I have no strong opinion either way if power leveling should be allowed or not. However I do believe that the heavy use of power leveling cheapens the accomplishments that real players have made. I do not look upon a first generation toon that has been power leveled as a legit >insert class here<.
If somebody has a very high level toon or maybe maxed out, I see no problem with doing some power leveling on an alt.. By the time a person has achieved a high level toon they have a good idea about what other classes do and know they must be learned fully to be good.
I think a robust and fun mentoring system would be better. And I mean a cleric must be mentored by a cleric type of thing. It could be very cool.
I really don't care about power leveling. If you want to blow through content and get straight to the finish line that's great. Having a good time adventuring for hours with a group of friends at level 10 might not be your thing. Just be ready to be met with some resistance at max level when your tanking skillz aren't so l33t.
I can understand the concern of some tho, the concern of someone being PL'd through challenging content. Not 'earning' those levels. But honestly, the leveling experience isn't the REAL challenge. Hopefully it is challenging and not a keyboard faceroll. But the real challenge comes with the hardcore group content, the raid content, the epic questline content, etc etc. And NOBODY is going to be PL'd through any of that. With both EQ and VG under their belts I would be ABSOLUTELY surprised if the REALLY challenging content wasn't just that....REALLY FRIGGING CHALLENGING. And just because someone wants to get to max level as quickly as possible doesn't mean you yourself can't create great memories and have loads of fun in those early levels.
But what I don't understand is how SO many people want a challenging game but then want the ability to power level. Obviously PL'n has some merit. But the ability to all out power level with no restriction just doesn't really seem to fit in a game like this.
Though Brad and Co. have softened their stance on solo content I'm sure they are still focusing levels 1 through max to rely heavily on grouping. And the question the devs have to answer is just how far are they willing to allow a player to PL another player in content that is meant to be challenging and experienced by a group.
NoobieDoo: But the real challenge comes with the hardcore group content, the raid content, the epic questline content, etc etc. And NOBODY is going to be PL'd through any of that.
I don’t entirely agree with this. If someone wants to get a character to content that is considered end-game and that is seen to be more important that the main game, then they will definitely power level characters to get there. Raids are (mostly) considered end game. So, if all the fun is to be had in these areas, then it is natural to get there as quickly as possible. If you have friends or belong to a good guild, then equipping your power levelled character with gear that will make that character effective is easy to come by. Hard end game is not a deterrent to power levelling, but is an incentive to get there as soon as possible. A guild that is good at raids can (and do) take under-equipped/under-trained characters through end-game content. The powere levelled players soon enjoy the rewards of skipping lower level content and learn the skills required to raid on the job. Nope, focussing on raid content (etc) and just making that the real challenge of the game does not stop this style of play and would actually encourage it.
End game has become the holy grail. Everything that is good about a game is at its end, hidden away in areas that are closed off from all but the highest levelled players. The promise of fighting gods and deamons are hidden in these places along with the greatest of rewards. So come as quickly as you can and make your claim. Power-levelling becomes a must.
Why? If you really want to stop stop power levelling, you have to address the reasons that people do this. Simply, end game content is better that the main game content.
If every single level provides real challenges, gives real and valuable rewards, if every adventure feels like you have been involved in a raid, or every accomplishment feels epic, then there is no end game. If raids just continued what was in use through the entire game, just with increased player numbers, then there is no obvious end game benefit. The incentive to rush levels becomes meaningless. If raids are considered to be extentions of normal game play, if mechanics used within raids are used throughout the world, if every mob uses good game tactics that raid bosses do, the real challenge is everywhere, all the time. Each and every level must draw the player in and give real benefits and provide a real challenge.
Easier said that done!
Power leveling should be a choice. But lets think about it for a minute. Why do people powerlevel?
1) Because they want to get a new character up the levels quickly to meetguild's needs.
2) To have their newly invited friend catch up in levels quickly so they can play together.
3) Maybe it is a player that already maxed and wants to re roll a new class or race and skip the time/trouble of leveling.
4) To get to the highest end and experience the what the game really has to offer.
If you take a closer look at those most common reasons to power level you can see that they really not bad in nature. Why should it bother you if someone gets power level. It is better than what most MMOS offer, give extra cash to be max level. Now I have some suggestions to minimize the NEED to power level:
1) plenty of content from the start. Should not just be limited to high end. Here is how: farmables, epic main quests that has you collecting items from low end and advance to high end and has a reward that increases as you advance in quest, raid bosses at low levels that drop unique items and limit the drops to players who are 3 levels lower than the raid boss.
