Frostbird Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 (edited) So I am currently working on my 3rd alt and I realized something. As much as I like most of this game, it falls into the same trap that so many other MMOs have - feeling grindy. Now sure, grinds are a part of MMOs, as much as bad graphics, bugs, idiots on /general, loot ninjas and bedsores...but the trick is putting them in the right place. SWTOR stumbles here. The first 2 planets of the Imperial side and the second planet of both sides seem almost universally hated. They also *drag* by due to the lack of a mount (and sprint before 14). I'm sure that some Whenwe is going to pop in now and say something like "hurr when I was your age I walked unphill to Molten Core in the snow and I liked it!". And I'll replay that I have no problem with challenging, lengthy leveling. I have a problem with slog and grind. Ideally, an MMO should have a Top Heavy approach to leveling. The first say 25% of the leveling content is generally not as interesting, balanced or fun - and thus it should be gotten out of the way asap. The final 25% though is great - since we have lots of our skills it is allowed to be challenging and can prepare us for endgame. WoW (yes, burn me at the stake) has this down pat - mounts are given nice and early and the first 20 levels or so fly by. The final 15 or so however take quite an investment. SWTOR has this backwards, honestly. The first 20ish levels are an absolute drag, while the last bits flew by for me. A few reasons for this: - Until 25 or so, I had no mount. Sometimes I spent more time slogging back and forth between hubs than questing. - Until level 30 or so I have one companion. I already made a thread about this - but not only is this irritating when that first companion is someone you dislike both mechanically and story wise, but when you do finally get the one you want you feel like too much time has passed. - The class stories are almost all *far* more engaging after Act 1. - Classes are much more fun to play once they've unlocked their better skills. So - a suggestion or two: - Decrease the xp needed from 1-10 by 20% - Decrease the xp needed from 10-25 by 30% - Increase the xp needed from 30 - 40 by 30% - Increase the xp needed from 40-50 by 40% Between space missions and the overabundant zone quests, it shouldn't be hard to do. TL/DR: How did you feel about the leveling process? Too fast? Too Slow? Just right? Was there any parts that dragged for you? - NOTE: To those thinking I am asking for a nerf to leveling, please read the thread. I am asking for the obnoxious 1-30 grind to be sped up and the really fun stuff (30-50) to be extended. Edited February 3, 2012 by Frostbird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperomegaOP Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 (edited) I hate going through the side quests on my alt and I REALLY wish i could just do warzones and just my class quest to level but nope... after lv 25 the xp is just too slow and it will only get worse... tried doing the daily space missions but they only go so far... leveling is fun at first, boring the second+ time Edited February 3, 2012 by SuperomegaOP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut_Bowl Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I feel the leveling is just right; it's the travelling that gets me, even with a speeder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaz Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 (edited) Heh, I'm the exact opposite. I find the leveling to be way, way, WAY too fast. Not to mention that I was, on average, 4 levels 'over leveled' for every planet after the Homeworld I went to (up to as much as 7 levels over). And that was without doing any PvP, doing only about half of the planetary heroics, doing FPs only once (and skipping a few of them completely), and only doing a couple of space missions. WAY too much xp, way too fast. I sneezed, and I'd gotten 3 levels. I was 50 before I knew it, and I did NOT spacebar conversations. I had to go out of my way to avoid aggro and I never completed any of the Bonuses on quests after the 4th planet, because I didn't want to overload on xp any more than I already was. And now what? I'm 50. My story's over. Whee. I wish it would've taken me at least five times as long as it did. Edit to add: Grind? WHAT grind? I wanted to turn OFF my xp because I was getting too much, too quickly! But: Sprint should be level 10, not level 15. Or level 1, and Speeders come at 10 or 15. Also...jeez, enough with the slow and sluggish spaceport/orbital station/elevator after elevator/launching from the planet (when all I wanted to do was get on and off my ship and NOT leave the planet) system. And another addendum: I'm not advocating for them to slow down the xp (though an xp on/off toggle would be AWESOME, that we could set ourselves). I'm just making a personal statement in that I prefer things take a LOT longer than they do in this game. Edited February 3, 2012 by Shaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NevPicasso Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 For someone as casual as myself (no set daily amount of playing but maybe 10-15 hours per week), the pace is pretty nice. I just hit level 32 Sage recently and finished Act I. The mid-to-late teens felt a bit grindy but it's been pretty fair otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberians Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Its defonatly not hard to level up in this game. Grouped its even faster! XP is easy to come by Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JansanRuno Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I hate burnt orange. Leveling is fine. Have 8 toons, highest is level 31. Figure to get one to 50 sometime late spring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frostbird Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 Heh, I'm the exact opposite. I find the leveling to be way, way, WAY too fast. Not to mention that I was, on average, 4 levels 'over leveled' for every planet after the Homeworld I went to (up to as much as 7 levels over). And that was without doing any PvP, doing only about half of the planetary heroics, doing FPs only once (and skipping a few of them completely), and only doing a couple of space missions. WAY too much xp, way too fast. I sneezed, and I'd gotten 3 levels. I was 50 before I knew it, and I did NOT spacebar conversations. I had to go out of my way to avoid aggro and I never completed any of the Bonuses on quests after the 4th planet, because I didn't want to overload on xp any more than I already was. And now what? I'm 50. My story's over. Whee. I wish it would've taken me at least five times as long as it did. Edit to add: Grind? WHAT grind? I wanted to turn OFF my xp because I was getting too much, too quickly! But: Sprint should be level 10, not level 15. Or level 1, and Speeders come at 10 or 15. Also...jeez, enough with the slow and sluggish spaceport/orbital station/elevator after elevator/launching from the planet (when all I wanted to do was get on and off my ship and NOT leave the planet) system. And another addendum: I'm not advocating for them to slow down the xp (though an xp on/off toggle would be AWESOME, that we could set ourselves). I'm just making a personal statement in that I prefer things take a LOT longer than they do in this game. I think you misunderstood me. I agree that some parts were too quick (40-50 especially) and would love to see them extended. Similarly, I'd like to see the early parts sped up, since those side quests are obnoxious without a speeder and an interesting companion. The toggle is a nifty idea too, I'd like to see it added...but while active pre-50 it increases loot/commendation drops and alignment/affection gains substantially. