This plus FFXI. When you are grinding for hours, if not days, on end - every level gave you just the right amount of abilities / skills to keep your interest until you capped.
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Games with satisfying level progression
- Thread starter Sblargh
- Start date
As the 3rd in the series is out I have to say that the original Crackdown had a great progression system. So satisfying each time you levelled up and could jump that bit further/higher/faster.
Yup. I liked how your character looked different as well. And the idea of collecting different orbs based on what you are doing was fantastic. The old Crackdown was alot of fun.
Award for most overtly pedantic/contrarian post goes to you. The person you're replying to is right; the game and level progression feels great and so does getting and upgrading new weapons.
This was my first thought. Early WoW leveling and questing is so good, it's crazy that everyone wants to just skip it to get to the end-game grind and daily quest crap
Fallout 3, New Vegas, 4 to some extent.
BioShock 1 and Infinite.
If the game can be older: Gothic 1 and 2 nailed it. Also Risen 1.
BioShock 1 and Infinite.
If the game can be older: Gothic 1 and 2 nailed it. Also Risen 1.
OP
OP
I like the progression of New Vegas because if you play enough (especially with the DLC) eventually you become very good at everything.
A trend I am seeing in the answers is that people actually like when their character, eventually, becomes broken and OP, which goes against the common wisdom that games should get increasingly harder.
Again, XCOM 2 is an excellent example. On the first few months, you always need to kind of rely on luck against simple, weak enemies.
By the end of the game, your squad of supergods are facing death machines from alien hell, but the games feel easier because you have so many options, so many tricks.
You start the game basically pointing, praying and shooting and by the end you are a pile of options able to stop small armies.
A trend I am seeing in the answers is that people actually like when their character, eventually, becomes broken and OP, which goes against the common wisdom that games should get increasingly harder.
Again, XCOM 2 is an excellent example. On the first few months, you always need to kind of rely on luck against simple, weak enemies.
By the end of the game, your squad of supergods are facing death machines from alien hell, but the games feel easier because you have so many options, so many tricks.
You start the game basically pointing, praying and shooting and by the end you are a pile of options able to stop small armies.
Like I said I largely disagree for the reasons I stated, I felt like I was playing a straight action game for a majority of it where I didn't even need to think about my leveling or weapon choices. Using newer weapons punishes you unless you grind for upgrade materials or knew in advance and halted weapon upgrades until you got a weapon you knew was coming for later, so getting a new weapon basically ment oh new moveset but Im weaker than I was before or something that doesn't even fit my build so it goes in storage forever. I didn't say the GAME feels bad I said progressing as a character is hyper straight forward I didn't find that it made me think at all there was clear bad and good choices to do based on the weapon you picked. Sure it feels nice to 1-2 shot stuff that used to take 5 hits to kill before but that's a standard feeling in any game with rpg elements. It would be different if I got cool ass abilities as time went on or whatever but you don't your starting character is your character the spells in Bloodborne are very lacking.
For the OP I think another really good series when it comes to progression and feeling stronger with the choices you invest in is the Devil May Cry series, it's not a level up persay but each time you clear a mission you are selecting new abilities to unlock as well as getting new weapons to swap through and unlock skills for that just make you crazier and crazier the farther you progress through the game.
Eventually you are going to want everything but each thing you pick up alters you quite a bit and expands your movepool more and more to where you started off as a pretty basic action game and end up having this insane variety of skills and cancels letting you mix and match so many things to just style on foes. Bayonetta has a similar feeling.
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Hear me out:
I also really enjoy the R&C games starting with Going Commando. I think the 3rd game had the best level progression, especially for weapons, but Going Commando introduced it to the series and honestly it boggles the mind that more games have not used this because it is so gahd damn satisfying.
I also really enjoy the R&C games starting with Going Commando. I think the 3rd game had the best level progression, especially for weapons, but Going Commando introduced it to the series and honestly it boggles the mind that more games have not used this because it is so gahd damn satisfying.
Total Warhammer - the casting characters.
New spells allows you to completely change your tactics. While it can appear OP to take down 500-2000 soldiers in a battle with spells it's often the result of a well executed plan.
I've even seen high level online battles completely turn based on the use of a skill.
In total warhammer leveling lords and characters really matters snd they will give you the most insane heroics based on their build.
Only critique is that once you max level a character it pretty much has all the skills. You can have it all in the end.
New spells allows you to completely change your tactics. While it can appear OP to take down 500-2000 soldiers in a battle with spells it's often the result of a well executed plan.
I've even seen high level online battles completely turn based on the use of a skill.
In total warhammer leveling lords and characters really matters snd they will give you the most insane heroics based on their build.
Only critique is that once you max level a character it pretty much has all the skills. You can have it all in the end.
First thing that came to mind was Resistance 3 where the guns functionally and visually upgrade just by using them. Just a ridiculously rewarding moment when it happens and really customizes your experience to how you want to play.
Have to agree on this one. It's similar with The Witcher 3. It's much much more about the player skill than equipment and character skill. Of course it makes a difference if you don't spend any skillpoint or 15, for instance. But it's not like you unlock something that opens new paths, options or make you stomp an enemy you couldn't for the live of it.