2) EQ2 ability to mentor down to be able to play with anyone regardless of their level.
3) Good class balancing and raid distribution( guild competing for content main reason why people create alts like clerics so they can be fully functional for a raid before another guild takes that target). This is also a job of the guild leader to be smart enough to whom they recruit, but helps if there is no so much pressure.
Power leveling is a choice, if you do not like it do not take away the choice instead make the choice less wanted/needed. And that is who issues should be tackled.
Maybe the problem with a PL'ed character is no or very little CHA , Charisma could be entirely based on the real life time played of the Character.
As an Analogy of sorts: The most interesting Man/Woman in Terminus is not going to be a 15 year old that has the power of a Master Veteran, And that could be the trade off.
It just seems like there should be some kind of consequences to PL'ing instead of Mentoring.
The biggest problem is not to have a restriction of the freedom to screw up, the freedom to think of a new way to effect an outcome, or the freedom to help some random person or group.
I tend to lean towards the freedom side.
chenzeme said:NoobieDoo: But the real challenge comes with the hardcore group content, the raid content, the epic questline content, etc etc. And NOBODY is going to be PL'd through any of that.
I don’t entirely agree with this. If someone wants to get a character to content that is considered end-game and that is seen to be more important that the main game, then they will definitely power level characters to get there. Raids are (mostly) considered end game. So, if all the fun is to be had in these areas, then it is natural to get there as quickly as possible. If you have friends or belong to a good guild, then equipping your power levelled character with gear that will make that character effective is easy to come by. Hard end game is not a deterrent to power levelling, but is an incentive to get there as soon as possible. Why? If you really want to stop stop power levelling, you have to address the reasons that people do this. Simply, end game content is better that the main game content.
I believe you misunderstood me because I agree that hard end game content is not a deterrent to power leveling and was not the point I was trying to make. Basically all I was trying to say was the content players typically get PL'd through is content that is usually not the really challenging stuff. And the truly challenging content (epic qlines, hardcore group content, raids) is typically content you don't really power level through.
If every single level provides real challenges, gives real and valuable rewards, if every adventure feels like you have been involved in a raid, or every accomplishment feels epic, then there is no end game. If raids just continued what was in use through the entire game, just with increased player numbers, then there is no obvious end game benefit. The incentive to rush levels becomes meaningless. If raids are considered to be extentions of normal game play, if mechanics used within raids are used throughout the world, if every mob uses good game tactics that raid bosses do, the real challenge is everywhere, all the time. Each and every level must draw the player in and give real benefits and provide a real challenge.Easier said that done!
I agree 100% with this too. I'm hoping the devs can cook up some goodness for players to gobble up during their adventures BEFORE max level. VG has a TON of GREAT questlines before you ever reach the level cap. And not great because of their storylines, great because of the rewards you received and the actual content you played through.
Questlines like the weapon questline in Tsangs Tomb around level 15. The Hunters League questline late teens. The wardship armor qline. Swamp Armor questline. Those were great qlines that required multiple play sessions and covered many regions for each questline. Around the upper 30s and throughout the 40s was where even better qlines started like Hegnerian cloak line. The Hatred qline. The Rhaz helmet line. Flipping temples. And of course the Griffon qline which is my handsdown all time favorite questline of any MMO I've ever played. I also loved how the locales of each of these lines varied so greatly. Hegnerian is a great example of great locale with interesting art direction as well as great bosses with good mechanics ALL before you ever reach max level.
So hopefully PRF can continue this sort of content that keeps players engaged thoroughly way before they even reach max level. What I would like to see though is taking it a step further, maybe not a step further, but making the content as engaging as Hegnerian's qline was as early as possible. Maybe not as early as say Hunters League but it would be cool to say complex boss fights as early as level 20ish. The Wardship armor line had a bunch of bosses and steps you had to take to complete the quest but most of those bosses were easily tank and spanked and didn't require much strategy.
I have another angle to look at this from...
Basically playing devil's advocate here...is there a difference between a really high level character helping a low level character gain xp really fast and a high level guild helping a freshly max level character with no raid gear get through all of the raid bosses really fast? To me these are VERY similar in essence, if not the same thing.
If people are asking for absolutely no power leveling then where is the line drawn? Will a well geared raid guild be able to take players with no raid gear through raid content? Or a group of really high level players with good gear be able to take a player with crap gear get through challenging 'end game' content?
