[Suggestion] Bring back the strategy: Remove Dungeon level restrictions

    I’m a veteran player from the golden days of Gladiatus, back when dungeons were a form of entertainment for those who preferred strategy over mindless farming. Back then, we took pride in beating high-level dungeons while remaining low-level (like my victory against Homo Nautilus at level 33), instead of just treating it as a place to farm gold and fame.


    The Negotium X, which allows you to fight stored bosses to test mercenaries, is incredibly frustrating. Why fight there if you gain absolutely nothing? The result is clear: nobody cares about showing off dungeon conquests or building strong low-level mercenaries anymore. Many legends — like a famous Portuguese player who beat Themba at level 10 with only 3 mercenaries — are long gone because the game lost that spark.


    Gladiatus removed the old monthly reset to prevent people from getting stuck, which made sense at the time. But why does this limit still exist today? In an era of "Pushing" and "Pay-to-Win" mechanics, the current restrictions on dungeon progress and skill limits make no sense.


    I’m asking Gladiatus to remove these restrictions because they are hurting the game. Players are tired of the repetitive grind of expeditions and arenas without any real tactical challenge or fun. We need a reason to care about our strategies again.

    I can also remember those times very well. It was an incredible amount of fun when I could beat the level 80 dungeon with a level 20 character. But I’m not sure whether that still has a place in today’s Gladiator.


    Nowadays, low-level accounts have become so strong because the pushing ban was removed that there would hardly be any limits left. I have a small fun account, and with that level 60 account, I could easily defeat dungeon pre-bosses around level 140–160 without dungeon level restrictions. And as soon as I got a weapon there, I could probably push all the way to level 200 without much trouble.


    I would personally have an incredible amount of fun with that, but for the game balance it would be disastrous. Within a very short time, my level 60 account would end up having only mercenaries equipped with level 200 gear. There would be no reason anymore to forge red equipment. Everyone would just run around with high-level purple gear instead.


    That’s why Gameforge will probably never change it back, even though I’d personally have a lot of fun with it.

    To be honest, I find it very hard to believe that a level 60 account can easily defeat level 140-160 pre-bosses. The stat gap and the armor values at those levels are immense. If you want to prove your point, why don't you record a fight in Negotium X against a level 102 boss? That would settle the debate.


    Regarding the "balance" issue, we must admit the game is already broken. Between "Pushing" and "Pay-to-Win" mechanics, the power gap is already distorted. High-level accounts can easily pass down powerful forge goods to low-level alts, completely bypassing natural progression. If the current dungeon limits were meant to protect balance, they have already failed.


    I’m not suggesting we remove high-level items as rewards—without them, there’s no incentive to play. However, there is a simple solution to prevent infinite farming: remove the dungeon reset button. If players can't reset, they can't farm pre-bosses for gold or gear. They would be forced to face the boss to progress, bringing back the strategic challenge for low-level players without breaking the economy.


    If Gameforge is truly worried about balance, there are better ways to handle it than blocking dungeons. For example, they could restrict the rarity of items traded based on level (e.g., a level 90 could only give "Green" items to a level 40) or set a gold limit for market sales based on the player's level (e.g., a level 10 player wouldn't be able to list an item for 10kk, as their level cap for sales would be 10k). Additionally, they could limit the number of market transactions per day (e.g., a maximum of 3 sales per day for low-level accounts) to stop unfair gold transfers. But those are topics for another day.


    For now, the priority should be restoring the tactical fun of the game. We are sacrificing strategy to protect a balance that doesn't exist anymore. Let us test our limits again.

    My fun account is in an inactive guild, so there’s basically nothing going on in Negotium right now. I also haven’t had the chance yet to test against the level 102 dungeon. The last screenshot I still have is from level 44, when I defeated the level 95 boss. Here:


    https://prnt.sc/ta0oel


    Apart from that, I actually agree with you. You’re right — it’s almost a joke for me to talk about “balancing” when balance has already been broken for completely different reasons. Your suggestions are good ones.


    For me, another way to bring tactical gameplay back would be increasing the crit/block cap from 50% to something like 60–70%. Right now, many accounts feel too similar. It would be much more interesting if players actually had to choose where to focus and specialize their builds.


