Line #21 Main/LowLevelAdvantage


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10	[[quoteright:300:[[Franchise/TheElderScrolls https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/low-level-advantage_3a_6528.jpg]]]]
11	[[caption-width-right:300:[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D31rhjKHytg Jalyss accidentally levels.]]]]
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13	This trope represents {{RPG}}s where there are particular advantages to keeping CharacterLevel lower. This can exist when there are benefits that are [[PermanentlyMissableContent lost]] when you level up, but also when there are tactical advantages caused by a level gain--usually when the game uses LevelScaling, especially in conjunction with EmptyLevels.
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15	Other times, especially in multiplayer games, this trope is used to avoid scaring off new players with particularly harsh [[ContinuingIsPainful penalties for death]] and similar things, or to give them a chance to get used to the setting before such things are imposed. It's not uncommon for {{MMORPG}}s and similar games to waive most of the penalty for death for lower-leveled characters. Low-level characters are also frequently exempt from PVP, which can be a mixed advantage.
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17	Compare AntiGrinding. Contrast EarlyGameHell (where being low-level is murderously hard).
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20	!!Examples:
21
22	[[foldercontrol]]
23
24	[[folder:Action Adventure]]
25	* ''VideoGame/CaveStory'' has a couple of weapons that are better at lower levels. Fortunately, leveling up your weapons isn't permanent in this game, as you lose experience whenever you get hurt.
26	** Many players insist that the level 2 Blade is better than the level 3 Blade: it does much more damage per second, provided you SpamAttack from very close. This is because the Blade can only have one shot on screen at the time, but has no other delay between shots. At level two, the shot disappears once it hits the enemy, but at level three it creates an area-of-effect damage field, thus lengthening the time between shots.
27	** The Nemesis [[ExaggeratedTrope intentionally pushes this trope as far as possible]]: At level 1 it's one of the most powerful weapons in the game, having extremely high attack power, range, and firing speed. At level 2 it's average, and at level 3 it shoots rubber ducks that have extremely low range and do only 1 point of damage. It also levels up from a single experience pick up. Interestingly, you get this weapon by exchanging the aforementioned Blade.
28	[[/folder]]
29
30	[[folder:Action RPG]]
31	* Since ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' and ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'' determines invasion and summon matchups by [[CharacterLevel Soul Level]], your ability relative to other players you fight is increased by finding better equipment and spending [[PracticalCurrency Souls]] to upgrade it instead of leveling up. Some {{griefer}}s take this to the extreme, using [[LowLevelRun low-level runs]] and GoodBadBugs to [[{{Twinking}} twink insanely powerful late-game weapons and armor]] for [[CurbStompBattle curbstomping people only hours into the game]]. This was even worse in ''I'', as Invaders could get a lot of Humanity to increase their defense without raising their level. Later entries and ''Bloodborne'' make various attempts to counter this:
32	** ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'' instead bases matchups on the total number of souls you've collected. It's theoretically a better indicator of a player character's power, but a bit broken in the other direction: it's quite possible for someone to amass a lot of souls but lose them from dying, or lose a moderate amount of souls frequently. This would make you have a high value despite being low everywhere else except play time since you never actually used those souls for anything.
33	** ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' went back to level-based matching-making but prevented invading the world of anyone below level 30 unless they actively used Sinister Resonant Bell to summon Chime Maiden (it doesn't stop people below Level 30 from invading the others however).
34	** ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' bases invasions on both Soul Level ''and'' the level of the most upgraded weapon in your possession (armor is no longer upgraded).
35	** ''[[VideoGame/DarkSoulsI Dark Souls Remastered]]'' also bases invasion on both Soul Level ''and'' the level of the most upgraded item in your possession. Purchasing any item from Quelana of Izalith[[note]]You can make Quelana appear in Blighttown by summoning anyone with Pyromancy Flame +10 or above by using password matchmaking.[[/note]] also affects your summoning range. Spells, however, do not affect the summoning range.
36	*** If you're "lucky" enough to get a Black Knight to drop their weapon, of which there are a couple easily stumbled upon in the early game, this will bump you up to weapon level 5 before you're likely to have encountered a blacksmith and enough upgrade materials to get another weapon up to that level. Even worse are the high stat requirements of the Black Knight weapons.
37	*** The Dragon Form's unarmed attacks, however, ''bypass'' the weapon level summoning range. It also scales with the covenant level. Meaning that if you could make it to the Path of the Dragon covenant and offer 80 Dragon Scales without levelling your character, upgrading any equipment or picking up any of the rare weapons, you can exploit the matchmaking mechanics and effectively [[CurbStompBattle curbstomp most of the newcomers]] by [[OneHitKill clawing them to death in one hit]].
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Card Games]]
41	* In ''VideoGame/{{Shadowverse}}'', you gain slightly more Rank/Score Reward points if you win a duel against a higher-ranked player. Inversely, you are deducted lesser points if you lose against a higher-ranked player.
