Level caps in games usually fall into one of two categories: soft level caps and hard level caps. Soft level caps occur when gameplay mechanics begin to limit player progression, but leveling up is still possible through long grinds and unconventional methods. A hard cap is, as the name suggests, a progression ceiling which simply cannot be surpassed. A good example of both can be found in Destiny games, where the soft power level cap can be exceeded by obtaining level-boosting loot until the hard cap is reached.
The twitter user who asked Darrah about level caps in Anthem asked about both types, and the answer was pretty clear. The Executive Producer responded that more detail would be given later, but revealed that Anthem would have a hard level cap “that will change over time in the service”.
While it’s not exactly the revelation of the century that there will be a level cap in an online RPG, there are some interesting finer details we can tease out of this. The fact that there are already plans to raise the level cap in the future, for example, reinforces the rhetoric we’ve already heard about Anthem being a 10-year project that will receive additional DLC far beyond release.
The fact that players will run into a hard level cap will be interesting for a live service game, as BioWare will have to ensure not only that the max level isn’t achieved too soon, but that there is plenty of incentive to play even after the cap is met. Both these issues were brought up by Destiny 2 players, and were addressed by making the grind towards the level cap much slower in the game’s Warmind DLC.
As Darrah makes clear in his tweet, much more detail about Anthem’s level cap will be shared at a later date. With very limited amounts of gameplay currently available, no meaningful analysis can yet be given on how long it will take to level up, or even how the level cap will manifest itself. One thing seems to be a pretty safe bet though – when we do receive more information on the matter, it will likely be through Mark Darrah’s Twitter account.
Anthem is scheduled for release on February 22 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Twitter - Mark Darrah
