To get the biggest news out of the way, Isaiah Cartwright has revealed that the Guild Wars 2 level cap is 80. That said, Cartwright spends a lot of time in this latest Guild Wars 2 blog talking about character progression and the leveling curve in most games as compared to that envisioned by the ArenaNet team.
Basically, the time between levels will remain a static and known entity. Compared to most games where the leveling curve increases dramatically between levels, in Guild Wars 2, it will not. According to Cartwright, this accommodates all player styles, whether casual or hardcore. If you're a causal gamer who plays for a few hours here and there, why should you feel like it's going to take you a decade to finish your character? If you're a hardcore player, why shouldn't you be able to blast through the game with skill and speed, trying to experience every last bit of content?, Cartwright opined.
ArenaNet is trying, Cartwright comments, to give players more to do than simply level. There are achievements, traits collection, dungeons to explore, crafting, skill collection, items and "much more". Players should not have to grind out the levels. Content is the driving force behind level progression, not the endless repetition of tasks. We want everyone to stick with Guild Wars 2 because our content is fun and enjoyable, not out of some dogged determination to slowly, slowly advance. And because our world is ever-changing and dynamic, you can play our content again and again!
That pretty much sums up Cartwright's article and Guild Wars 2 devs continue to show a refreshingly new look at MMOs.