42	[[/folder]]
43
44	[[folder:[=MMORPGs=]]]
45	* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'':
46	** The game prevented characters below level ten from receiving xp debt for a defeat. On the other hand, [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist xp debt isn't really a massive problem anyway.]]
47	** There was an early period which drove completionists crazy, because the original design for the game involved characters [[PermanentlyMissableContent outleveling mission arcs]] and the chance to even be introduced to many contacts. The idea (to individualize characters and their experiences) proved so unpopular that there were guides developed about how to get through missions with as little experience gain as possible. This eventually led to a "Turn Off XP Gain" checkbox buried deep in the game options, long before replaying missions was possible.
48	* An ''VideoGame/EverQuest'' server made PlayerVersusPlayer combat ineffective against characters under level 6. [[http://www.notacult.com/fansythefamous.htm Fansy the Famous Bard]] exploited this by "training" monsters. This involved taunting monsters and running away from them toward player characters of the opposite faction so that the monsters would slay the other characters. Because this FragileSpeedster never got any kills himself, he stayed on level 5.
49	* In ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'', lower-rarity characters provide a bonus amount of Prestige Pendants that the higher-rarity characters, but the bonuses are only counted for characters who are at the front-lines when the raid ends. For example, 3 R characters will net the player 24 Pendants in an Omega Showdown raid, while SR characters will provide only 12 Pendants in the same condition. SSR characters do not have this perk.
50	* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' features a heavily reduced difficulty curve for players below level 20, primarily affecting mana and health regeneration but also how certain stat modifiers scale. The curve is pronounced enough that a properly equipped level 1 character could theoretically outdamage a level 10. However, since base stats are fixed at each level, there's no advantage to exploiting this in the long term unless you plan to be a Battlegrounds twink.
51	** Also, on PVP servers you are safe from opposing players as long as you stay in your faction's lower-level zones (designed for roughly the same level range). Unfortunately, the same can't be said for most [=NPCs=] in those zones.
52	** The LevelScaling mechanic introduced in ''Legion'' can result in mobs becoming harder to kill as you level up. In part it is because of the way gear works: if your item level is lower than what's expected for your level, you're going to do worse against a mob of the same level as you, and it will take some time after you level up to also replace your gear to match, unless you're using heirlooms. At some point they also made mobs at max level scale with ''item level'', which resulted in oddities like mobs being easier to kill with worse gear. ''Battle for Azeroth'' exacerbated the situation because it needed to bring level 110 players in powerful endgame gear down to a reasonable power level by the time they reached 120, and combined with level scaling for mobs, this resulted in characters feeling progressively weaker as they leveled from 110 to 120.
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:Puzzle]]
56	* ''VideoGame/DesktopDungeons'' makes this into a mechanic: Managing the experience bonus from hitting enemies of a higher level, plus the free full healing you get from leveling up, are key to progressing in the harder dungeons.
57	[[/folder]]
58
59	[[folder:Real-Time Strategy]]
60	* There are many civilizations in games like ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires'' or ''VideoGame/EmpireEarth'' that thrive during early ages, only to become obsolete and fail to catch up in later ages. For example, the Greeks in Empire Earth have a bonus on spear damage, thus their hoplites and cavalry get a conspicuous advantage until the Renaissance. Then, they just fall behind those civs with bonuses in riflemen or armored vehicles. Thus, in a full game from the prehistoric beginning, they should try to win as soon as possible. This won't qualify per se as a proper low level advantage, since rivals will advance regardless of your choice, so even if you stick to the bronze age with the Greeks, good luck facing the Austrians that just unlocked gunpowder. However, during game setup, it may come in line depending on the settings chosen by the players. You could agree that ages should range from the copper age to the dark ages, in order to get the benefits of the Greeks. But if you accept to allow to get to the digital age or worse the space age, some other players could choose civs that have an early disadvantage while getting increased values for futuristic techs, like Novaja Russia when cyborgs enter the frail; and your Greeks would face the opposite situation. So, if you really like the Greeks and for whatever reason you dislike choosing other civilizations, you won't really want to play games set in more modern ages, unless you want an increased challenge.
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Roguelike]]
64	* ''VideoGame/AncientDomainsOfMystery'' has numerous optional quests that are [[PermanentlyMissableContent unobtainable]] above a certain level. These include: [[spoiler:killing Kranach (vanishes at level 6), the Pyramid (levels 13 to 16 only), the Minotaur Maze (levels 22 to 27 only), and Keethrax (the druid won't assign it after the unicorn quest)]].
65	** Also, the Small Cave gets exponentially harder as you level up; past level 6 or so (which you'll reach VERY fast in there, if you even survive that long), you're toast. Unless you have on-demand [[GameBreaker Invisibility]] or Teleportation, that is...
66	** Finally, several bosses are keyed to the player's level when you first encounter them, so if you visit their floor early, then go practice elsewhere for a while, you can come back later for an easy kill.
