Why do people say "the game begins at 50?"

[Shadrir11]

What happens at 50 that is so different? Hhow does it change and what will I be doing then? right now I am mostly soloing my way through content with an occassional group and pvp after I hit the mid point of each of each level range.

[Moozilla]

They say that because that's when you stop leveling and start focusing on gear and have max potential for your skills as you will have all of the skill points available then and you are able to begin your journey to become strong enough to take on the hardest content in the game. hope that helps =)

[Hotter]

It's the people that believe life revolves around level 50, rather than the journey getting there...

[Gery]

Leveling to 50 is like a brief sightseeing tour across the world. It's more of a tutorial than the actual game.

[oniku]

shouldnt take more than 3 weeks to get to 50. takes months and months to get you gear and you PA up.

[Galibier]

It's the people that believe life revolves around level 50, rather than the journey getting there...

well since even with casual play u can be to 50 in 3 weeks with little effort their isn't much of a journey in this game. Scott Hartsman even stated in the betas that this was intentional.

[Hotter]

well since even with casual play u can be to 50 in 3 weeks with little effort their isn't much of a journey in this game. Scott Hartsman even stated in the betas that this was intentional.

And you can be there in three days or three months... 'casual' is relative. Doesn't negate the fact the journey can be more worthy than the destination.

[Stay]

Leveling is not much of a challenge, there have been games that challenged you to level but this is not one of them. Most people don't really group to level either, where MMOs defining feature is group play. If you like challenge and/or group play, then leveling is kind of an annoying mini-game before you get to the real gameplay.

[Kelleton]

leveling is a tutorial basically, all the interesting things in game ak raids are at level 50

[Galibier]

And you can be there in three days or three months... 'casual' is relative. Doesn't negate the fact the journey can be more worthy than the destination.

Okay let me be blunt. Hartsman was asked in the betas "why is leveling so fast". His answer? "Games that artificially control leveling do so because they do not have end game. We have end game." So the boss of the game says Rift is about lvl 50. Also no offense but if it takes someone 3 months to hit 50 in this game they either have a boat load of alts or they don't even qualify as casual, sorry relativity only goes so far.

[Xney]

From a PVP point of view, people below 50 don't have all their abilities and points, and don't know their class at all, really. (I'd argue you only start really knowing the class at r5 or r6)

Thus when you face PVP players after turning 50, it's an eye-opener, besides the whole gear thing.

[Knoto]

Ok, well, I'm a casual player, and yes, I have a 50.... but I much preferred the leveling then the "end game" that I'm just getting into. 50 can be "the life" but for me, personally, I like the level grinds, the never seeing the end of the line.. once I hit 50, my first thought was... "what now?" 50 really isn't all that and a bag of chips, it's not the end of the line by any means.
You can be a slow leveling/casual gamer. It does happen.

In fact, It took me over 3 months to level, but in that time I went to guild events, Role-played often, goofed off doing instance running, and exploring in higher areas than I should have been in as a lowbie character. I was doing other things, and in doing so, I could make any level the center of my day.

(I also had not much time for play early on.)

Yes, life begins at 50, if you want it too, but as a casual gamer who honestly doesn't care if I have high end Parses, or really cool high end gear (just pixels, don't care much) My most fun was when the game was still new and exciting. Now there's gearing to be done before I see any New content, and honestly, that's more of a grind in my book.

That's just my view though. There are many that will say 50 is the start of the game, and for a majority of gamers, it is, but only if you like gear grinding, instancing for marks and +hit gear, daily quests up the butt for rep that drives you insane....

[Tristaynia]

Exactly, it's all about what YOU want to get from the game!

I would say the majority treat 1-50 as a tutorial and introduction to the world as there's SO much to do when you reach the big 5-0. If people prefer to do the leveling/social thing, that's totally fine too! If that's what you enjoy, your paying for the game, it's your call!

[Kyera]

The question was "why do people say", and I think it was answered.

You might not feel that way, but for plenty of us, that's when the "real" journey (of dungeons, progression, raid vs. raid PvP, premade warfronts, Ember Isle, etc.) starts to kick in.

[HeavyMetalLucidity]

What happens at 50 that is so different? Hhow does it change and what will I be doing then? right now I am mostly soloing my way through content with an occassional group and pvp after I hit the mid point of each of each level range.

for many ppl the game is about the end game content. L50 brings you greater challenges to overcome on your character unlike the tedium that can be soloing to get there. end game is about many things to different ppl, but mostly its about the raiding, the pvp, and the epic places and loots you see.

incidentally... they are introducing level locking (ya know.. for those that dont enjoy endgame)