant.

The current system is fine for people who have time and/or the friends to grind out CP160 on a new account. But for more casual players who only play for a couple hours a week the current gear level limitations will only serve to turn them away from the game (if they actually start getting into the numbers).

Levels will still mean something to other players, as it is a general indicator to how much you've played the game (combat effectiveness).

If this were to ever occur though, the crafting system would need a major overhaul.

What are your thoughts on this subject?

starkerealm · July 2017

I can entertain that Idea

They made some sense in the original iteration of the game. Some. I'll still argue that having individual levels within a grade of armor was a mistake, but life goes on.

Now? Honestly, the game would probably benefit from materials having different traits associated with them, rather than having higher stats. For example, if Iron had lower than normal stats but was easier to upgrade, or if Dwemer had the sharpened/reinforced traits baked in. There's a lot of potential ways to mess around with it, but it would create more gear diversity.

Hell, make Rubedite a PvP material, with a bonus damage, and resistance to damage from, players. Then we only need to see that stuff when we're trying to make a play at Cyrodiil.

JinMori · July 2017

I can entertain that Idea

Would like to see gear scale with your level.

SASQUATCH0 · July 2017

Gear cap, removed? Maybe
Cap Increased? Hell no

inf.toniceb17_ESO · July 2017

I can entertain that Idea

There is no point neither in gear level, nor in 1-50 levels in my opinion. These two things just comlicate things and do not provide any benefit.

idk · July 2017

They be remove. Of course. That's an easy question. Will they be removed. Highly doubtful. Extreemly unlikely.

The argument concerning players below CP 160 is not a strong one. That CP can be gained in a single day, easily.

Few grind for gear below lvl 50 and those that do it's a choice. I leveled up my first 2 character at launch (before the first nerfs to quest content) merely wearing drop gear.

Brw, OP has recycled this topic. He's gone down this road before.

Avran_Sylt · July 2017

Giles.floydub17_ESO wrote: »

They be remove. Of course. That's an easy question. Will they be removed. Highly doubtful. Extreemly unlikely.

The argument concerning players below CP 160 is not a strong one. That CP can be gained in a single day, easily.

Few grind for gear below lvl 50 and those that do it's a choice. I leveled up my first 2 character at launch (before the first nerfs to quest content) merely wearing drop gear.

Brw, OP has recycled this topic. He's gone down this road before.

Indeed, this topic is being recycled. But I don't want to necro the previous post.
Previous incarnation for anyone who wants to take a look.

Avran_Sylt · July 2017

@Giles.floydub17_ESO

On the subject of CP and lvl 50 being easy to grind, yeah.You and I agree on that. But after viewing posts of people who play this game much more casually than I do I've seen that it can take anywhere up to a couple days to a week or longer for players to get a character to level 50. One Example

Enemy-of-Coldharbour · July 2017

I can entertain that Idea

All gear should auto level with you.

idk · July 2017

Avran_Sylt wrote: »

@Giles.floydub17_ESO

On the subject of CP and lvl 50 being easy to grind, yeah.You and I agree on that. But after viewing posts of people who play this game much more casually than I do I've seen that it can take anywhere up to a couple days to a week or longer for players to get a character to level 50. One Example

I knew a guy who took a year to level up his first character. He was around every day just didn't do much.

My example of my leveling to vet ranks when the game was new, and it took longer, is a much better example because it shows set bonus is not that big of a deal when leveling. I had none. The game is much easier now.

Besting concerned about gear in the lower lvl is rather petty as a result. Even by your examle of a week, that not much time and not worth the concern.

Besides, you really want to give an advantage to long time players in under 50 PvP by putting vMA and monster sets into their hands when that PvP is designed and intended to even the playing field for newer players, as much as the playing field can be leveled.

Avran_Sylt · July 2017

@Giles.floydub17_ESO

Huh, a year? damn.

When the game was new, that was when gear levels actually had a meaning. Now since everything is scaled to your level really the only interesting thing about gear is the traits and set bonuses. and it's more about the grind to cp160 to get to the general content without having to worry about your gear degrading in stat values.

Yeah, the view on low levels and players that don't spend much time in the game is a weak excuse, I'll concede on that point. But as some have pointed out, removing gear levels could allow for a more interesting crafting system.

Such as gear traits being dependent on the type of material you use, and then using the gems that have no use now for jewellery crafting. I'll likely have to think about that more, as that could be very interesting.

idk · July 2017

We still have played levels so gear levels have as much meaning today as when the game launched.

As long as we have player levels gear levels have meaning. However, it's not as simple as removing player levels because there is meaning to player levels beyond just gear.

It's the system Zos chose, and popular anime most major MMORPG games, and the system each of us chose to deal with.

starkerealm · July 2017

I can entertain that Idea

Enemy-of-Coldharbour wrote: »

All gear should auto level with you.

I can get behind this. One of the only things I miss from CO, ironically, was it's level scaled heirloom items.

Avran_Sylt · July 2017

@Giles.floydub17_ESO

Yeah, character levels have a meaning, but it's generally for attribute points, skill points, and the access to CP system. Once you hit level 50 you don't hit a gear cap, as the gear cap is CP160. When you create an alt, at that point the character level is majorly just a speedbump when it comes to gearing, an annoyance. You can place your CP points at level 1, but can't equip your CP160 gear because it's gated behind the character level 50 lock. If they ever removed the level 50 lock, then all gear under cp160 for an over cp160 character is generally useless, at which point it'd be best to just get rid of gear levels entirely and rebuild the crafting system. This would just be more polish on the game.

Though, that does sound like too much work for ZoS to handle. So, unfortunately it seems that the current system is what we're going to have to deal with.

Nestor · July 2017

Only if they also unlock the mats so that we can use any mats that are in the game. And, put back the material nodes to something like they were before, maybe where a zone has 50% of one type of mats (Spidersilk for instance) and the rest of the nodes a mix.

I like some of the lower level materials and gear combos. I am real tired of the Ruby stuff.

MisterBigglesworth · July 2017

Other

It's fine the way it is. The one thing that bugs me - it's a minor thing - it's the arbitrary "CP160" labeling. Why not just call this level 50 gear? Then take all the gear Lvl49 to CP150, scale their stats to those of a CP100 item, then relabel it "Level 49".

Just get rid of the requirement to grind any amount of CP to equip gear. Not because it takes time to grind the CP (it doesn't) but just simply because it's an inelegant remnant of the Veteran Level system.

The Elder Scrolls Online

Gear Levels - Are they Required? Could they be Removed?

Gear Levels - Are they Required? Could they be Removed? 29 votes