Camate wrote:
During the Test Server update on June 14th, we made it so that item levels are now displayed on items that have been added since Seekers of Adoulin.
I’d like to explain a bit more in detail about how this will work.
What are item levels?
As mentioned previously, as we move forward, player growth will occur through the procurement of equipment, instead of levels. (We are planning to have new merits, but from a level perspective players will not go above level 99.)
As such, there will be differences between the item stats that can be equipped at level 99, so we've arranged the "item level" system to display the strength of each item.
(Item levels for accessories will not be displayed.)
The level of the items you can obtain from content will become higher as the content level increases as this is demonstrated below:
Item level display
Item levels will be displayed on the very bottom of a piece of equipment.
For equipment that can have enchantments or augments applied to it, the item level will be displayed as if the item were at its maximum value.
For example, if you had an item that could be augmented and it displays an item level of 113, augmenting it with the highest value possible would make that piece of equipment each its full potential at item level 113. (This rule is the same for both random augments and for Delve's rank type system.)
Displaying monster strength when "checking" them and the amount of experience points received
The strength of a monster that is displayed when using "check" and also the amount of experience points gained when defeating monsters will vary based on item level, not on your character's level. The fundamental rules will not change.
Based on the combination of the various equipment you are wearing and their item levels, your ultimate level will be tallied, and this is what will be referenced. However, accessory slots, grips, and items equipped in ammo that are classified as accessories will not have item levels and will not be referenced for this level.
The main reasons for switching to this is due to the fact that if we kept it the same as it is currently, regardless of how strong a monster is introduced the message displayed when you "check†would be inaccurate and we are aiming to change this. We are also aiming to make sure the amount of experience points gained from defeating enemies, as well as the pace in which they are obtained, do not become unbalanced.
Adoulin mission difficulty levels
Missions and quests will basically become unlocked through coalition assignments, and we plan on balancing it such that they can be undertaken with a single party, which has the strongest items at the time that can be purchased with Bayld.
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/threads/34679-Item-Levels?p=445881#post445881
Edited, Jun 17th 2013 4:00pm by Szabo