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenderbean Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 the grind is to fast in my opinion it takes no time to make lvl 50, but im nobody my opinion doesnt matter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rouge Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Too fast. I try to do every quest, on ground and space, and all Flashpoints, and some things just go grey. I was used to that from LotRO but still it irritates me a bit, as some easy quests give humongous amounts of experience points and then I do some hard quest that just went grey and the experience goes at the change of level from too high 10 000 points to 5 just like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frostbird Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 the grind is to fast in my opinion it takes no time to make lvl 50, but im nobody my opinion doesnt matter You sound like a happy person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drudenfusz Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I am not one of those fast levellers in any MMO, but SWTOR felt slower than usual, anyway I hit 50 but I am not going to level another character soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rouge Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I am not one of those fast levellers in any MMO, but SWTOR felt slower than usual, anyway I hit 50 but I am not going to level another character soon. I've played SWTOR for 9 full days with my main character which is level 37. It took 19 full days to take my first character in original WoW to level 50, so SWTOR seems rather fast to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satpolpp Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 It feels just right EXCEPT for the damn bonus series. Those are really annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinoviking Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I feel the leveling is just right; it's the travelling that gets me, even with a speeder. I totally agree with this. I love the leveling speed. Feels perfect to me. No issues with it at all. The on-planet travel times can get a bit gruesome, even with a speeder. However, as a long time MMO player, I have seen worse. That being said, I would love to see a reduction, however slight. The real travel time issue I have is with traveling to different planets. That, however, is a different discussion for a different thread. I think I'll go find one. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinoviking Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 It feels just right EXCEPT for the damn bonus series. Those are really annoying. I actually like the bonus series. They offer extra xp's, extra cash, and extra commendations. Gives me a great little boost towards the next planet. Let's me get an extra level or 2, a couple pieces of gear I wouldn't otherwise get, and go into the next planet ahead of the curve. Makes my life a lot easier. Given how difficult some of the quest elites can get, any leg up I can get is welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord_of_Stone Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I think of SWTOR as a single player RPG that I can enjoy with thousands of other players, and interact with other player characters. I dont know of any single player RPGs that take more than 3 days of game time to complete. IMO, leveling was just right, considering that of the two characters I've completed, both seemed to be twice the content and length of any other RPG I've ever played, and took me about 2-4 times longer to complete. With more content and level cap extensions, leveling will become slower. I never played WoW, but I would like to ask, how long does it take to get to level 50 in WoW? Not the current or original level cap, but just level 50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord_of_Stone Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I've played SWTOR for 9 full days with my main character which is level 37. It took 19 full days to take my first character in original WoW to level 50, so SWTOR seems rather fast to me. Jesus..... I have 6 and half days on each of my level 50s and I thought I was going slow.... What on earth do you do with your playtime? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarfux Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 xp is perfect in this game! not too much, not too little juuustt right I think BW hit the nail on the head here. Just seems slower to you when you make an alt because you were so used to sprint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drudenfusz Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I've played SWTOR for 9 full days with my main character which is level 37. It took 19 full days to take my first character in original WoW to level 50, so SWTOR seems rather fast to me. I also played during vanilla WoW, and yes it took me there like forever, but I didn't compared to playing MMOs years ago, I talked about how it feels with MMOs these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rouge Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Jesus..... I have 6 and half days on each of my level 50s and I thought I was going slow.... What on earth do you do with your playtime? I try to do everything I can when it comes to quests. I've done everything gone grey except 3 Heroics I couldn't get a group in time and one space combat mission, the ambush one, that was just too hard. I craft, I explore planets fully and seek both datacrons - had all except two datacrons from previous planets when I got to Taris - and all codex unlocks I can get. I just ran BT solo to get two codex unlocks I had missed and farmed 349 affection points with Khem Val at the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakain Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 The leveling is too slow. I blame it mostly on the travelling and loading screens that you have to go through. It's also a significant adjustment getting used to no sprint early on, and the mounts really don't seem that fast either. I am also not a fan of flying back to Coruscant or your ship's holoterminal. That doesn't mean the leveling is difficult, it just takes a while, or seems like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord_of_Stone Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I try to do everything I can when it comes to quests. I've done everything gone grey except 3 Heroics I couldn't get a group in time and one space combat mission, the ambush one, that was just too hard. I craft, I explore planets fully and seek both datacrons - had all except two datacrons from previous planets when I got to Taris - and all codex unlocks I can get. I just ran BT solo to get two codex unlocks I had missed and farmed 349 affection points with Khem Val at the process. I've honestly done the same.... only up to 50. Twice. There has to be something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rouge Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I've honestly done the same.... only up to 50. Twice. There has to be something else. Can't think of anything except that I went and explored the other origin world, Hutta in my case, for datacrons, codex unlocks and the experience just given for exploring the planet. That didn't took more than couple of hours at most, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gungan Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 (edited) Too Fast. I hit 50 midway through Belsavis; a 42-45 planet. I was bored out of my mind the rest of the way because nothing on Voss, Corellia or Ilum is an upgrade for me now. That being said, the load screens and load times are too long. Edited February 3, 2012 by Gungan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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