Has the episodic structure of combat reached a point where it does more harm than good?

I genuinely appreciate the direction of the combat beta update. Gear drops feels more meaningful, which wasn’t the case before, and leveling combat stats now provides a tangible, long-term sense of investment. Before the update, I wasn’t sure if spending time in Hopeforest was worthwhile—my 400+ levels felt redundant.

That said, I still believe the episodic structure of combat, with its many compromises, does more harm than good. While its removal might make some content redundant and limit immediate access to some content for certain players, that’s a common trade-off in nearly every MMO. The striping system is clever and addresses some issues, but it also restricts enemy variety, making the game feel more linear rather than an open-ended adventure. Ultimately, the biggest problem is that this system seems to be making the game less fun—and at the end of the day, fun is what matters most.

That’s not to say episodes don’t have value. They help new players ease into the game by gradually introducing skills and areas, preventing them from feeling overwhelmed. This structured progression is worth keeping, in my opinion.

But some of these compromises, such as inflated numbers—combat levels reaching 2000, players with 8000 hitpoints, and damage exceeding 1000—undermine the core progression system. In a game centered on incremental growth, numbers should feel meaningful, not arbitrary.

The 1-500 grind alone takes around 750 hours, and with each episode increasing the cap by 500, the current 2000 cap requires an estimated 3000 hours. Even if my numbers are slightly off, the sheer time commitment is staggering. Very few players will commit to such an excessive grind, inevitably splintering the player base across thousands of combat levels. The truth is, most players struggled to push a skill beyond level 20, making a level cap of 2000 completely disconnected from how people actually play and engage with the game.

Overall, while the update brings some much-needed improvements, I believe it’s time for the developers to take a step back and seriously reevaluate the current episodic structure of combat in this game. They have gone to great lengths to preserve it, but at what cost?