67	* In ''VideoGame/LoopHero'', each time the Hero passes through their camp all enemies increase in power, including the bosses. As such it's best to fight the boss after completing as few loops as possible. The best way to accomplish this is to only equip items that increase damage; this causes fights to last longer, allowing more enemies to spawn further down the road and delay progress even further. This will generate more cards to play per loop, allowing the boss to be spawned earlier.
68	* In ''VideoGame/NetHack'':
69	** Characters can reach level 30, but the merits of doing so are debated, and depend on the character. Higher level characters are much more likely to encounter [[EnemySummoner Archons and Arch Liches]], and may not be significantly more powerful.
70	** Donating a certain number of gold pieces to a priest will permanently improve the character's protection against physical attacks, with the amount of gold required increasing with every CharacterLevel. Gathering lots of gold while maintaining a low CharacterLevel and then donating all the gold to a priest is known as the Protection Racket.
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder:Role-Playing Game]]
74	* ''VideoGame/AdventureQuest'' and ''VideoGame/DragonFable'', due to almost all the enemies being level-scaled, often rather harshly.
75	* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII -- Throne of Bhaal'', the initial fight with Illasera is relatively easy, but she gets more spells and powers if your character is of a high enough level and you have at least one companion. For example, if you are beyond level 21, she casts Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting, which is one of the most devastating spells in game. Depending on the number of companions and your level, she will also bring up to four henchmen that can be quite annoying if you don't prepare in advance with traps and buffs.
76	** The first level of the Watcher's Keep also implements a form of LevelScaling since if you go there during chapter 2 of Shadows of Amn you will find enemies that are way easier to fight than those you could find in chapter 6 or during the beginning of ToB. Since you can withdraw and return any time, you could simply quickly clear the first level in chapter 2, get all the loot, XP and powerful equipment available for your gain, then return later to challenge the other levels of the keep when you are ready.
77	* ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIII'' and ''[[VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV IV]]'' have the Master system, where your playable characters apprentice under certain special [=NPCs=]. It's best to keep your party's level-ups to a minimum until you find your first Master because they give stat bonuses and penalties whenever one of your characters level up. In ''III'' another incentive is that Masters only teach their skills when an apprentice raises his/her level a fixed number of times; apprenticing a low-level character would mean learning these skills much faster. ''IV'', fortunately, does away with this by having Masters teach their skills under various requirements instead.
78	* Resource management is a key feature in the mini {{Roguelike}} ''VideoGame/DesktopDungeons'', and levelling up will restore your HitPoints, ManaPoints and status. Hence, a widely-used tactic is to start fighting a boss while a few XP short of a level-up, burn through your resources, and then go squish a low-level monster for a mid-fight heal.
79	* ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'':
80	** The level of the Detective's skills influences the likelihood of passing an Active Check, but sometimes failing the checks are more beneficial, either in terms of what the player gets from them or in terms of being a more dramatically satisfying roleplaying choice. In order to teach the player that failure is often better than success in the game, the early game features ''a ton'' of early checks, which succeeding at is unremarkable, and failing at is really funny:
81	*** Successfully hitting on Klaasje just leads to a friendly rejection -- failing to hit on her leads the Detective to stare blankly at her and grunt "I want to have fuck with you" which makes her laugh in his face and drop hints about the upcoming storyline ("and for the record... I didn't do it".)
82	*** When Garte challenges the Detective on the bill he owes for trashing his room, a Savoir Faire check to "slip away unnoticed" pops up. Seeing how Garte is ''staring right at'' the Detective when this comes up, it means that accomplishing what the check describes is impossible. Instead, passing the check makes the Detective run away while Grate jeers at him, while failing the check makes him attempt a backwards jump out of the door while FlippingTheBird with both hands and colliding into an old lady in a wheelchair, causing Garte to reduce the bill out of fear of his reactions (and allowing the player to haggle him down even further).
83	*** When Kim asks the Detective for his name, passing the Conceptualization check leads to some inessential {{Foreshadowing}} of his "[[IKnowYourTrueName true name]]", while failing it leads to him naming himself Raphaël Ambrosius Costeau, which becomes a RunningGag.
84	*** If the Detective investigates Sylvie's reason for leaving her job and pass the Empathy check, you discover more of your AlcoholInducedStupidity and can even get her and Garte to make things up -- if you fail the Empathy check, Garte will break his code of not being a bartender and ''give you alcohol!!''...after the Detective lectures him on some absurd misogynistic nonsense about how Sylvie is "going round and round on the cock carousel".
85	*** Joining in with the pétanque players and succeeding results in the Detective hurling the boule into the sea, which makes the players dislike him (the Physical Instrument skill mistook the game for shot-put). ''Failing'' the check leads to him doing "a perfect pétanque throw", which causes the players to like you more, and lets you unlock a rather powerful Thought which lets you gain +2 Physical Instrument whenever the Detective is not wearing a shirt.
86	** As Skills get higher in level, they begin to influence the Detective's personality more through passive checks. This can lead to Skills increasingly pressuring, and sometimes even forcing the player to start acting in bizarre ways in order to satisfy them, many of which are not beneficial to the Detective or the people around him.