    And this should probably be combined with an increase in the number of arena rounds, similar to Turma. The current round limit is honestly a joke and makes many fights feel random rather than skill- or build-dependent.

    I was checking out your character because I got curious about how you pulled off the feat of beating a level 95 boss at level 44 :/:D. I assume this is your account.

    https://s59-en.gladiatus.gamef…98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e


    As I suspected: you are using over-leveled items (donated goods) and absurdly high training stats (legalized pushing). So let me ask you: how is anyone supposed to find this game appealing when they see a guy with 345 stats and level 111 gear on his mercenaries? I'm not trying to offend you—if the game allows it, you have every right to do it—but it breaks the game in a way that completely kills any interest for people to look at it or even test it out.

    Quote from Bukanero

    all you need is high healing for the medic with the new items, the bosses are captured in negotium X, try there

    Fighting them in Negotium X misses the whole point of my post. As I mentioned before, Negotium X offers absolutely no rewards or recognition for your victories.


    Also, back then, you couldn't just rely on a single medic mercenary to carry the fight. The main character wasn't strong enough to act as a solo damage dealer or tank the boss alone. You actually had to balance your whole team, strategizing every mercenary's position and role.


    The real fun was about pushing your low-level account to its limits within the actual dungeon progression and showing off those hard-earned conquests. Testing setups in an artificial simulation that gives you nothing in return feels completely empty and frustrating. We want the actual dungeon progression to matter again.

    Quote from rochadapesada
    Quote from Bukanero

    all you need is high healing for the medic with the new items, the bosses are captured in negotium X, try there

    Fighting them in Negotium X misses the whole point of my post. As I mentioned before, Negotium X offers absolutely no rewards or recognition for your victories.


    Also, back then, you couldn't just rely on a single medic mercenary to carry the fight. The main character wasn't strong enough to act as a solo damage dealer or tank the boss alone. You actually had to balance your whole team, strategizing every mercenary's position and role.


    The real fun was about pushing your low-level account to its limits within the actual dungeon progression and showing off those hard-earned conquests. Testing setups in an artificial simulation that gives you nothing in return feels completely empty and frustrating. We want the actual dungeon progression to matter again.

    Im sorry if you dont like negotium X but iys what it is. Are you not bored of asking the same over years and years?

    As said you go to the bosses your guild has captured and you fight them, if you win and that makes you happy take a screenshoot :)

    happy game

    Donated goods? pushing? its just an account with pink equipment. Why you care so much on how others play? I find nothing wierd

    If pointing out bad game design means "asking the same thing over years," then yes, I will keep doing it because I actually care about the game's potential.

    Taking a screenshot of an unrewarding simulation doesn't replace real progression or fix a broken economy. If you are satisfied with a game where strategy is dead and pushing rules, that's on you. I prefer to advocate for a better Gladiatus.

    Thanks for your input, and happy gaming to you too.

    Reducing high-level forge transfers to just "pink equipment" is completely missing the point. In a competitive multiplayer game, how others play matters because it directly ruins the server's balance and leadership boards for everyone else.

    When a low-level account skips the entire game's natural progression by using gear and stats provided by a level 90+ account, that is the definition of legalized pushing. If you find nothing weird about a level 44 player walking around with level 111 gear, you are just ignoring a mechanic that completely kills fair competition and makes the game unappealing to anyone else.

    I care because I want a balanced, competitive game where strategy matters, not a game driven by unfair shortcuts.

    But this is not gladiatus 2010 anymore, since then forgimg equipment has been introduced, underworld and suits. If you join a guild or buy equiment from market or how he manages his gold shouldnt bother anyone. You are assuming he has been helped, its purely forged pink equiment, its so abundant its easier to build pink than green nowadays. U need to update game is old, things are not like when equipment was only from auctions.

    And again is your choice to not play and stay farming negotium X. Usually players of the game progress by just playing, expeditions are main core of the game, and now since the new update dungeons take a big part of it, specially at lower levels. Even red can drop since very early dungeons!