To me power leveling is bad because it leads to people rushing to max level and not learning how to play their class. MMORPGS were really never really made to be beat/max out your toon as soon as possible, it was always a long term adventure. I think power leveling also can lead to developers releasing expansions to soon in order to keep up with the few guilds who play the game nonstop for days straight and do all the raids as soon as possible.
Everyone hates power leveling until they are on their 9th character, grinding it out. I have no shame, will twink or PL my way up if it's available. Doesn't change how well I play my class at the end game, as was apparent in all previous games I have played, raided, pvp'd, and grouped in.
I think original EQ had it right, they just needed to expand the already built in "recommended levels" that were on spells/gear/items. EQ had procs that weren't able to be used until level 46 like the Short Sword of the Ykesha - "Your will is not sufficient to command this weapon." Or, there were damage caps on weapons at level 10/20/30. It makes sense that someone with higher skill would be more proficient with a blade/spell/item - as long as that translated to all aspects, you could still receive a heal/buff from a passerby, but perhaps your "Will would not be sufficient" to receive the full effect.
Raidan said:I think original EQ had it right, they just needed to expand the already built in "recommended levels" that were on spells/gear/items. EQ had procs that weren't able to be used until level 46 like the Short Sword of the Ykesha - "Your will is not sufficient to command this weapon." Or, there were damage caps on weapons at level 10/20/30. It makes sense that someone with higher skill would be more proficient with a blade/spell/item - as long as that translated to all aspects, you could still receive a heal/buff from a passerby, but perhaps your "Will would not be sufficient" to receive the full effect.
I think this is a good compromise in regards to twinking. It puts limits on how OP your low lvl alt can be, but still allows you to feel like you're doing something by wearing above-average gear for your lvl and also allows the gear to just grow with you so you don't have to keep finding new gear. Realistically speaking, it makes sense that you can equip/strap pretty much anything to your body (except maybe some extremely rare powerful items that might even damage you if you are not worthy to wield them) and at least gain the base protective quality of the armor simply because it's on you, but may that not mean you have the experience, skill, or wisdom to reap maximum benefit from it or be proficient with it. I would like to see almost all gear in Pantheon work like this.
Most of the arguements against PLing, seem to center on "determinetal to the game".But I don't really see that.
The vast majority of people PLing or being PLed are typically friends, guildmates or rerolled characters. These people are not typically our looking for PUGs or new social circles.
There are not alot of strangers PLing each other without purpose. Short sessions while a higher level if killing time, sure, but not enough to be a burden to the game.
PLing services, maybe they could hurt the overall game slightly by creating players that haven't really learned their class as well as one that was leveled regularly. But these folks either learn quickly or get a bad rep as being a poor player.
Most PLing I did was a new friend joined the game, and we were working to get them to a level that could group with others of us or our lower alts, never was it to get the player to max level.
And last, this is not 1999 anymore, the basics of the genre are the same, the game may play a little different, but most people can join any MMoRPG and get a grip on a class very quickly after learning just a few unique nuances. Sure there will be some first time players to the genre, but those are not usually your folks being PLed beyond a little help from a higher level passing by.
I just don't think there is enough negatives to PLing, that warrant programming it out of the game.
Fulton said:Most of the arguements against PLing, seem to center on "determinetal to the game".But I don't really see that.
The vast majority of people PLing or being PLed are typically friends, guildmates or rerolled characters. These people are not typically our looking for PUGs or new social circles.
There are not alot of strangers PLing each other without purpose. Short sessions while a higher level if killing time, sure, but not enough to be a burden to the game.
PLing services, maybe they could hurt the overall game slightly by creating players that haven't really learned their class as well as one that was leveled regularly. But these folks either learn quickly or get a bad rep as being a poor player.
Most PLing I did was a new friend joined the game, and we were working to get them to a level that could group with others of us or our lower alts, never was it to get the player to max level.
And last, this is not 1999 anymore, the basics of the genre are the same, the game may play a little different, but most people can join any MMoRPG and get a grip on a class very quickly after learning just a few unique nuances. Sure there will be some first time players to the genre, but those are not usually your folks being PLed beyond a little help from a higher level passing by.
I just don't think there is enough negatives to PLing, that warrant programming it out of the game.
Exactly, yes, there are some negatives to PLing. But there are EVEN MORE negatives to NOT having PLers.
