Most players dread the idea of level scaling in a video game. After all, the best thing one can feel in a good action-packed title is a sense of progression as players obliterate opponents that were giving them a tough time. However,if level scaling comes into the picture, then it feels like every enemy can stand up to the player and give them a tough fight regardless of the main characters’s equipment, abilities, weapons, and everything else along the same lines.
Thankfully, most games understand that level scaling needs to be carried out in a smart manner to ensure a sense of challenge without cheapening a player’s progress. These titles make enemies tougher but also improve the loot they drop while letting players enjoy some passive bonuses that ensure they always feel stronger than most regular enemies without completely dwarfing them in strength.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionwas a great game, but one area where it utterly failed was its leveling system. Players who didn’t optimize their build and get their hands on the strongest equipment would inadvertently make the game harder for them at higher levels, which made it more optimal for players to not level up at all. It was a system that made no sense, and Bethesda had to improve this level scaling to let players enjoy a power fantasy instead of struggling near the end of the game.
Thankfully,Skyrimwas a huge improvementin this regard. Enemies still scale to the player’s level, but a suite of bonus abilities coupled with a satisfying loot creep ensures that players will be one step ahead of regular enemies throughout their adventure. This makes certain moments immensely satisfying, such as when players finally obliterate a Giant that had been sending them sky-high for hours whenever players tried to take on this imposing foe.
Breath of the Wildis one of the best open-world games fans can get their hands on. Nintendo’s efforts to modernizeThe Legend of Zeldapaid off in spades, with the visual design, simple yet engaging combat, and incredible exploration helping this game stand out as one of the very best fans could check out. There are many reasons why this game is such a massive achievement, and its level scaling mechanic shows the genius that went into its development.
Instead of levels,Breath of the Wildhas a hidden mechanicthat gauges the player’s strength based on the progress they’ve made, the weapons they’ve acquired, the enemies they’ve defeated, and everything else along the same lines. The first enemy tier is relatively simple to deal with after a point, but as their colors shift, so do their equipment and HP. Encountering a Silver or Golden enemy in the game is daunting no matter how many hours players sink into the game, but players are confident in their skills at this point and love taking on this challenge.
Pillars of Eternityis an excellent CRPG with real-time combat that players will get a kick out of. The story is engaging, with its frenetic battles making it hard to manage things early on. However, once players gain enough levels and access a suite of powerful abilities, most encounters become a cakewalk that players can manage without any problems. This can be an issue for CRPG veterans who want the combat to be challenging throughout the experience, which is whythe game’s optional level scalingis such a godsend.
Players don’t have to worry about blitzing every encounter mindlessly. Instead, they must tactically approach every situation, especially when it comes to some of the game’s most challenging bosses. Words can’t express how engaging the combat becomes with this level scaling, and the best part is that players who want to enjoy a power fantasy can choose to keep it off. It’s an option that more RPGs should have, changing the way players view difficulty in their video games.
Cyberpunk 2077has numerous issues when it launched, but CD Projekt Red fixed a lot of these issues and then some with each update. It made for an amazing turnaround that has led to some people callingCyberpunk 2077one of the greatest RPGs of all time, which was unthinkable when the game launched. With the launch ofPhantom Libertyand Update 2.0, a huge change was added to the game that enhanced its combat even more.
Instead of enemies being stuck at a certain level,they scaled along with Vto make for a consistent challenge. This meant that gang members weren’t randomly strong or weak, making for a consistent challenge. Along with this, players could explore Night City however they wished instead of being restricted to explore certain regions before they became stronger. This, coupled with the overhauled weapon system, ensured that combat would feel satisfying without being too easy or hard at illogical moments in the story.
Dying Lightis an excellent parkour-action game that lets players jump around rooftops and take on zombieswith fun melee combat. The title was a surprise hit and did many things right to set itself apart as an excellent open-world game. One thing this game nailed was level scaling, steadily increasing the challenge without making things too unfair for the player.
Zombies had more health as players progressed in the story, but they won’t feel like health sponges as long as players are diligent about acquiring powerful weaponry. This ensures that these undead enemies don’t become a walk in the park, compelling players to loot and purchase better weaponry to take out their enemies in style instead of hacking away at a zombie over and over again with a weak, ineffective weapon.
