End Game

[Ferrigno]

Hello all.

First of all, I'm not here to complain. The game has issues, but they are easily overlooked in my eyes.

That being said, I want to address a concern. The main problem most new MMO's have these days is similar: end game content. Some have enough, but the content is slim; others have barely any but the content is solid. The main issue I'm seeing in Defiance is a lack of overall progressive growth. I'm 373 EGO level and feel very much the same as I did at level 1. The weapons are the draw, but even those seem to be getting repetitive in nature. The game is so fun to play that none of this bothers me...yet.

How does this game stack up in the later levels? Is being level 3,000 vastly different from being 300? I know the more perk slots you open, the more adjustable your play style can be. But the issue I find is a lack of interesting EGO powers. Incremental percentage upgrades don't seem to have a massive payback in terms of adjusting the way the game feels.

What is the main draw as a level 3,000-4,000 EGO character? Instances? Shadow Wars? Arkfalls? Are there still just two: Bugs and Scrappers? I guess the problem I fear is that there is nothing I'm restricted from just because I'm a lower level. Yes, San Francisco is cut off from me but I doubt it's much different than the map above it. What do I have to look forward to? More of the same, and if so does the game hold up? Or is there a surprising depth that becomes more apparent the deeper I dive? I want to love this game throughout, not just like it now and get bored later. It's a true concern, and one I hope this community is willing to discuss with me.

Thanks for reading my ridiculously long post. I look forward to hearing what all of you have to say.

- Lou

[Daholic]

Hello all.

First of all, I'm not here to complain. The game has issues, but they are easily overlooked in my eyes.

That being said, I want to address a concern. The main problem most new MMO's have these days is similar: end game content. Some have enough, but the content is slim; others have barely any but the content is solid. The main issue I'm seeing in Defiance is a lack of overall progressive growth. I'm 373 EGO level and feel very much the same as I did at level 1. The weapons are the draw, but even those seem to be getting repetitive in nature. The game is so fun to play that none of this bothers me...yet.

How does this game stack up in the later levels? Is being level 3,000 vastly different from being 300? I know the more perk slots you open, the more adjustable your play style can be. But the issue I find is a lack of interesting EGO powers. Incremental percentage upgrades don't seem to have a massive payback in terms of adjusting the way the game feels.

What is the main draw as a level 3,000-4,000 EGO character? Instances? Shadow Wars? Arkfalls? Are there still just two: Bugs and Scrappers? I guess the problem I fear is that there is nothing I'm restricted from just because I'm a lower level. Yes, San Francisco is cut off from me but I doubt it's much different than the map above it. What do I have to look forward to? More of the same, and if so does the game hold up? Or is there a surprising depth that becomes more apparent the deeper I dive? I want to love this game throughout, not just like it now and get bored later. It's a true concern, and one I hope this community is willing to discuss with me.

Thanks for reading my ridiculously long post. I look forward to hearing what all of you have to say.

- Lou

Well 1st of all, theres no endgame content, if you listen real close you hear the words "skill, the game is skill based", but nothing challenges you.

Get ready for the drama, someone will tell you it takes skill to play the game, but nothing tests your skill, i guess killing 10,000 mobs for a pursuit is skill, reading skill atleast.

[Hostile]

I'm ego level 530. my most powerful weapon is still my green heavy scattergun.

if you are talking in terms of character progression no there is.not much.

Rare weapons net you mod slots and a easily 3-7% damage increase (if you are crouching or higher).
Shields are still the same strength. Grenades are the same.

End game all that is left is side.missions.for xp and contracts. Which to me are almost pointless as your rep is a currency not a static level which.is.pathetic.

[Red Dot]

As of right now there is no endgame content. The closest we have is PvP, but since anyone can enter PvP matches regardless of where you are in the story or the gear you have, then there is no "true endgame" content. The game is still young and the devs are still working out the problems, worrying about endgame at this point seems pointless to me. I'll wait to worry about it till Clan chat works properly, pursuits don't reset, and we no longer lose gear at random.

Perhaps future DLC will introduce us to instances with EGO requirements of 1000+ and of finishing the main storyline. I'd like to see 6, 8 or even 12 person instances where we take on some of the larger and more powerful enemies (Monoloth).

As for gear progression there isn't much. The grenade mod I picked up this morning (EGO 1100+) is only slightly better than the one I had before (EGO 1000), and slightly more so than the one I had before that (EGO 550-ish). The only thing I've noticed a difference in is that most of the weapons I've been getting since hitting 1000 have 3 or 4 mod slots, and about half the time they have some sort of Weapon Synergy. I haven't noticed much in the way of Shield progression though. Shields now are only a little tougher (10 to 15 points) than they were at 500, but I'm finding many with elemental resistances or other bonuses (50% health Regen, that's 50% of my health per second).

[nosworc]

I know how you feel, i also am having the same problem in that i don't feel anymore powerful now (ego785) than when i started. This is the main drawback so far for me, i need that feeling of my toon is improving or what is the point in investing time into it.

[hilikus255]

yea i feel the same way, i can only handle the game in short burst ever since i beat the main story line. Besides doing a Co Op Map or some PvP with clan mates not much going on...yay side quests..you done one you have done them all. So far the end game to me is a like trying to prestige on black ops or something. lol

[mrbruce300]

Yeah I agree the end game is really not there at all. The game is very young and I believe that they did not think that people would already be getting close to ego 5000 never mind endgame content. The game progression for EGO level almost seems not there at all. I'm EGO 958 at the moment and still feel like I'm at EGO 100. I still have a blue weapon level 284 and it's just as good if not better then weapons I pick up at my EGO level now. I'm still hopeful that thing will get better . We will just have to wait and wait and wait to see.

[OldDirtyGamer]

I can't speak to this at all because I've only gotten my first character up over 105 EGO but, in general, I believe this game was originally looked at as a more open-world PvP driven, first-person shooter. There is a lot of story depth with the levels of conspiracy if you're into that sort of thing but most of the players for whom this game is targeting aren't looking for that. Hence, anything regarding an endgame would only appear in the way of better gear progression and maybe some other newer abilities being added down the line. So far, there are a number of DLC being promised with the Season Pass and there is some sort of tie-in to the television series which, to me, is still very vague. However it plays out, most of the people playing this game right now don't care for that -- they want to level up their guys, kill stuff, and kill bigger stuff after that. It will take a long time before many of the players go back and really, really pay any real attention to the story being told.

[p4ssth3wh1sk3y]

Think about it this way, an mmo level cap is 50, well the defiance level cap equivalent is 5000. When your ego rating is at 1000 you are level 10 in that mmo. Being at ego rating 373 is only level 3.73 in the mmo.

[kyxsune]

A good way to switch things up is to set small challenges. After I hit 500 I decided not to use any automatic weapons anymore. Currently only running pistols, makes things a helluva lot more interesting.