    You are proving my point exactly. I know this isn't 2010 anymore—I literally mentioned the forge in my very first post. If the game today allows a level 44 to easily get and wear level 111 pink gear through the forge or the market, then keeping the dungeon level limitation makes absolutely no sense. It is an outdated restriction that contradicts all the modern mechanics you just listed. Why give players freedom in forging, underworld, and suits, but keep them locked in an artificial progression loop inside dungeons?


    Furthermore, you cannot "farm" Negotium X. It gives absolutely no gold, no items, and no rewards. That is the entire reason why it is a frustrating and dead feature.


    You also just proved my point once again by mentioning the drops. If the new updates allow Red items to drop even in early, lower-level dungeons, it makes the dungeon level limitation even more absurd. Why give low-level players access to top-tier Red drops, but then block them from progressing through the dungeons using their own strategic setups? You are telling me to "just play and progress," but the level limitation is exactly what stops players from progressing naturally based on their tactical skill. The mechanics completely clash with each other. I don't need to "update"; Gameforge needs to update their dungeon design to match the current reality of the game.

    Quote from rochadapesada

    You are proving my point exactly. I know this isn't 2010 anymore—I literally mentioned the forge in my very first post. If the game today allows a level 44 to easily get and wear level 111 pink gear through the forge or the market, then keeping the dungeon level limitation makes absolutely no sense. It is an outdated restriction that contradicts all the modern mechanics you just listed. Why give players freedom in forging, underworld, and suits, but keep them locked in an artificial progression loop inside dungeons?


    Furthermore, you cannot "farm" Negotium X. It gives absolutely no gold, no items, and no rewards. That is the entire reason why it is a frustrating and dead feature.


    You also just proved my point once again by mentioning the drops. If the new updates allow Red items to drop even in early, lower-level dungeons, it makes the dungeon level limitation even more absurd. Why give low-level players access to top-tier Red drops, but then block them from progressing through the dungeons using their own strategic setups? You are telling me to "just play and progress," but the level limitation is exactly what stops players from progressing naturally based on their tactical skill. The mechanics completely clash with each other. I don't need to "update"; Gameforge needs to update their dungeon design to match the current reality of the game.

    keeping the dungeon level limitation makes absolutely no sense.--> play level up and keep unlocking new dungeons, its fun

    If your definition of "fun" is just waiting for a level bar to unlock content while blindly following basic mechanics, then we clearly play the game for different reasons.


    Accepting a flawed, rigid progression loop just because "that's how it is" shows a complete lack of tactical ambition. It is easy to find the game fun when you don't care about pushing limits, managing attribute ratios, or actually understanding the strategic depth of the mercenary system.


    If removing limits scares you because it demands actual strategy instead of just repetitive clicking, that’s your choice. But don't mistake a lazy, outdated roadblock for a good gameplay feature.

    i wish we had exp lock system to level up whenever we want but everyone hated me for posting about that :D noone likes old school players i guess xd

    Quote from sickntiredof

    i wish we had exp lock system to level up whenever we want but everyone hated me for posting about that :D noone likes old school players i guess xd

    I completely feel you on that. It's tough being an old-school player nowadays because the community shifted so much towards just rushing levels. Thanks for the support, man! We definitely need more features that bring back the challenge and let us play our own way.;(

    I think our mindset is pretty similar. I also love testing limits. That’s what I tried to do with this account. And no, the account was played completely without pushing and with only 30 rubies. No gifted goods. I melted a lot of items and sold silver tools (back then it was still possible to find those at low level). If I had been pushed, I’d only be wearing red items.


    But of course, you’re right about one thing: it has nothing to do with balancing anymore.

    Edited once, last by Tzzz ().

    I stand corrected, and I truly respect your dedication. Knowing that your account has been around since 2019 and that you achieved those stats and gear purely through old-school grinding, melting, and market management makes it an incredible feat. My apologies for assuming it was pushing; it’s just that nowadays, seeing stats like that on a low-level account usually means something else.


    But I am glad we agree on the main point: the game balance is no longer there.


    Your account is actually the perfect example of my argument. If a dedicated player could build such a powerful character over time back then, why should the game today keep other strategic players locked behind an artificial dungeon level restriction? Since the economy and mechanics have shifted completely, letting people test their tactical limits inside the actual dungeons would only bring back that classic spark.


    Respect for the grind, and thanks for an honest debate!