Guild Wars 2 Character Level Cap

One of the most anticipated Guild Wars 2 features (and one of the most speculated about) is the level cap for characters. In the original GW series the cap was 20, which was easily and quickly achieved, with no benefit other than skill points after that.

In GW2 it's been confirmed that there WILL be a maximum character level and that it will be higher than 20. Some have been speculating it will be as high as 100, with one poor soul insisting it will be "over 9000!!!" (though the GW2 Blog Krewe believe his exposure to too many DragonBall Z episodes may have clouded his judgement).

Lead designer Eric Flannum has gone on record stating "We will not be retaining the level 20 cap. We will announce the exact nature and level of the Guild Wars 2 level cap early next year but let me state that our philosophy of allowing players to play the game without grinding their life away is something that is unchanged from Guild Wars 1."

Other sources have confirmed that the primary goal of the character advancement process will be to avoid forcing PvE players into the grind-based game-play that too often accompanies a high level cap while still allowing players of different levels the freedom to play together.

A quick poll of the GW2 Blog Krewe suggests the initial cap might be around level 70-75 which would leave room for future campaigns / expansions to offer small increases up to a maximum of level 100.

The same anti-grinding philosophy will apply to competitive play where players will be able to engage in balanced, organised PvP (similar to GvG in the original GW) without the need to first unlock skills, level up characters and find equipment. Right from the start, all characters will be the same power level and will have access to the same equipment.

Day by day the Guild Wars 2 release gets closer. We can't wait!