DLC2/Future of Defiance....A reason to level!

[Indra Echo]

Levels here aren't the same as in other games. It is more like a representation of how much of the game you have completed. There are some great explanations about why it's 5k if you do a quick google for Defiance Ego levels.

You can't grind to 5k w/ just kills and XP. You'll need to complete all the pursuits, level all your weapons and vehicles to 20, and unlock and max out all your perks.

Yeah it is a lot of grinding to get there to be sure, but it is a bit more of something to do than to go for the millionth Prestige level in a game by doing nothing new.

Where I am is at 4700. I have a couple new pursuits to finish from the DLC but beyond that, it's all about weapon leveling. This means I must use different weapons that maybe I don't normally prefer to use. But some other games don't even have that sort of carrot and stick approach. A lot of games just require you to repeat play over and over again to reach full rank.

The things people don't realize about getting to higher levels is the potential for better bonuses for weapons is better, weapons have all mod slots open (ok they're cheap to open now, but still I'd rather use the salvage for turrets at sieges), shields have higher damage ratings, grenades have higher damage ratings, and you get the special 5000 club decoder ring and key to the clubhouse.

No game I've ever played had a really good incentive for reaching the top of the top, except being able to say you did it. Rewards are not always external or significant.

[PseudoCool]

Here's my 2 cents:

With the way the current system of leveling works, and with the lateral game leveling so we can all play together regardless of level, there's really only one "carrot" you've mentioned that'll work: new co-ops at certain levels.

Now see, it WAS like that before, but they only had a few of them, and everyone complained. So they changed it, and you now open them up much earlier. I'd personally like to see some "mega co-ops" for level 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000.. something HUGE with a 16 person instance and a mega boss at the end with a really killer loot table. Something like this would be worth it for a carrot, the only problem is that people would flat out farm the crap out of it, which isn't the point of a co-op mission. I'd suggest making it so that you had to finish several side missions before being able to enter the same mega co-op again, which would be random side missions from the ones we've already done, and new ones that the dev's would create. THis would provide for some great "carrots", a bit of buffer so they can't be exploited for the enhanced loot table, and a bit of rehash of the side missions that all of us though where pretty cool and complain that we can't re-do. Plus it would lessen the amount of side stuff that the dev's would have to put out with the meat and potatoes.

Otherwise OP, what your asking for is essentially turning this game into an MMORPG. As an MMORPG player, what your asking for sounds just like what we've seen in every trinity based game for the last 15 years or so. It's the RPG STANDARD.. but has nothing to do with shooters. While I wholeheartedly agree with you that Defiance is sorely lacking in content and replay ability, I think that to keep Defiance as it's own entity and design direction, our suggestions must keep those two things in mind, and provide positive suggestions that the Devs *COULD* (if they ever read the forums that is) use to make the game better in the long run.

[Swiftstone]

I agree with you, except the part about oranges. I have gotten oranges more recently than I ever have and I have friends that have gotten pretty good orange drops too. It's all luck bro. I went 2300 levels only getting one orange, but in the next 400 levels, I got 4 more oranges. They didn't touch the drop rate. If you were ever getting an orange per day, which I highly doubt(don't believe that for a second actually) then you were just very very lucky.

Honestly, to me you ALL sound very, very lucky. I'm currently ego rating 3,694, and have never, not ONCE I tell you, gotten an orange anything. No orange shields, grenades, weapons, nothing. Oh, I have some nice purples and blues, but I have yet to encounter these mythical legendary items.

Trion's loot tables for this game are thoroughly f***ed as far as I'm concerned.

[Indra Echo]

I'm done with this game until the next DLC. This game has gotten to a point where it's a chore to play it. Trion ****ed with the drop rates on the oranges. I used to be getting at least one a day, now it's like two a week if I grind religiously for key codes.

PvP pursuits infuriate me to the point where I want to break my game. Destroy 25 vehicles in shadow war? Nobody stays in them long enough and vehicles don't count if you ram them with yours.

My only goal in this game is to get the ark predator suit, but if I have to raise my blood pressure every day to get it, then to ****ing hell with it.

You have every right to feel what you feel but funny thing is oranges are now far easier to get FOR ME. I get them at Dark Matter arkfalls and T4 boxes. I get keycodes fairly easily too and I don't tag arkfalls-I see them through to the end, even if it ends up at a minor that I get no keycodes.

There are also new weapons to try and believe me, there is one new weapon(not the Volge gun or the charge blade) that is woefully underestimated and can drop a Volge fairly easily. And it's not orange.

If Trion did frack with orange "drop" rates it was to increase the frequency of them (rewards and lockboxes), FOR ME and for others I have talked to as well.

[Indra Echo]

Honestly, to me you ALL sound very, very lucky. I'm currently ego rating 3,694, and have never, not ONCE I tell you, gotten an orange anything. No orange shields, grenades, weapons, nothing. Oh, I have some nice purples and blues, but I have yet to encounter these mythical legendary items.

Trion's loot tables for this game are thoroughly f***ed as far as I'm concerned.

They upped the chance of them for T4 lockboxes-stick with those exclusively. They are not drops for anything but are often rewards for Dark Matter Arkfalls-major arkfalls. I'd do as many of these as you can find. It helps to have friends in different phases that you can go to if one drops.

Lag can ruin this plan but having friends in a DM arkfall's phase can help. If you don't have any already friends and are on xbox, I have a way to help if you get lagged out. Otherwise, you might find someone at an arkfall and see if you can become temporary friends. I'd try and ask if you can-or you could just try and make a request and see what happens. That way you can get back if lagged out and make sure to get your rewards at least.

