Hey folks,
Today's Test Center update contains the latest version of the Dynamic Combat Level system currently in development.
For a full explanation of Dynamic Combat Level and the details behind why this is being implemented, you'll want to check out @MichaelMayhem 's post on Dynamic Combat Level here:
In the latest iteration of Dynamic Combat Level, we've made some changes to Story Mode XP and progression that should help smooth out difficulty in the earliest chapters of Story Mode, as well as bring the amount of XP earned overall up compared to the last iteration that was on Test Center:
Story Mode enemy difficulty progression has been smoothed out in Chapters 1-3
XP from defeating enemies and orb pickups has been increased in all areas of Story Mode
Enemy level is no longer visible on overhead health bars; this has been replaced with the previous conning visual system with red/orange/green icons. This is pretty specific for Story Mode in Dynamic Combat Level; other areas of the game should have enemies generally con green to you, but in Story Mode it will be possible to have enemies con orange or red if their minimum level is higher than your current hero level.
Chapter 10 no longer requires level 60 to unlock, it now only requires chapter 9 be completed
The Cosmic Trial has been moved to the Waypoint menu in the Challenges that is unlocked at level 60 rather than being accessed directly within Midtown Patrol; functionality of the Trial otherwise has not changed
As mentioned in the last Dynamic Combat Level thread, Story Mode XP from mission rewards has been reduced slightly from Main missions, and is being redistributed a bit wider through Story Mode content. Our goal is still for an unboosted, new player to be able to play from level 1 to 60 within Story Mode if they choose; playing through the chapters normally while completing Main and Side missions (the missions within each chapter that do not award Story Bonus reward boxes) should be enough for an unboosted player to progress through Story Mode and reach level 60.
Some specific questions as you check out the zones with Dynamic Combat Level enabled:
When starting from level 1 without any XP boosts, are you able to progress through Story Mode without falling behind in level if you complete the Main and Side missions available in each chapter?
Did you encounter any enemies or bosses that felt significantly harder or easier than expected while playing through Story Mode?
In the regions that have had their level banding removed (such as Midtown Patrol, Hightown Patrol, Holo-Sim, X-Defense) do enemies feel appropriately difficult for your level? Did you encounter any issues when another player that was higher/lower level than your hero was fighting the same boss target as you in these zones?
Note that due to the overall changes involved with Dynamic Combat Level, some differences between the Live servers and Demo with Dynamic Combat Level are expected. Such as:
Story Mode should, on average, be slightly more difficult than it is currently on Live. This is due to your hero no longer going over the intended level for the zone quickly - enemies will continue to scale up as your hero level increases.
Level 60 Terminals, Patrol zones, One-Shots, Raids, etc. should be roughly the same compared to Live.
Known Issue: Currently there is a known issue where the Waypoint menu is not correctly updating dynamically; for example, if you switch heroes from a level 60 to a level 10, you will still see the Waypoints that were available for your level 60 hero. This will be fixed in an upcoming update, but in the meantime relogging will update the Waypoint for the hero that you log in with.
Let us know what you think about Dynamic Combat Level here in this thread. Thanks!