87	*** At moderate levels, the Encyclopedia skill will fill the player in on relevant background info, but at high levels it will start interjecting with pointless trivia unrelated to the Detective's situation and will also try to compel him to tell others about it so they understand how clever he is. An early game Encyclopedia passive about whether the Detective is a [[CowboyCop boiadeiro]] will, if it succeeds, completely shut him down, but if it fails, allow him to contemplate becoming a boiadeiro, unlocking a powerful Thought that [[SmokingIsCool doubles the effect of smoking]].
88	*** At moderate levels, Pain Threshold will make the Detective tough enough to cope with unpleasant physical and emotional situations without too much crying, but at high levels, he will start masochistically seeking out pain and thinking about killing himself all the time.
89	*** At moderate levels, Half Light will help the Detective threaten people and warn him when situations are turning dire. At high levels it will turn him into a paranoid, unstable rage-maniac who tries to pummel down women's doors while screaming they're a "fucking whore" and contemplates tasting the boiling water and vinegar "soup" he is using to clean bits of a rotting corpse off a pair of boots.
90	*** Physical Instrument makes the Detective stronger and healthier at higher levels, but it also will encourage him to solve problems by using brute force even where this wouldn't help anything, and has a GymClassHell-themed personality that will give him an insecure, TestosteronePoisoning relationship to his own manhood.
91	*** At moderate levels, Authority gives the Detective the ability to sense power dynamics in situations and take advantage of them, as well as the basic respect for himself and his purpose as a cop that is needed to not break down crying when trying to arrest people. However, Authority is also a joyless, [[PoliceBrutality brutal]] asshole who will encourage him to bully people, abuse his powers for fun, threaten to arrest people for (often imagined) slights against his "honour", and shoot himself just so everyone knows he doesn't go back on his word.
92	*** At moderate levels, Drama makes the Detective able to sniff out "[[SssssnakeTalk liesssss]]!" At high levels, Drama encourages him to [[TheGadfly stir up pointless interpersonal conflict for fun]], such as making "prank calls" which [[DomesticAbuse get a woman beaten by her husband]] and [[ChaoticStupid looking up an invented serial number instead of the one he found on the murder evidence]], with the predictable consequence of him finding nothing. It also tries to make him act like an annoying [[{{Luvvies}} Luvvie]] twit and ham up everything he does for attention.
93	*** There are a few skills for which this is inverted. Volition, being the part of the Detective's soul which always knows what the right thing to do is, will make him a more stable and determined (and "non-suicidal") person the higher it levels, with the only drawback being that its perpetual sanity can be a bit of a buzzkill. Electrochemistry will be compelling him to indulge your substance addictions at even barely present levels and will not stop doing this as it gets more powerful, but at higher levels will show some of its more positive HiddenDepths, such as its abilities to make the Detective more passionate about his interests, understand his own neurology better, and avoid acting on self-destructive temptations that ''aren't'' fun or rewarding (such as getting high on taxidermy solvents until he loses control of his bladder, or dedicating himself to a political philosophy of tepid centrism).
94	* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' and ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'' rely on the player winning battles against decently challenging enemies to gain job levels and consequently skills from advancing. Each area has a maximum level at which job points are awarded; if a character exceeds this maximum level, they will not be awarded job points and not advance. Therefore, grinding early on can lead to some big trouble in class developing.
95	** This is downright ''unfair'' in ''VII'' because, right before you can even take jobs, you're forced into a long, difficult dungeon with multiple ThatOneBoss candidates - and your characters are stripped of their natural skills in the process. If you know it's coming, you'll want to level grind, but as noted, that might be a bad idea. This dungeon, understandably, is where many players abandon the game.
96	* ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'' features an event where Ness can gain two level-ups with unique bonuses. However, his level must be below the {{cap}} to get one or both of them.
97	** This is frustrating because the player can end up grinding experience in the Stonehenge base waiting for a [[UndergroundMonkey Starman Super]] to [[RandomlyDrops drop]] a [[InfinityPlusOneSword Sword of Kings]]. This dungeon isn't accessible later, so the player needs to get the Sword of Kings before beating the dungeon.
98	* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
99	** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' generally averts it, though one Imperial Cult quest provides an exception. If your Blunt Weapon skill is below 40, the quest reward will be a ring that improves it by 20 points when worn. If your Blunt Weapon skill is above 40, the ring will only increase it by 5.