[Indra Echo]

Here's my 2 cents:

With the way the current system of leveling works, and with the lateral game leveling so we can all play together regardless of level, there's really only one "carrot" you've mentioned that'll work: new co-ops at certain levels.

Now see, it WAS like that before, but they only had a few of them, and everyone complained. So they changed it, and you now open them up much earlier. I'd personally like to see some "mega co-ops" for level 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000.. something HUGE with a 16 person instance and a mega boss at the end with a really killer loot table. Something like this would be worth it for a carrot, the only problem is that people would flat out farm the crap out of it, which isn't the point of a co-op mission. I'd suggest making it so that you had to finish several side missions before being able to enter the same mega co-op again, which would be random side missions from the ones we've already done, and new ones that the dev's would create. THis would provide for some great "carrots", a bit of buffer so they can't be exploited for the enhanced loot table, and a bit of rehash of the side missions that all of us though where pretty cool and complain that we can't re-do. Plus it would lessen the amount of side stuff that the dev's would have to put out with the meat and potatoes.

Otherwise OP, what your asking for is essentially turning this game into an MMORPG. As an MMORPG player, what your asking for sounds just like what we've seen in every trinity based game for the last 15 years or so. It's the RPG STANDARD.. but has nothing to do with shooters. While I wholeheartedly agree with you that Defiance is sorely lacking in content and replay ability, I think that to keep Defiance as it's own entity and design direction, our suggestions must keep those two things in mind, and provide positive suggestions that the Devs *COULD* (if they ever read the forums that is) use to make the game better in the long run.

It might be they could do or will do something like this for DLC2 with on demand arkfalls. They are sort of coops where you enter the ship, so one suggestion could be that we have the ability to filter aspects of the event. Arsenic_Touch wanted to be able to have instances open to clan members only, but maybe there could be other ways to filter it. And maybe difficulty could scale with it--if you have an idea regarding this then maybe it's worthy as part of a suggestion for leveled up coops as well.

[crasher]

There is no progression. The model is quite flawed. They have made the game a series of very obvious hamster grinds... and all they are adding is a new colour for the hamster wheel.

Well, no.
They're adding lowered weapon stats to pillowfight the bugs and Volge with.
And the Volge drop white weapons (when the drop any) that are just a voucher for Scrip/Ark Salvage that we get to click a constantly reshuffling inventory to find so we can use that new salvage button on.

Whoo-ho.

[CheetahPaw]

I'm a big fan of this game and have been from day one. I have been a supporter and have played a ton. I'm just really starting to figure out that after level 1600, there is no reason to level. ZERO. The ego points to unlock perks and upgrade perks isn't a big deal at all, because most of the one's you need will be unlocked by 2000.

The only thing that will save this game, listen closely Devs, is if they start fixing and adding things that this game REALLY needs. This game needs content that is unlocked as you level up. This gives players a reason to level, which keeps a players interest at a maximum because they are always working to unlock something new.

I like the Arkfalls and Sieges, but I feel a little ripped off that I waited 5 months for ONE new Arkfall and ONE new event(Sieges). That is NOT content. Those things are fun to do for a week or two, but then you burn yourself out because those 2 things WERE THE ONLY CONTENT YOU WERE GIVEN in the DLC. That's pathetic when you think about it. This isn't just some game like Call of Duty where you can get away with a mappack that adds a couple new maps. This is an MMO! MMO's require lots of leveling, with new content and new type of weapons ALWAYS unlocking as you level.

We should be leveling up to unlock those 4 or 5 new co-ops that you get for hitting a certain level. New co-ops should unlock every 300 levels or so. This would give every player that has ever played this game a reason to keep playing. Trion, you are losing your playerbase because you don't see what you're doing wrong. I know several Defiance die hards that quit the game because, and I quote from several different people pretty much the exact same words, "I quit because I got tired of doing the same things I've been doing for a couple thousand levels and the only thing I ever get is keycodes to buy lockboxes, because that's the only reason to play and grind. Leveling means nothing. I don't even need new guns because I have great guns now, but buying guns and mods is the only reason to even play. There is absolute zero reason to level up. NO unlockables".

Those are all things I've heard different people say. I finally am in agreement with them after several months of playing this game. I'm already bored of the DLC because it's the only thing we got, so everyone burns up the Sieges and Arkfalls for a week or two, then realize it's the same old crap over and over, with no reward for leveling up.

Trion, I hope you guys realize what you're missing, because you don't have much time left to correct it. Tons of unlockable content for leveling up is what this game needs. Imagine how a player would feel if he were about to hit level 2000 and unlock 3 new co-ops, 1 new arkfall, 1 new siege, and 1 new type of pistol/shotgun/AR etc. Hell I would be so excited to unlock new content, I would be buying bits for bonus loot, xp, skill....all of that. I would play the **** out of this game if I had content unlocking all the way to 5000. We need new areas on the map that unlock as you level up. Quit trying to coddle the new players by accessing ALL OF THE CONTENT to every single player. Give people a reason to play, and they WILL PLAY!!

100 percent agreement. Games getting boring and Im back playing a 5 year old game.

[Classymadman]

I agree.

I honestly don't see why people rushed to get to 5000 so fast. I got the game day 1 and I'm about to get to 2000 EGO.

I'm starting to get back into DCUO because there is just a lot more variety of things to do. There leveling system is also a lot better IMO.

That game is more fun in every way and a far superior console MMO. This game let me down for so many reasons... Not worth playing anymore with so much better things to play.

[The Guy]

I to slowed almost to a stop because of this. Now im playing FFRR and that is how any mmo shoupd do things every few lvls. you unlock new quest gear ect new instance and such PLEASE DEFIANCE give us a REALreason to level up and get new thing to do and use