How do expansion usually work in MMOs? I've been wondering that. Like how does it work for the new races added? If you're a new player and choose one of them are you locked only to the new jobs, do they do the same quest as 2.0 did to get to level 50 or do they have their own story pre 50. Just want to know what to expect.
Well I guess it depends, but for races it's just you can pick the new race and that's it. The race can be every class(well if the game has race/class combos, it can be some classes only but that's game specific, XIV doesn't have that).
We don't really know what they're doing with the old content or the leveling process. In general though, they might add a new small low level area(1-10) to introduce the new race backstory, then you go back to the normal leveling stuff and do it the old way. They generally do a bit of reworking of XP/level formula so it's faster to catch up, and for example in WoW eventually with Cataclysm(3rd expansion) they reworked entirely the old zones and remade the leveling process.
The new classes might start higher(with like a req of having a lvl 50 already), or might not, we don't know yet. I would say it's possible but not necessarily likely.
Changes I'd see them doing, reduced xp needed to level by about 20%, increased FATE xp and/or spawn rate, increased leve xp, increased low level dungeon xp, massively increased LLDR and weekly challenge xp(potentially only for under 50, with a new LLDR system added once you're past 50). You'd level to 50 in about half to 2/3 of the current time it takes, knowing that obviously you then have 10 more longer levels to go. Potentially removal of all dungeon requirements for main story, or main story simply not required to start 50+ story arc. 2.1 to 2.5 story arcs summed up in cutscenes/whatever at the start of the new Heavensward arc, making all those optional.
