[gold stinger]

Never said leveling was an issue, but you got it kind of half right what I'm trying to get across.

The biggest ploy of my argument is grinding for essential equipment, party members, money, or just items in general in order to progress past a seemingly impassable barrier that blocks off a majority of the core game, is not a fun mechanic and can get highly repetitive and boring for even the most hardcore players. It can seem fun at first with the possible luck involved, and the rush of finally getting what you need. However, I find in my experience that everyone eventually topples and gives up in the end.

I think a much better suitable game style would be that for competitive multiplayer purposes, allow grinding. And for casual single player purposes, allow people to gain progress at a steady pace, infinitely. Have them together in the same game, but keep them separate.

If it's an RPG for example, assign PvP listed items that are applicable to multiplayer, with equipment stat rolls so the grind is always there, that drop both in multiplayer and single player (but more so in multiplayer). Include leaderboards and rankings so its competitive.

Assign PvE items that are only applicable to singleplayer, with equipment stat rolls that are forever scaling based on level and enemy level that also scales with your level, so the progression is always there, that drop in both modes (but more so in singleplayer).