100	** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'':
101	*** Due to the game's LevelScaling system, this is referred to as "[[http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Leveling#The_Leveling_Problem The Leveling Problem]]". The enemies of the world only level up when the player levels up. Pretty standard for a game with level scaling so far. However, you can level up after 10 skill increases. Upon leveling up, you are given the option to increase your Attributes (Strength, Intelligence, etc.) and receive multipliers based on which Attributes govern the skills you increased in order to gain that level. If you make poor choices in leveling up, your character will become relatively ''weaker'' than the game's scaling enemies as your level progresses.. Naturally, many, ''many'' {{Game Mod}}s exist which balance out this aspect of the game (though they are only available to PC players). Another alternative is to simply ''never level up''. Leveling up only occurs when you sleep, and there is no actual need for your character to sleep. (Though it provides free healing if done at a bed.) Meanwhile, your ''skills'' will continue to increase through use. Using a minor SequenceBreak [[note]] To complete the main quest, you need a Daedric artifact. None of the Daedric quests can be started below level 2, but Clavicus Vile's can be finished at any level; you just need to get the required item and bring it to him.[[/note]], you can actually beat the game at level 1, although this requires defeating a [[BeefGate powerful unleveled enemy]], so level 2 is much easier. The result is the world being saved from a horde of extremely feeble monsters by a [[WeakButSkilled strangely competent]] insomniac.
102	*** Avoiding leveling up is also advantageous because ''entire classes of enemies disappear from the game world'' if your level surpasses the levels in which they'll spawn. For example, Scamps will stop spawning (or at least become incredibly rare spawns) once your level reaches the teens. Need Scamp skin to brew a specific potion? Tough luck. Better hope some randomly spawns in the inventory of an alchemist or apothecary. This also happens to a number of wild animal enemy types, which obviously makes [[TwentyBearAsses Twenty Bear Ass]][=-type=] quests harder to complete.
103	*** There's also the issue of damage being capped (via both available magicka and a limit on stats), while health is not. Basically, once the player reaches a certain threshold, their damage stops increasing, but the health of enemies around them isn't, leading to [[PaddedSumoGameplay long, drawn out and incredibly dull fights]] with not only bosses, but with [[IncrediblyDurableEnemies a simple level-scaled mook]]. Further, enemy damage ''is not capped'', making those very same mook-like enemies far more dangerous.
104	*** Another issue with the system is that some of your allies during the main quest ''don't'' level up with the player, or have low level equipment even at high levels. If you delay too long, allies are rendered useless and {{Escort Mission}}s become extremely difficult. On the other hand, if you immediately jump into the main quest, you'll find your allies much stronger than the enemies, rendering things too ''easy'' and having said allies basically win by themselves. The same goes for summoned creatures -- overpowered if acquired early, little more than [[WeHaveReserves cannon fodder]] when used later.
105	** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' takes several lessons from ''TES''[='s=] ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' sister series, greatly improving on ''Oblivion''[='s=] system. Level scaling is still present, but used much more sensibly. For instance, instead of enemy classes phasing out entirely, they just become rarer while being replaced by stronger variants. The removal of Attributes also makes it difficult (though not impossible if you focus solely on non-combat skills) to experience EmptyLevels. It also introduces Perks, so that as you increase your skills, they not only get stronger, but you actually gain access to more powerful abilities to use as well. It's not a perfect system though, and as you reach the highest levels, you'll get tired of [[BossInMookClothing Draugr Deathlords]] and [[DemonicSpiders Revered Dragons]] spawning all of the time. Further, the issue with ally [=NPCs=] not scaling to your level persists, though has also been improved upon.
106	* The enemies of ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' don't level up with the player, but instead there is a higher chance of tougher enemies spawning. When the DLC ''Broken Steel'' is added, this can result in the simplest journey from A to B being plagued by [[BossInMookClothing Super Mutant Overlords, Feral Ghoul Reavers, and Albino Radscorpions]], all of which have obscenely-high durability and damage.
107	** The main game of ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' tries to do away with the tougher enemies spawning according to level, for the most part (the only notable exception being NCR and Legion troops) and instead relies on using of BeefGate to corral the player on a certain path. However, this does not apply to the [=DLCs=] where enemies do scale with the player both traditionally and like in ''Fallout 3'', meaning a max level player will be frequently coming across enemies that rival the FinalBoss and {{superboss}}es of the base game in terms of difficulty.
108	* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout4}}'' changes up how leveling affects enemies. Now, enemies have levels and stronger variants, all enemies scaling in strength with your level and stronger versions having a higher chance of spawning as you get stronger. However, the player does not have any direct stat increases outside of perks. Outside of getting a perk point every level, all the player gets for leveling up a little bit more health. Ultimately, enemies gain strength throughout the whole game, whereas the player eventually is limited to only become slightly more durable each level.
109	* The ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series:
110	** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' remakes from 'Dawn of Souls' and up, your stats growth was affected by your current class, so you got the best stats by leveling up as little as possible before the class upgrades.
111	*** The original NES and Origins versions worked differently: the stats each class gained on level-up were determined by a table, each level having certain 'guaranteed to go' stats. Every time you levelled, you automatically gained a point in each of those stats, as well as having a 25% chance for each of your other stats to go up. The only character who actually suffered from this trope was the Black Belt, who gained 4 magic defense (a hidden stat) per level, while after class change, the Grand Master only gained 1 magic defense per level, presumably as a result of a bug. Having a ribbon (all elemental resistances) equipped made it moot though.