It's been forever since I played that game but I definitely remember something similar. Solid game.
Multiple XCOM titles have been solid across the board, because they treat level ups like D&D. They don't come often, and when they do actually alter gameplay in a significant manner, layered with equipment improvements.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 does a fantastic job, just because the skills are so varied, they feed into the already large possibility space of the combat, and there are skills that have utility beyond combat. Similarly leveling up isn't fast, and feels significant with each jump combined with decent loot progression.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mankind Divided I like for how different playstyles each earn you xp, and banking praxis points until you run into an obstacle to use them to solve is fun. Skyrim I like because progression feels less gamey, given you gain new abilities by continually using the weaker ones vs. quests randomly making you better, and looking to the sky is a nice visual for choosing perks/abilities. Prey I loved because progression was essentially done through exploration, finding neuromods, other items, and some fun crafting.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 does a fantastic job, just because the skills are so varied, they feed into the already large possibility space of the combat, and there are skills that have utility beyond combat. Similarly leveling up isn't fast, and feels significant with each jump combined with decent loot progression.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mankind Divided I like for how different playstyles each earn you xp, and banking praxis points until you run into an obstacle to use them to solve is fun. Skyrim I like because progression feels less gamey, given you gain new abilities by continually using the weaker ones vs. quests randomly making you better, and looking to the sky is a nice visual for choosing perks/abilities. Prey I loved because progression was essentially done through exploration, finding neuromods, other items, and some fun crafting.
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Equipment progression is huge as well in Gothic. Armor actually represents your status within each faction. The games do an excellent job of teasing you by showing higher-ranking NPCs with cooler armor and making you think "one day, I'll have that too!" It's definitely a case of "less is more." Instead of having a ton of different armors that are only slightly different, they have a small set of armor and each one is highly unique and desirable.
The Pillars of Eternity games also have meaningful progression. In the first game, you level up only 12 times over the course of the 80+ hour experience. That makes your skill/ability choices way more important than in most games. All of the loot is hand-crafted too and offers interesting passive and active abilities, many of which can be modified through enchantments. But some enchantments are mutually exclusive, forcing you to specialize your gear based on your playstyle. The progression systems in PoE are just really well-designed and focus entirely on meaningful choice.
Far Cry 5 has a really cool progression system.
Everything you do in that game is meaningful and advances the story. You just explore and do things and the story keeps moving so you never feel like you are "wasting your time" like the past Far Cry games. I also really like how the skill tree allows you to choose any of the skills without having to unlock them linearly.
Everything you do in that game is meaningful and advances the story. You just explore and do things and the story keeps moving so you never feel like you are "wasting your time" like the past Far Cry games. I also really like how the skill tree allows you to choose any of the skills without having to unlock them linearly.
Why should it be a joke? Infact I agree with them.
I don't know if it counts but Metal Gear Solid. It felt great to get the health upgrades after every boss fight.
Xcom is the most recent example for me... I really love how the soldier actually become stronger and valuable when they "level up"! They become really a great addition to the team and you really are concerned about not losing them in battle! I once sacrified one of mine to win the mission and save others of the group... it was an hard decision to choose who to save and who to help others escape... :(
I'm (a bit) surprised no one mentioned Kingdom Hearts.
In Kingdom Hearts 2, you often unlock new skills besides attack/magic/defense buffs.
Unlocking new skills is awesome, when you activate and eventually use them to obliterate enemies, it's truly rewarding.
I forgot to mention skills rewarded when you defeat a boss/group of enemies !
In Kingdom Hearts 2, you often unlock new skills besides attack/magic/defense buffs.
Unlocking new skills is awesome, when you activate and eventually use them to obliterate enemies, it's truly rewarding.
I forgot to mention skills rewarded when you defeat a boss/group of enemies !
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Yeah, back when every level meant pouring over your talent tree and deciding where to spend your hard earned point.
Agreed, Crackdown 1 was a special game. Making tangible progress improving a skill by simply using that skill is very straightforward, but that's the beauty of it. It never takes you out of the game to navigate some weird menu or something. And it's the best when you're in the middle of a huge brawl and then level up, pushing everyone aside.
If you two enjoy Crackdown 1, give the new one a chance. I'm having such a blast!
A joke as there has been a lot of player feedback that Assassins Creed Odyssey felt grindy.
I've played it and agree it feels very grindy in my opinion; still really enjoyed it but I hated the grinding at many points.
Why do you not think AS:O grindy ?
Yes. I have quite enjoyed the progression in all the new Tomb Raider games. It's been pretty awesome.
Because I haven't found it to be grindy? There has been many threads here with tons of people that didn't feel it to be grindy so I am not the only one.
Ok. Fair enough, I was just engaging with a little playfulness. As I said I love the game but I personally felt it was grindy and I saw enough press at the time talking about how grindy it was (Kotaku had a podcast deadicates to it at the time) so feel it's generally accepted as it's being so. Agree not everybody feels the same though.
