ESO without Levels

A Community Discussion (for fun and to kill time while waiting for the game to launch dammit)

TL;DR--ESO's skill-points preempt character level as the principal means of progression and reward. Do we need harcoded character levels to retain their "gate-keeping" function in the game? (Locking out certain areas, dungeons, activities, and equipment based on level). If not, would getting rid of character levels benefit the game?

Hi everyone.

This is a thread for to provoke thought and to introduce an idea I think is worth discussing: What if Elder Scrolls Online did not have character levels?

I want to clarify that the idea I'm focusing on is not removing character levels from MMORPGs or RPGs in general, but specifically from ESO. Before I start getting into my idea, I want to start with a disclaimer: I'm not suggesting in anyway that ZOS should implement this idea. It's radical, impractical, and frankly at this point in the game's development, I know it's just not going to happen.

But you know, seeing the recent video summarizing the character progression system of ESO really got me thinking.

ESO rewards you with skill points for completing various tasks, finding skyshards (which, by the way, are they only called SKYshards to capitalize on SKYrim's success?), and of course, filling up a hungry bar of XP. You use these skill points to improve skills and attributes (Health, Stamina, & Magicka) as you see fit, and unlock dozens and dozens of skills in numerous skill-lines to open up more options to build your own, ever-growing character.

Ok, so the skill point system sounds great. It lets you focus your character's progression as you see fit, and allows for vertical, as well as lateral, progression. You use it for everything: unlocking new skills, upgrading skills you already know, and buffing up basic stats. Even, it seems, crafting.

So... then, what about character levels?

Traditionally in MMORPGs character levels serve a multitude of sweeping, important roles in the game:

• Passive character progression (stats/attributes increase, spells/skills unlock)
• Active character progression (talent points, skill points, etc. you can spend as you wish)
• Measure of proficiency (keep track of how powerful your character is in relation to the world & others)
• Measure of progress (keep track of how far you've progressed and how much further there is to progress)
• Reward (related to other functions, gives you a tangible sense of reward for playing the game)
• Gate-keeping Content (control and restrict the content you and other players are able to experience; dungeons, mounts, armor, weapons, consumables, quests, and more can be restricted through a level requirement)

But in ESO, many of these functions are pre-empted by the skill-point system. Skill-points are the unified currency that allows you to increase attributes, learn new abilities, and improve old abilities. A telling sign that this system is, at least in some corner of the developers' minds, meant to pre-empt leveling is the fact that gaining a level principally grants you a skill-point.

Even after hitting level cap, you continue to play the game and progress in the form of gaining skill points. So considering there are many, many skills in the game to unlock and THEN level, as well as crafting and attributes to increase, your progress will (after hitting level 50), be measured in how many skill points you've accrued. Hell, even before you hit level cap, your progress is measured in skill-points. A level 45 with extra 10 skill-points put into health would, all-else being equal, perhaps be superior to a level 50 with 10 less skill-points.

So, here I have to speculate a bit, but what primary functions, which don't over-lap those served by skill-points or are superior to skill-points, remain?

I think, not many:

• Passive character progression
• Active character progression
• Measure of proficiency (keep track of how powerful your character is in relation to the world & others)
• Measure of Progress
• Reward
• Gate-keeping Content (control and restrict the content you and other players are able to experience; dungeons, mounts, armor, weapons, consumables, quests, and more can be restricted through a level requirement)

I question the remaining to functions of character levels in ESO.

SHOULD character levels exist solely to measure progress and gate-keep content? I don't think so.

Character levels should exist ONLY as a means of measuring progress, and not a way to gate-keep content. Using character levels to gate-keep content in ESO makes no sense in light of the fact that character levels don't (and personally I think they shouldn't) provide progression for your character beyond an extra skill-point. It doesn't make sense in light of the fact that Elder Scrolls game is about freedom and exploration, and not about being forced to be funneled through content (Of course, some of this has to happen due to the design, but having character levels HARD lock content is, I think, an unnecessary thing. Simply take a look at that level 40 monster and know that you probably shouldn't attack it as a level 15 Templar).

What SHOULD character levels do? Well, they can continue to provide additional rewards for playing, giving you a skill point everytime you reach a certain level of XP. And they can be tweaked to become an accurate measure of your character's growth and progression, meaning how much skill-points your character has accrued.

What about expansions? What do we do about the expansions if we don't have a meaningful level cap to add to?

Add meaningful content of course. More skills to put skill-points into. Equipment that doesn't simply add MORE of what your old, level 50 gear did, but add options and support different playstyles (and players WILL discover many, MANY playstyles with proper dev support). A new area to explore and quest and discover that isn't interesting because it has different colored crabs with a higher number next to their portraits. All facilitated by a system which eschews the traditional role that a character level plays in an MMORPG.

So, that's my idea in basic. What do you think?