And in regards to paid PLing services, most people charge so much for this that it would be impossible for a new player to afford it. Anyone that is going to utilize these services will have already been playing the game for a while and will therefore almost definitely already understand the basics and be able to learn a new class fairly quickly. If they don't have a friend that won't do it for free and that's how they wanna spend their plat, then so be it.
Bazgrim said:Fulton said:
PLing services, maybe they could hurt the overall game slightly by creating players that haven't really learned their class as well as one that was leveled regularly. But these folks either learn quickly or get a bad rep as being a poor player.
And in regards to paid PLing services, most people charge so much for this that it would be impossible for a new player to afford it. Anyone that is going to utilize these services will have already been playing the game for a while and will therefore almost definitely already understand the basics and be able to learn a new class fairly quickly. If they don't have a friend that won't do it for free and that's how they wanna spend their plat, then so be it.
I don't think Fulton was referring to plat as the currency that would be charged for PL'n services.
From my memory Power Leveling was done most times by friends or guildies, and honestly helped build relationships in the long run. I don't see anything against the old EQ type Powerleveling, and don't see it being a big deal for the first year or so until people have down time or guilds need a class to complete a raid.
I do question what this would mean for the Progeny System though, as I see many guild Children coming up in the world fast if Power leveling is a thing.
Saicred said:I do question what this would mean for the Progeny System though, as I see many guild Children coming up in the world fast if Power leveling is a thing.
This is a good point. I can pretty much guarantee it would be the norm to just have your guildies PL you through the Progenies. In which case I ask, what's the point?
My vote: keep PLing. Ditch the Progeny system. lol
philo said:Bazgrim said:Fulton said:
PLing services, maybe they could hurt the overall game slightly by creating players that haven't really learned their class as well as one that was leveled regularly. But these folks either learn quickly or get a bad rep as being a poor player.
And in regards to paid PLing services, most people charge so much for this that it would be impossible for a new player to afford it. Anyone that is going to utilize these services will have already been playing the game for a while and will therefore almost definitely already understand the basics and be able to learn a new class fairly quickly. If they don't have a friend that won't do it for free and that's how they wanna spend their plat, then so be it.
I don't think Fulton was referring to plat as the currency that would be charged for PL'n services.
And that is a whole new topic, if a person offers to powerlvl or do questing peieces for everyone at a ingame fee (as long as these items are inside the game) we can not stop that.
Example: My brothers cleric needed a spell that we could not afford, without some serious hours put in. So we decided to come up with a plan to help sell quest pieces for key parts. Tradeable but yet still within the game. So we would offer those pieces for a small fee. We spent time collecting them, and told the person where to look to combine the said parts. It would allow access to the map nobody had. Small fee's added up to enough to purchase the spell.
The spell was 50k in bazaar back then, 5x the normal rate 2-3 months prior. We had no choice, or sit for 100+ hours farming items like Diamonds. We tried that for 20 hours and ended up with over 10k
So this is also powerlvling - advancing players, but at the same token involved in the game.
What about buffing mana, hp buffs for a fee? isnt that power lvling too if you donate? It buys spells too.
So many ways a person can powerlvl someone, one is not incorrect to the other. If i had only 2 hours a night, and the guild required me to be lvl 80 with 5000+ aa's to play but i was lacking so many hours to get on those 2 hour raids a night. I knew how to play, my class and what to deal with but i didnt have the time to commit to the game like 60 hours a week required. We have someone offering to help level you off for 10k in game currency, should that be banned from the game completely?
What if the person takes the 10k and offers to sell it online at a store? seems nobody stopped those places from selling the currency. I know they tried but never worked too well.
What if the person, just wants his buddy up to his level so they can play together? seems like the way the topic is going its frowned on.
Well ill tell you now, brad isnt going to put so many resources into finding everything or every way out, its policing the game too much. To stop everything is impossible, and what is our business how a person gets that needed spell? as long as it is not illegal i am ok with it, and nobody is being griefed upon.
Zikkar said:If someone wants to be PLed then let them it does not hurt you or anything at all. I am sick of the mentality of I dont like this so no one should be able to do it at all. Same crap with multiboxing
Can I pay 50 dollars for an xp +2000% potion? Your argument of "it doesnt't hurt anyone so allow it" unfortunately doesn't work with pantheon, whether or not it is a correct argument.
The game does have rules which don't allow you to pay to win or have any significant advantage over your traditional new player. It's not "is pling and multiboxxing good" it's "should pantheon, with it's current rules and goals, allow traditional versions of powerleveling"...That's how I see it anyways.
Still though congrats on your awakening, it takes a big heart to truly not be worried about competetive advantage.