112	** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'', all of your stats except max HP change upon changing classes. You gain HP based on your Vitality stat when you level up, so it's best to wait until you open the Karateka or Ninja classes which have the highest Vitality to do a lot of your LevelGrinding if you want to have more HP at the end. Similarly, you might want to unlock and change to the initial job classes as soon as possible to avoid weak HP gains from being Onion Knights.
113	** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', most Espers give a special level up stat bonus. Therefore, it's best to save all your level ups for when you have some Espers with stat bonuses.
114	** Here's a marginal example in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'': The final boss -- Sephiroth -- gets a severe stat-boost if you've hit the level cap at 99. Anything below that, and he'll have his original stats, meaning that the ideal conditions for taking him on is Level 98. He'll also get a massive HP boost if you've been spamming Knights of the Round on the two bosses before him. Not a significant problem, however, as either being level 99 or having Knights of the Round means he doesn't stand a chance against your party.
115	** The leveling in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' was a whole element of strategy because the enemies level up with you. The game can be beaten at disgustingly low levels. (There are no-level-up runs.) Despite no-level-up rounds...party members may ''still'' have maxed out stats and Ultimecia will be at a ridiculously low level on her first form. Indeed, it is far easier to beat the game at low levels than at high levels because of the way the magic junctioning system works -- spells add a fixed amount to your stats, regardless of your level, meaning that you can become hyper-powerful at level 1, and the enemies will still be weak. There is even a convenient GF which grants you the ability to turn enemies into cards (and prevents you from gaining XP from them) you're forced to get before even having to fight a single battle to make maintaining your low level easier.
116	*** If you ''do'' level up, it's best to wait until you have Bonus abilities, which award an extra point (in the case of HP, an extra 10) to that respective stat upon leveling. In fact without those Bonus abilities, enemy stats generally increase faster than your party's, not to mention that enemies will gain new attacks at higher levels, making the game harder if you level.
117	** Stat growths in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' depend on the gear your characters have equipped. On this logic, it's best to keep levels low until you get equipment that yield better bonuses. Also, Magic Stones (used to equip a character's passive abilities) increase with a character's level, with a fixed starting number for each character. The later four characters (two of which only join near the end of Disc 2) depend their levels on the current average of the entire party, and are penalized with their Magic Stones in the process. If you want a balanced party, the level average must stay at 1 until the last party member finally joins.
118	** ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' also does this. If you are leveling up to get that one move that you can spam like crazy, your opponent also levels with you, and probably gained some move that trumps yours.
119	*** There are also accessory builds that take advantage of the massive multipliers you can get from certain booster accessories if there's a large level gap between you and your enemy: being able to be killed in a single HP attack ceases to be a problem when you can always survive any hit with 1 HP when you have more than that, almost always have an assist available to escape the enemy's attack when you're down to 1 HP, never stay at 1 HP longer than it takes for you to land a HP attack and regardless of your low stats, always break the enemy in a single hit, gain an equal amount of BRV and more often than not can finish them off with a single HP attack afterwards.
120	* In the second ''VideoGame/IcewindDale'' game, the Heart of Fury mode. You get less experience as you level further, so it's best to remain a low level until you get enough for leveling the rest of the way up at once. How do you get through the Heart of Fury mode with that? Well, the enemies are much tougher, but so are your summoned monsters. Just keep summoning undead while your party is invisible.
121	* ''VideoGame/{{Knights of the Old Republic}}'': it can be advantageous, depending on your class, not to level up much on Taris (before you get your Jedi powers) since you get better stat bonuses as a Jedi. (This doesn't mean you can't gain XP though; just don't click "level up".) Soldiers definitely should save levels; they have nothing to lose. For scouts and scoundrels, on the other hand, the matter is a bit more complex. Both classes have more skill points per level than even the Sentinel (the so-called skills class; this was fixed in the sequel), as well as special feats that may help the player a great deal down the line. [[note]] A normally-leveled PC will exit Taris at level 8. Scouts get the three implant classes for free at levels 1, 4, and 8, while scoundrels have two levels of Scoundrel's Luck (+4 defense) and four levels of Sneak Attack (+4d6 damage when flanking, coming out of Stealth, or against an opponent unable to react).[[/note]]
122	* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'': Lightsiders can train as many as four of their party members as Jedi (Atton, Bao-Dur, Handmaiden/Disciple, and Mira). As in the first game, Jedi characters outclass their Muggle counterparts, and the Sentinel class (Atton, Mira, Visas, possibly the PC) actually has an appropriate skill progression. However, there are reasons not to save levels. Mira picks up the Precise Shot feats (bonus damage with ranged weapons) for free every 4 levels until 20. Atton is essential on Citadel Station (you only have two party members for the duration) and also has the Scoundrel's Luck and Sneak Attack feats. Bao-Dur has a crafting ability that far outclasses anybody else in the party (including ''T3'' at first). However, the Handmaiden and Disciple are both soldiers, making it a clear choice to save levels for them.
123	* In ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'', the stats the Bros gain upon level-up are in direct relation to Bowser's level. Keep their levels sufficiently low until Bowser hits level 37, and you're pretty much free to grind away.
