Fix reaper quest level exp scaling

[Ooblagato]

Reaper exp scaling based on quest level does not encourage reaper play during the leveling process. Not only does this not represent the increased challenge from playing higher reaper skulls on lower levels, but it also makes it feel worthless to play on anything above r1 before level 30. Simply put, it needs to be flattened out.
Here's a chart of base reaper exps for reference,

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
1	53	56	59	62	65	68	71	74	77	80
2	56	62	68	74	80	86	92	98	104	110
3	59	68	77	86	95	104	113	122	131	140
4	62	74	86	98	110	122	134	146	158	170
5	65	80	95	110	125	140	155	170	185	200
6	68	86	104	122	140	158	176	194	212	230
7	71	92	113	134	155	176	197	218	239	260
8	74	98	122	146	170	194	218	242	266	290
9	77	104	131	158	185	212	239	266	293	320
10	80	110	140	170	200	230	260	290	320	350
11	83	116	149	182	215	248	281	314	347	380
12	86	122	158	194	230	266	302	338	374	410
13	89	128	167	206	245	284	323	362	401	440
14	92	134	176	218	260	302	344	386	428	470
15	95	140	185	230	275	320	365	410	455	500
16	98	146	194	242	290	338	386	434	482	530
17	101	152	203	254	305	356	407	458	509	560
18	104	158	212	266	320	374	428	482	536	590
19	107	164	221	278	335	392	449	506	563	620
20	110	170	230	290	350	410	470	530	590	650
21	113	176	239	302	365	428	491	554	617	680
22	116	182	248	314	380	446	512	578	644	710
23	119	188	257	326	395	464	533	602	671	740
24	122	194	266	338	410	482	554	626	698	770
25	125	200	275	350	425	500	575	650	725	800
26	128	206	284	362	440	518	596	674	752	830
27	131	212	293	374	455	536	617	698	779	860
28	134	218	302	386	470	554	638	722	806	890
29	137	224	311	398	485	572	659	746	833	920
30	280	460	640	820	1000	1180	1360	1540	1720	1900
31	286	472	658	844	1030	1216	1402	1588	1774	1960
32	292	484	676	868	1060	1252	1444	1636	1828	2020
33	298	496	694	892	1090	1288	1486	1684	1882	2080
34	304	508	712	916	1120	1324	1528	1732	1936	2140
35	310	520	730	940	1150	1360	1570	1780	1990	2200
36	316	532	748	964	1180	1396	1612	1828	2044	2260

As you can see, playing at r1 at level 1 versus end game is about 6 times worse, and r10 at end game is almost 30 times more efficient than playing r10 at level 1, this is excluding the fact that the game balance allows you to be comparitively far more powerful at end game compared to the quest than early game. Essentially making the higher reaper early game a nearly meaningless feature.

Something like adding a flat base exp that gets multiplied out by skulls would fix most of this issue. Alternatively scrap the idea of quest level scaling the exp entirely as level based exp penalties/restrictions already account for most of this problem.

I know this is probably an old criticism, but with the talk of reaper adjustments and new difficulties in the works, it would be wise to revisit how exp is being rewarded.

 

[Ooblagato]

For further reference, if you assume a 30% time increase in quest completion time per skull (and no change for quest level), you get a heatmap of relative exp rates that looks like this. Anything in the red is really not worth considering in terms of reaper exp if you care about efficiency.

It's worth noting that the 30% increase in times are very subjective to the individual party. Realistic results would see an increase in time where the difficulty meets particular thresholds that slow the party down, such as when players start slowing down/grouping due to fear of dying, actually dying, party wipe risk increases, etc.
Note: 30% increase per skull expects about 10.6x longer to complete an r10 than an r1

 

[Silverfox]

Sorry even when I only had 30 to 40 reaper points it wasn't taking me 10 times longer to complete any quest on R10 vs R1.

Base rxp hardly refelects how much any quest will pay out in rxp. Heroic rxp is not great but heroics are a joke anyway.

 

[Ooblagato]

Sorry even when I only had 30 to 40 reaper points it wasn't taking me 10 times longer to complete any quest on R10 vs R1.

Base rxp hardly refelects how much any quest will pay out in rxp. Heroic rxp is not great but heroics are a joke anyway.

Like I said, the % time increase per skull is very subjective, I bet you're not considering running with a suboptimal party or something like heroic slavers when you say 10x is unreasonable. It very much depends on the party and quest you are looking at. That said, my point is that despite reaper for say, slavers in heroics providing an equal or greater relative challenge increase than in the same quests in legendary, it gives significantly less rewards.

As for base exp, as I am speaking to the relative reaper exp provided by the quests based on level and reaper skulls, there's no other metric this can be based off of. Technically some quests might have easier to obtain ransack or other bonuses, and short, medium, long, and very long quest lengths play into it as well, but those are currently mostly appropriate in terms of balance so there's no need to bring them into the picture. If it's the numbers you're seeing being low, just apply the logical 3-4x multiplier depending on your bonuses you normally run with.

Thanks for engaging with my post though.

 

[Dandonk]

It's OK that reaper play at cap has better rewards than while levelling. But the difference is so huge, and the rewards from upping the skulls while levelling so miniscule, that noone really bothers. And that's a shame. So I'm definitely up for a buff to reaper xp rewards while levelling to give incentives to doing something other than r1.