Gnog said: One repeated argument in support of power leveling is that it does not affect other players. That is too simplistic. There are complex economies in later stages of the MMOs that prefigure PRF, and those economies are influenced by, among others things, the number of characters on a server that have reached the maximum level, and the class composition of those characters. If you prevent power leveling techniques, you increase the value, in the economy, of characters that are leveled organically without accelerating techniques. You increase their value because they are in higher demand for groups and guilds, and because they will have less competition for max-level content, camp spots, raid targets, and so on. Moreover, I would argue from experience that power leveling tends to help the most established and "hardcore" MMO players, because they are the ones who have the time and resources to establish and use the tools required for the most effective power leveling. In other words, on a macro level, power leveling distorts the economy in the endgame and tends to reward the more established and hardcore players. Maybe the benefits of power leveling justify these distortions and the other externalities (which I and others have articulated in this thread) but to say that PLeveling doesn't affect anyone else ignores the macro implications of these and other design decisions. The argument that PLeveling doesn't hurt anyone, or that you should be able to PLevel and it's nobody else's business, is a flawed one in an open world MMO. If you want to convince anyone that PLeveling is good for an MMO like PRF, then you need to explain why it is good for you to be able to accelerate the leveling process for your second toon, your guild mates, or your friends.
I like this post quite a bit. We can say powerleveling is fine and helps solve lots of problems, but can we say for sure that it does not also cause problems? that for each person paying to powerlevel we arent scaring new players, who feel they just can't compete, out?
Powerleveling is something that can be found in most mmos since inception to some degree. I dont think you can really avoid it. in Everquest 1 i never powerleveled and hit 60 well before POP came out which ment something due to the changes in exp gained. I didnt have any issue with high level players in a group or friends helping out as the social aspect in MMOS has been missing for over a decade. As long as it in some way it can be ballanced so we dont have a 50 + warrior soloing an entire area and zippy has gained a level zippy had gained a level zippy has gained a level firing off in the back ground.
People progresses at the pace they set for themself, not much can be done about controling that pace for someone else.
Powerleveling increases content replayability by ensuring that people have a drive to level third, fourth, and fifth alts. I have a strong suspicion that the number of people who level anything aside from maybe a second alt the old fashioned way are a minority.
That said, maybe it would be reasonable to artificially limit the ability to powerlevel to, say, the last 10 levels or so from the current level cap. This ensures that low level content stays populated due to people leveling alts but once you hit the level where you're leveling in the same zones you'd be playing your main in, you have a way to bypass that current overplayed content.
I'll defer to Phinigel once more as an example: Most powerleveling takes place at roughly 46-50+, where you're running zones like Old Sebilis and Grieg's End where you've already spent 50-100+ hours grinding levels and AAs on your main. Ain't nobody got time for that. So instead, you get powerleveled so you can start doing the things you actually want to do on your main. Like spending your overflowing DKP on alt loot.
PLing will be in the game. There is really no way to stop it without saying "If you are more than 10 levels over another person you can't cast a spell on them" and that won't happen in a social game. You may not be able to use max level spells but you can sure as hell use lower level ones. So the entire thread/arguement is pretty moot. People will always find a way to do it regardless of if safeguards are put into place.
PLing really has no downside if the game is done correctly. Give a reason for grouping. XP bonuses in a full group for example. PLing generally only happens with friends/guild mates and the only downside that is really viable is due to the progeny system but even then we don't know the benefits if any of that system. If it is a big stat boost to progeny then it will become a requirement and PLing would make that much easier. But the argument that people can't play the class when PL'd is total BS. If a person needs that much time to learn how to properly play the class, especially in this day and age when there are guides up on every class before the game even launches, then they probably aren't the hardcore type player that will be on the forefront of progression anyway. So they can take the time casually and just enjoy the ride. The people who do PL are those looking for a quick route to get to the parts of the game they consider fun. Be that raiding or whatever. A lot of people do not enjoy the leveling process. Especially if the game was to be like some here want it with it taking upwards of 500 hours to hit mid level (which is completely insane imo).
I'd like to take a stab at some of these if you don't mind.
Gnog said: Enitzu, Do you really think it's impossible to design game mechanics that prevent power leveling?
No it's not impossible, but doing so would have severely limit player freedom.
Gnog said:Do you really think that power leveling has no effect on the server's economy?
I'm sure it has some, but I would guess there are pros and cons.
Gnog said:Do you also think that players should be able to purchase EXP potions?