124	* The Brave Clear system of ''[[Videogame/NocturneRPGMaker Nocturne: Rebirth]]'' rewards players with an extra item if they beat a dungeon boss under a certain level. The FinalBoss has to be beaten this way to unlock the {{superboss}}, who also has to be Brave Cleared to unlock NewGamePlus.
125	* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'':
126	** Much of the difficulty in [[BrutalBonusLevel the Pit of 100 Trials]] your resources being stretched thin. However, if you go in at a low level, [[LevelUpFillUp the regular level-ups will heal you]] and reduce the strain.
127	** The "[[CriticalStatusBuff Danger Mario]]" setup stops working at level 72 (out of 99) as the game forces you to upgrade HP (pulling you out of permanent danger) because you maxed out flower and badge points. But to actually get to that point you'll have to grind like crazy. This strategy is also possible in the original ''VideoGame/PaperMario'', but because of the much lower level cap, you need to be much more careful about maintaining your low level. You can only hit level 18 out of 27, before the game forces you to upgrade HP.
128	* In ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', the combat stats of the BigBad scale with The Nameless One's level (and this is [[JustifiedTrope justified by the plot]].) Of course, with so many ways of TalkingTheMonsterToDeath, fighting remains a sub-par option in any circumstance.
129	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
130	** The mons tend to learn moves faster at lower EvolutionaryLevels. Therefore, sometimes it's better to keep them from evolving until they learn their final move, which can be five to 10 levels lower than in the evolved form. Also, Pokémon that evolve using stones, with the exception of Eevee, have a very limited movepool in their evolved forms, so it's better to not evolve them until after their previous form has learned all the attacks it needs. Some moves can only be learned if a Pokémon is at a particular stage of development, and if it evolves too early, they won't be able to get it at all.[[note]]This was actually a plot point early on in the [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries anime]]. Pikachu was able to beat Lt. Surge's much more powerful Raichu by using a strategy involving a very fast move that Raichu never learned. Surge had evolved it too soon.[[/note]] While later games tend to somewhat mitigate this by introducing move tutors for such "missable" attacks, those move tutors are typically located in the late-to-postgame, meaning that you still obtain those attacks much earlier by evolving your Pokémon later.
131	** In a related case, leveling up traded Pokemon beyond levels supported by your badges will make them disobey you. It isn't nearly enough though: the level they have to be at is so much higher than anything you can meet before acquiring the required badge that they can easily crush anyone even when only making a move every third or fourth turn.
132	** In the flip side to the AntiGrinding in most games from ''Black and White'' on, monsters would receive more experience from an enemy the lower the level of said monster. The original equation used in the fifth generation didn't account well for level 1 monsters, which are only obtainable by breeding. With the proper exp modifiers, a level 1 mon could shoot up to somewhere between 50 and 70 by being swapped in during a high level trainer battle with a Blissey or Chansey. Attempt to do this at a higher level (i.e. 30) and you'll only end up gaining about 10 levels or so, if you're lucky. This mechanic is also present in the sixth generation, but it isn't nearly as exploitable.
133	* In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'', magic attack spells have a so-called "level peak", after the level peak is reached, the spell will deal less damage the higher your level is, what doesnt help is that most of the level peaks are reached around the beginning of the mid-game
134	* In ''VideoGame/StarOceanTillTheEndOfTime'', there are some trophies to be earned if the player beats certain bosses with minimal levels.
135	** The most obvious example of this being the trophy asking you to beat the FinalBoss with all three of your party members at level one, and he doesn't scale with your levels. Needless to say, just being able to challenge him like this requires quite a commitment throughout the game.
136	* ''VideoGame/TacticsOgreTheKnightOfLodis'' has a rather interesting strategy. You do level the main character, but you purposely keep him out of the sidelines and several levels below the main party. The game uses a level scaling system that will set the boss so that they will be above the main level of the leader and the units will be within 1-2 levels of him. But when your other 7 characters are much stronger than he is...ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill.
137	* You get a title in ''VideoGame/{{Tales of Symphonia}}'' for remaining below a certain level when you defeat a boss. Also, later titles boost growth rates more, though carrying over titles in NewGamePlus will lead to even better stats than just not grinding as much.
138	* In ''VideoGame/UltimaIII: Exodus'', all four enemies that appear on the main overworld at level 1 and 2 are one-shotted by the 0-MP spells Repel and Undead. But once someone reaches level 3, new enemies have to be defeated the slow, standard way -- and all you get from the levelup is more HP. Leveling is fully optional, so optimal play involves having "Ship the Druid" reach level 5 to get a boat while the main four characters stay at level 2 for most of the game.
139	* In ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', you can temporarily adjust your level to anything below your "real" level to get better item drop rates, ironically playing it straight and averting it at the same time.
140	* ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' has the character Emeralda, who has a certain side-quest in Disc 2 that [[spoiler: turns her into an adult form]]. After that quest, she has insane stat growth with every level up. If you keep her level low at the beginning and do some grinding after the quest, then she can be even more powerful than her own HumongousMecha.
