If I understood it correctly, the Early Access only includes about 1/3rd of the game (is that correct?) and in the final game, the level cap is supposed to be 10 (is that correct?).
Should both be true, then I want to point out that by the end of Early Access, most players have reached level 5 (some level 6), which means over half the level progression is already finished, but more than two thirds of the game are still to go. That's a bit of a pacing problem. If there is no more leveling up in the 2nd half of the game, that removes a lot of the fun & the incentive to do side quests.
The best way to prevent this would be to raise the level cap in the final game, above level 10. The other solution, slowing down experience progression, I wouldn't suggest that since playing a low-level party for long time is much, much less fun than a medium-level party.
I'll be horrified if EA represents 1/3rd of the final game's playtime. If the final release isn't at least 10 times larger than EA I'll feel ripped off. So like Player333676, I'm concerned about reaching level 5 so easily, especially as we have been told that level 10 is the cap.
I hope the Devs boosted the XP earnings in EA to make it a better test of the game's systems. I'd like the final release to earn XP a lot slower -- a third or quarter would be fine with me.
I'll keep my eyes open for more news on this issue because it'll have a big effect on how many stars I'll give the game. The engine is very good, but that won't carry my opinion if there isn't enough actual game play.
I also agree that the leveling did seem very fast. Although keep in mind that leveling is exponential so the later levels would take a lot longer to reach than level 5. I also finished EA at level 5 btw, felt kinda sad that I only got to use my new level 5 toys literally in the final battle (which wasn't much of a battle unfortunately :()
I don't know the level cap of the game, but I certainly would like it to be a lot higher than 10. In regards to the game length, I also certainly hope this doesn't represent 1/3 of the game. That would be way too short.
Pure speculation regarding game length: Given the amount of gem sockets the crown has and the troubles we had to go through to get this "first" one (technically not the first since one is given by the council, but the first one we actually have to go get), coupled with the fact that this should represent the easiest part of the game, It would look like there's a lot more adventure to come, certainly a lot more than just two thirds. Then again, if this is true and there is a whole lot more game after black castle, the leveling would be way too fast if the cap is 10.
I was going to point out, 1-5 is extremely fast in how much you level in 5e. On average about five 4-hour sessions will get you there.
6 and higher takes a lot longer.
-Glimpse
Given that encounters can be "farmed" (I hate MMO terms) on the overland travel map, I suspect that max level will be reached as early as encounters can be handled and rations can be obtained. - This means that "farmers" or people who get unlucky/lucky on overland encounters, could over level main and side quests. (Short of reworking overland travel I am not sure how this could be avoided without sacrificing the "coolness" of the way overland travel works at the moment.)
I believe that the developers have targeted a 40 hour game, although mileage may differ with side quests, overland encounters and how long battles play out. (I am open to correction on the hours)
Also, as the_glimpse and coredumped pointed out, levelling may be sped up for testing and 1-5 are meant to be quite fast in 53 apparently.
Cheers
Miles to go before I sleep
I'll preface by saying I haven't played the game, just browsing the forums while waiting for the full release, but to reply directly to OP: the leveling process should slow down over time. The total amount of experience needed to reach level 5 is actually only 10% of the total experience you need to reach level 10. So it's completely natural to reach level 5 in the first 1/3 of the game, and only gain 4-5 more levels in the last 2/3. Most pen and paper campaigns I play in quickly get the party to the level 3-5 range so you can start having fun with abilities then slow it down so you can actually enjoy those levels instead of skipping past them in a few sessions.
If I understood it correctly, the Early Access only includes about 1/3rd of the game (is that correct?) and in the final game, the level cap is supposed to be 10 (is that correct?).
Should both be true, then I want to point out that by the end of Early Access, most players have reached level 5 (some level 6), which means over half the level progression is already finished, but more than two thirds of the game are still to go. That's a bit of a pacing problem. If there is no more leveling up in the 2nd half of the game, that removes a lot of the fun & the incentive to do side quests.
The best way to prevent this would be to raise the level cap in the final game, above level 10. The other solution, slowing down experience progression, I wouldn't suggest that since playing a low-level party for long time is much, much less fun than a medium-level party.
Really you level from 2 to 5 in EA, since the tutorial bumps you there, and from 5 - 10 in the rest of the game. That's 3 level bumps to 5 level bumps and because leveling slows down a little in 5e I expect that will make the rest of the game take at least twice as long at this first part.
Neither, game slows down a TON after level 5, when experience required becomes exponential. 1-5 is intended to be fairly quick.
5 to 6 should be roughly the same as 1 to 5.
I've been farming random encounters to see how high the level cap actually is in EA. So far it's a tedious slog from 6-7. I'll post my findings once I know them
I've been farming random encounters to see how high the level cap actually is in EA. So far it's a tedious slog from 6-7. I'll post my findings once I know them
Apparently the EA is currently capped at 6, but the news that was just posted today mentions that the upcoming Spring update will bump the level cap up to 8.
Pacing was fine for me and the "new" difficulty slider can make sure you feel properly challenged throughout the campaign. I believe the content will be more than adequate (40 hours = 20 movies) and with DLC/dungeon-maker, we should be busy for years to come!