Fans of EVE Online will tell you that one of the many unique features the game offers is… being able to join the endgame, immediately. As in: create a character, join a corporation, and fly into a nullsec battle.
Such a character might be cannon fodder, but the point is you can be there without needing to level up, without grinding gear, etc. You can immediately experience end game content (perhaps via a limited role available to low skill-point characters).
I would like to add ESO to this list. My guild started a low-level trials group, for levels 3-14 characters.
Yes, level 3 to 14!
This is possible since ESO scales your character up to level 50 cp 160 if you are below that. The cutoffs are 3 on the low end since you can’t leave the tutorial without getting to level 3, and 14 on the high end since 15 is where you get your weapon swapping. Basically, at 14 and below, you are a one-bar character.
The genesis of this was a dare more or less, given the level scaling and how people go on about how normal mode is so easy, a challenge was issued: take a group of low level characters into trial content and clear it.
Some folks were interested in doing this and we made a plan and tried it out.
It’s fun! Everybody has to pay attention to mechanics that regular characters can burn through these days. It’s tough because of limited skill availability – some of the better/stronger skills are higher rank meaning you’ll get to character level 15 before unlocking them. Tanks generally don’t have a ranged taunt, dps and healers are stuck without their usual toolkit, etc.
Thanks to the stickerbook, gear that drops is just as useful (i.e. fill your stickerbook and reconstruct on your endgame character) as regular drops.
We’ve cleared a few trials on lowbies: Asylum Sanctorium, Maw of Lorkhaj, Dread Sail Reef (this one took a very long time!), Sunspire, Kyne’s Aegis… we don’t always succeed – we failed the heal-check at the end of Cloudrest, the final fight against ghost Z’maja, but we do intend to return.
Our levels, 4 to 14, taking on Asylum Sanctorium!
The beauty of this is we’ve had players interested in trials literally create a new character, equip the starter gear (Forgotten Adventurer), and enter minutes later.
St. Olms, final boss of Asylum Sanctorium
Most of us are upgrading our gear by using whatever drops – it is fun to look at my level trial healer decked out in 5 pieces of Master Architect from Halls of Fabrication… at level 10 lol.
MMO Juggler 