141	[[/folder]]
142
143	[[folder:Simulation Games]]
144	* This used to be a factor in VideoGame/CitiesSkylines, as buildings would grow taller and more complex as they leveled up so players trying to achieve a specific look would need to either cap leveling up on a building using a mod or avoid providing services to the area, thus avoiding buildings leveling up. Similarly the building policy High Rise ban caps level up to avoid buildings growing too tall. Averted with the Industries DLC, which offers the option of historical, allowing buildings to level up without changing its appearance.
145	* In ''VideoGame/WarThunder'', vehicles at lower ranks have much lower repair costs and generally more tactical versatility which results in battles often being disputed until the last moment, not counting that the higher amount of low level players also means less stress in general. High rank vehicles on the contrary have much higher repair costs, to levels that are not adequately covered by the rewards (even if these are higher as well), and often they have a very straight playstyle that more often than not cause games to be decided in a few minutes without much room for turning up the tables. Therefore, it is much more convenient to play at lower ranks in order to accumulate more in-game currency to purchase vehicles, but also to enjoy a chiller gameplay without the frustration given by high repair costs or veterans steamrolling you. Like many free-to-play games, this is intended to prevent seasoned players from staying only at high tiers, leaving new players in empty servers.
146	** Because of its inherent mechanics, War Thunder does not include a player level matchmaker. A level 100 veteran who just completed the whole American tech tree and wants to try the Soviet tech tree will start with basic rank reserves among level 1 newbies. And there is nothing preventing you from still playing tier 1 vehicles (except other veterans with the same idea balancing you), you have all the right to prefer playing slow paced biplanes/armored cars/destroyers rather than continuing with more advanced aircraft/heavy tanks/battleships, even if this means facing a lot of new players who don't know how to play yet. Maybe just don't behave deliberately like a [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Munchkin seal-clubber]].
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder:Survival Horror]]
150	* In ''VideoGame/DeadIsland'' the enemies gain power along with the player so often leveling up only serves to reduce the effectiveness of your current equipment. This is especially obvious in subsequent playthroughs where you can earn huge XP rewards for challenges that were partially completed by your predecessor, giving you multiple simultaneous level ups that tend to leave you rather helpless until you can find some upgrades. At very low levels the enemies can be killed pretty easily and you can make use of the numerous grey quality weapons that are soon rendered useless as the enemies toughen up. Unfortunately XP cannot really be avoided as you receive large amounts for completing story missions.
151	[[/folder]]
152
153	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
154	* This is usually not the case in RPG's but in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' 4E, if your DM was keeping the game balanced with your level, there was a slight advantage to being a lower level character in that monsters used to scale faster than you could keep up with. However, the developers released the unnamed bonus feats as a patch for the scaling problem before it would have been an issue in most games.
155	* In the card game ''TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}}'', some of the more powerful monsters will allow low-level characters to retreat without having to make a die roll to successfully run away. Because it's ''Munchkin'', it's of course quite legal to play a "gain a level" card on a ''rival'' to put them just over the level threshold. The ''intended'' use of the "go up a level" card was only ever to be used on yourself, but people realized that there was no rule ''against'' using it on someone else. The devs even said in an FAQ that this was far too munchkin-y of a behavior for them to forbid.
156	* In ''Mystic China'' the ''Ninjas And Superspies'' supplement by Erick Wujcik, a Reformed Demon began at its most powerful and lost stats as they leveled up and became more human.
157	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Nightbane}}'' World Book 3: Through the Glass Darkly, the spell creation rules prevented you from trying to modify a spell until you had gained an experience level. Palladium experience charts require much more XP as levels rise, making it harder for higher level characters to get a subsequent chance, and fewer total since most charts cap at 15/16. The ideal would be to learn all spells while level 1 and try to modify each spell until failure before gaining a level.
158	* In ''TabletopGame/{{PalladiumFantasy}}'' predecessor Palladium RPG, you got a d6 of HP for each level of experience. The high cost of high levels made it advantageous to use the multiclass rules to be level 1-4 in a bunch of meaningless [=O.C.Cs=] like Farmer just as an easy way to rack up HP. The second edition introducing SDC and PE bonuses from Physical Skills made this option less attractive.
159	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Rifts}}'' the Rifts Conversion Book allowed Diabolists or Wizards to change their O.C.C. to Techno-Wizard, but only if they were level 1 or 2. Many parasites from Atlantis and Splynn gave huge initial power but came with huge side effects as time/XP go by. Juicers reflect this too. Underseas' Cultists of the Deep reward for a high level is to be eaten by the Lord of the Deep.
160	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Zombicide}}'', the number and types of zombies that spawn at the end of each round or whenever you open a door are based on the highest-leveled player. Thus if one player has been grabbing all the objectives and scoring a lot of kills, their teammates may not have the skills or equipment they need to deal with the latest wave of zombies.
161	[[/folder]]

Context Main / LowLevelAdvantage