Party Sync - Experience for new player is counter-intuitive and discouraging

Gameplay Quests
1

Hello,

Regarding the “level sync” option - as the title replies, it seems counter-intuitive.

Expectations: I level sync and it puts me within level range of my partner so I’m not overpowering everything and it feels like we’re leveling together. “repeat quests” are available and I am pulled into their (lower level) phase.

Reality: My level 46, 45, and 50 stay at their respective levels and power, I am still overpowered, no quests are available for “repeat”, only low level quests that offer little to no worthwhile exp.

I can’t tell if this is supposed to happen or why. Someone explained that the stat squish made level 10s sync with level 50s, but I’m still completely over powered so it fails in the “power sync” area. Nothing shows up as a repeat quest that might offer my higher level (synced) character exp for his level.

This is before we even talk about the phasing issues. She (the new player I’m partnering with) started the NPE and we were locked out from playing together until she cleared the island. Fine, I thought. Then, she was thrown directly into BFA content. When she arrived in BFA aboard Jain’s ship we level synced and her phase completely bugged out. She was suspending in mid air, fell into the water, and could not get back aboard the boat. I had to glitch her character through the bottom of the boat to even continue the quest because the small dinghy that circles the larger ship was clipping. Additionally she was seeing many cases of NPCs occupying the same space, like the phases were confused for her or something, with and without being grouped.

Once I did that, the prison break sequence bugged out and and the “escape dinghy” stopped in the middle of a fatigue spot deep in the ocean. I ran her character back across the ocean twice before finally spirit ressing just outside of Kul Tiras.

After all that hot mess, we still can’t level sync still, or at least not in any way that we can make sense of. Additionally, I’ve tried to unlock Chromie time for her. I’ve completed “Sail Away” achievement that most guides say you need to complete, she might need a level 50 on her account? Which she doesn’t have, so oh well I guess? Im not sure that would have fixed the level sync thing anyways.

Overall, I can tell you she found the NPE exile island charming and fun, and she likes the aesthetic of the game, but boy what a hot mess. The phasing and clunky level sync thing that makes no sense, to the buggy quests after what is an otherwise well-polished NPE on exile island. Basically everything after exile island is nothing like exile island. I’m posting here because I’d like to see what gives? Is there something I’m missing about level and phase synching? She doesn’t really want to continue if we can’t play together on any of my existing characters, and I have little interest in starting another char since I have most of any classes I want to play.

Please let me know if you have any idea what I’m doing wrong, I spent 3 hours trying to get sync to work, but that’s pretty absurd. Or if you’ve had a similar experience I wouldn’t mind hearing yours. I think it’s a shame, WoW has some interesting stuff going on with the phasing, but its so buggy and sloppy after the NPE island that it really has driven away a potential new player. Trying to convince her to keep playing if I can figure out what’s going on with sync.

1 Like
2

The way I read it as…

You can do the quests;yes, but the rewards are for the low level.
Do not expect the higher level to gain experience, but rather the item rewards; at that level.

The old way you needed to be within 4 levels of them to help them at all.

Think of it as: You are at their low level for their low level rewards.

As for Chromie Time, 50 is required to switch. The higher level toon that has it, can sync as the leader of group. For unCromie time players?
Not sure…

3

Thanks for the reply, but it still doesn’t make sense. So basically, they will not be penalized for exp if I’m in their group and level synced, even if I’m 1-shotting everything? Like they’ll still get exp for killing monsters, quest credit, etc?

And it’s scaling quest rewards to each of our respective levels?

Another big problem is that her quests would disappear entirely, when I join her group and sync. Basically she’s pulled out of her phase and cannot continue with any portion of the main story which means we can’t really “repeat” quest together. Is main story stuff off limits for sync?

4

Without testing it myself…
The leader is the higher level toon, but sync to the lower level quests.
So you said joining their group. Have them pass you the lead of group.
Found info…

5

I read all that and it doesn’t seem to work like that at all.