The discussion is more based on a higher level player assisting a lower levels player to speed up leveling. There was a thread on Bonus XP, and I think XP potions came up in that one.
Gnog said:As someone who intends to be involved with end-game progression, shouldn't you appreciate that trivializing character progression debases the value of the time that each normal-leveling player of the game invests in leveling their characters?
This would harp back to a reply I made early that the majority of PLing players are alts, and/or people bringing new friends up to level. These people are not typically learning the world and the game on their own, or for the first time.
Gnog said:Would you support an MMO in which there was an option to transform any class into any other class, with a five-minute timer?
Not sure what this really has to do with PLing.
Gnog said:Why is Power Leveling GOOD for an open world, instance free MMO?
Because it is as you say "Open World" which, at least to me, means players have freedoms. Controlling and prohibitting everything is not "open".
That is not to say there should be no rules, but the rules need to be loose, and then tightened later if something developes that is detrimental to the game.
There is definitiely alot of good feedback in this topic, and neither side of the debate will ever convince the other that one way is superior. But threads like these, help identify the concerns of both sides, and that is an important feature that help the devs get a feel for what the fan base thinks.
Gnog said: Enitzu, Do you really think it's impossible to design game mechanics that prevent power leveling? Do you really think that power leveling has no effect on the server's economy? Do you also think that players should be able to purchase EXP potions? As someone who intends to be involved with end-game progression, shouldn't you appreciate that trivializing character progression debases the value of the time that each normal-leveling player of the game invests in leveling their characters? Would you support an MMO in which there was an option to transform any class into any other class, with a five-minute timer? Why is Power Leveling GOOD for an open world, instance free MMO?
Ok so I'll respond to this point by point:
Enitzu, Do you really think it's impossible to design game mechanics that prevent power leveling?
No it's not impossible. We could force people to be grouped in order to have spells cast on them which would prevent people healing outside of group. But then we would still need to find a way to stop people from nearly killing mobs then zoning/fd and letting others finish it. As I said, people will ALWAYS find a way around the road blocks. They do in every single game ever made.
Do you really think that power leveling has no effect on the server's economy?
Please explain to me what effect PLing has on the economy. If I chose to PL someone at say frenzy in Lguk would that change anything? Because whether or not I was PLing someone I could obviously solo that camp if I so chose to. So in effect the economy has not changed at all. So what is it? Is it having another person higher up to farm items? Would that create an imbalance that would begin to flood the market and kill pricing?
Do you also think that players should be able to purchase EXP potions?
At launch, no. People need to play through the game as intended. And before the "its the same thing", no it's not. People won't be doing PLing until max level which means they have already played through the game. And the new players wouldn't have the cash to pay for PL's early on. Most people don't pay for PL's on a main, it's usually their 2nd or 3rd toons that they do so with. But when the first xpac drops, sure I can support XP pots for the previous expansion levels.
As someone who intends to be involved with end-game progression, shouldn't you appreciate that trivializing character progression debases the value of the time that each normal-leveling player of the game invests in leveling their characters?
Absolutely not. If the progeny system becomes something that indeed is a "must have" for high end raiding competition I will be PLing guildies and getting PLed all the same. If the progeny system isn't worth it then we will be PLing alts to be able to swap into raid when/if needed. I don't advocate for someones first play through to be a PL session but for people that already know the game, there is no reason to try to stop it. They have already put the time in and continue to do so.
Would you support an MMO in which there was an option to transform any class into any other class, with a five-minute timer?
How does this apply? Like at all. We are talking about a PL which even if you do PL there is no way in hell you would even go from 1-max in a day much less 5 mins. In order to PL a character up you are taking away a lot of time from another person. Time in which said person will likely be falling asleep from boredom. That's quite a bit different than clicking a button and changing a class.
Why is Power Leveling GOOD for an open world, instance free MMO?
I never said it was good, I simply said it wasn't bad. If there was no PLing in game it wouldn't hurt me at all. I would still do all of the same things I intend to do. There simply is no downside that I have seen in over 20 years of gaming or in this thread to PLing. The only ones close to viable is people not having up to date skills or knowing how to play the class. Those are both signs of just a bad player. Anyone who has PL'd before knows they have to lvl the skills and it takes all of 10 minutes tops to learn how to play a class.
I am pretty neutral when it comes to this topic. IMO this is one of those pick your battle type things. There isn't a real detriment to the game here and there are much more important things I'd want to see and/or keep out of the game.