In a recent article by Destructoid, it wa revealed that Guild Wars 2 expansion Heart of Thorns would not be increasing the level cap. While this might sound like a mundane aspect of game development, this actually has some pretty big implications that could change the way MMORPGs are developed, if successful.
Many argue that World of Warcraft first suffered a major loss in subscribers after Blizzard Entertainment, who develops the title, introduced expansion Cataclysm. This particular expansion brought a host of changes to the game, but drastically increased the damage and healing output of nearly every class and character. It completely changed the face of PvP and PvE players were forced to adjust to the massive health differences.
Heart of Thorns will use a mastery system, where players will accrue points that they can allocate into different skillsets. ArenaNet president and co-founder defended this approach, stating that players tend to skip too much content in traditional MMORPGs:
"With a new level cap, you'll instantly find new gear and items to replace. Saying goodbye to the old and in with the new can be great, but players are often attached to their old conquests. We didn't want to invalidate that, so I'm really excited about Masteries. It pertains to jungle-specific progression, but you can still go back to the old world and have fun."