Specifically:

“When players activate Party Sync, everyone in the party becomes aligned to the same quest state and phase.”

No matter who had lead, or who requested the sync, she always loses story quests like the one in BFA entry. its like she’s pulled into my phase, but i cant be pulled into hers (the lower level player) regardless.

Also:

"Levels will be scaled down to the cap of the expansion content your lowest-level party member qualifies for. "

So she’s level 10, so my level doesn’t actually decrease since my highest toon is 50? But this doesn’t really “sync” to their level then, does it? It means if we want to start out together, I’m completely overpowered for the content she’s doing at level 10. This is the part that makes zero sense. “Level sync” implies our levels are the same, what they’ve given us is something limited and convoluted, but why?

6

Party sync was a bit different before the level squish and has been a bit complicated by Chromie time, as well. Essentially, 50-60 characters in party sync will be temporarily synced down to 50, but will still gain XP if eligible. You are for all intents and purposes synced and the “same” level in BFA content which scales from 10-50. You will both gain XP in this mode (unless you are 60).

The sync will put everyone in the state of the character with the least amount completed in a zone. If you sync with a person who has done more quests than you, they will be temporarily locked out of quests you haven’t done but CAN replay all quests in the zone with you and gain XP until you’ve caught up to their spot and then their quests will unlock. Vice versa, if you have done all the quests in that zone, you would sync to whatever quest they are on and be able to replay it. Granted, if they are in the middle of a quest, it may be best to sync after they have completed and turned in that one, as sometimes it can be a bit clunky picking up the right quests in the right places. Whenever one person logs out, the syncing is removed and the person who has already done them has them removed from their log, so be sure the person recompleting the quests turns in any quests if they would like to gain XP. The resyncing can occur at every session, however, just something to keep in mind, so it’s not a big deal typically.

If you are in any other zone than BFA, and one character is level 50, it becomes more complicated because of the scaling of the zones. You can no longer activate Chromie time at level 50 and above, which scales all old zones to 50. You’d be in two different phases, like having war mode on and war mode off. BFA is the best place to party sync for leveling because of the scaling of the zone. Other zones you’d have to hop around a good bit to level in XP-appropriate zones.

And, yes, that BFA intro quest has been bugged for a little while. I have a bug report you can contribute to. Hopefully it will get fixed eventually.

I love party sync and think it was a great addition for areas where someone wants to help with a quest that involves phasing, or gain XP outside of Shadowlands beyond 50, but Shadowlands has muddied up some things with it making it a bit more confusing initially.

7

Rereading the article it shows 8.2.5 info, so last expac.
Maybe with 9.1.5 issues have popped up with the system.
Most of the issues are going to be the solo quests.
Good luck…

Would be nice for another voice to chime in and help you that has used the system.

8

Hello and thank you,

This was the info I was looking for. It is not plainly explained on Bliz’s post about level sync. I hope they’re paying attention, because until you explained it, it all seemed like nonsense.

So basically from here now that she’s at the “select your campaign start” quest in BFA start area, syncing shouldn’t be so… muddled?

1 Like
9

You’re welcome! I’m glad I could help. I agree, it can be quite confusing in addition to all the changes from expansion to expansion. I am thinking things should be much better now, but there are still bugs encountered from time to time. Be sure to check out wowhead or the bug report forum when quests like that come into play as sometimes there will be tips or workarounds posted in the comments, and you can report any new ones in the bug report forum that you encounter.

If you run into any other syncing issues, you might try turning in any open quests in that zone and sync again before picking up new ones, or the player with them in the log can share the quests they have that aren’t locked. Sometimes just hitting it at a mid-phase makes it harder to find what to do next. BFA is generally pretty nice for quest progression.

There is also a new player forum you or your friend can post on for advice from other players if you run into anything odd or confusing, or you can reply again on this thread if you see anything new you’re not sure about while syncing.