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Disclaimer: The following is posted with permission from Aeria, in order to let players have some ideas of what to expect in the future. This is, however, my own impression from the current ongoing discussions, and not an "official" statement of the company. As these discussions are ongoing, a lot of things are still tentative, but this should give an idea of the way things seem to be heading.

Many players have been upset for some time over the current situation in Last Chaos USA, and over recent changes to the game. If you are one of those players, I've written this in an effort to calm your fears and explain what's happening. Hopefully this will let you know enough about what's going on to prevent anyone from rioting and/or getting themselves banned by overreacting to the initial changes without awareness of the general direction in which things are moving. In other words, stay tuned, because good things are coming. Please read on for some hints.

Note that I am not allowed to reveal specific details (in part because they have not yet been decided completely), but I can quote and paraphrase things that have already been publicly stated by GMs and/or the LC-USA Product Manager. I can also elaborate, to some extent. None of this is currently being Tested, so I'm not violating any prohibition on discussing Test Server happenings.

For those who did not already know, Last Chaos USA is under new management here at Aeria Games & Entertainment (the new Product Manager for LC-USA is aeria_ks1lent), and the future for the game looks much better now than it has in some time. In the weeks and months to come, many changes are intended to be implemented, as well as long-awaited fixes for various bugs. There will also be new content released, as usual. We hope to Test things as thoroughly as possible before unleashing them on the unsuspecting players. These changes may produce some temporary "growing pains," but the end results will, I believe, be worth it. Please be patient as the GSes, Mods, GMs, and LC Product Management team work together, to improve Last Chaos USA.

Many players have been complaining about a number of things for over a year. GSes and Mods (and yes, even GMs) have likewise petitioned for improvements. The new Production team is listening to us, and several things are in the works.

Contrary to the ever-popular rumor, power leveling is not going to go away or be made bannable. Certain exploits that have been used along with power leveling, however, are *already* bannable, and will be coded out of possibility.

The new limit to guild XP donations is only a first step, and may only be temporary, until the other fixes can be developed and implemented. Part of the reason for the new limit is in order to prevent (or at least discourage) certain exploits. Hopefully, once those exploits have been coded out of possibility, the max guild XP donation may be changed back, or at least may be increased from the current limit of 50%. However, there really should be no need for a 100% cap if it becomes possible to gain SP more effectively throughout the game, instead of only in the 17-35 level range, and this is in fact part of what we are hoping to get done.

The next step is to raise the SXP gain from higher level mobs; indeed, to increase the SXP gain at mid and high levels (at least from some of the mobs in those level ranges), so that no one level range has a greater advantage in SP farming than any other. There should no longer be a "need" to get all SP in Prokion and then skip every level from 30 to 90. There should be a more balanced distribution of SXP gain throughout the game, not just for any one level range. This should make SP farming (hereafter referred to as "sparming") at all levels (other than the Prokion level range, which I am personally requesting to be left as it is currently) easier than it has been. No one level range should have an advantage any longer. Instead of doing away with the improved SXP gain in Prokion, it should become possible to get better SXP at mid and high levels as well. Nobody has to lose in order for everybody to win.

Please note that nobody intends to do away with power leveling. It may be done differently, though, and hopefully will no longer be perceived as a "necessity" by so many players. Certain exploits will be fixed, however. In the meantime, while the guild XP donation is limited to 50%, and the other improvements have not yet arrived, it might be best for those who have not yet got all the SP they will need in the game to try not to power level. Instead, it is probably advisable to take the time to smell the roses and get to know the lesser-known parts of the game, like the beautiful region known as "Merac."

The method of sparming which a seeming majority of players use these days (XP cap by a level 6 guild at class level 17, then sparm in Prokion Temple till you have all the SP you will ever need, and then power level to 90) is relatively new, only a little over a year old (introduced in "The Patch" of May 2008). Prior to that time, it was not even a possibility. The only reason it has become standard practice for so many players is because other SXP gain improvements were never developed and implemented, so people perceived a need to get all SP in the level 17-36 (usually 17-30) range in Prokion, and then power level to 90 in order to avoid SP loss through character death. Had the other SXP gain improvements been developed and implemented, the current practice would very likely never have become so popular.

Once these other SXP gain improvements have become a reality, players should actually be able to feel comfortable experiencing the beauty of what is possibly the most lovely region in the game (Merac), and should be encouraged to learn the entire game, knowing (for example) that there is *much* more to the Dratan region than Dratan City, Dratan Castle, Prokion, and the Tomb. Indeed, Dratan is currently the largest map in the game; it's a shame and a waste that so much of it is left unexplored by so many players. Skipping 60 levels of gameplay should no longer be seen as "necessary."

To those who think all of this is going to "ruin" the game, let me request that you think outside the box. As I have said already, the currently popular methods of sparming in Prokion to get all the SP you will ever need, and then power leveling to 90, have not always even been possible, let alone perceived as "the only way to fly."

GSes and Mods are discussing all of this with GMs and the LC Product Manager. The current indications are that SXP gain should be increased in all "temples" (besides Prokion, in which SXP gain may be left as is), and from all Elites out in the open *OR* that SXP gain should be increased in all "temples" (again, leaving the SXP gain in Prokion as is), and drops increased outside the "temples." We'll have to wait and see what the Production team decides, and then wait and see how the Developers react, so the specific details of all these intended improvements are as yet unknown, but we are sure that things are going to get better now that our input as Players and as Testers is finally being given due attention.

The SP cost of level 100+ skills is another of the things we're trying to get fixed, as I promised that I and other Testers were trying to get done, some time ago. The GMs and the new management are listening to our concerns, and agree with those concerns. Hopefully we will finally be able to get these costs to be made saner.

We are also discussing party dynamics and ways to encourage partying (besides the currently popular Solo Party). Again, those who can get things done are listening.

XP gain is also on the table for discussion. It is my belief that you shouldn't have to spend 3 years grinding in order to get to the higher levels. However, neither should it be something that can be done in less than a week.

Other things which we hope to get improved are also on the table, but these comments should suffice to let you know that yes, Aeria Games & Entertainment does care, and is not simply concerned with maximizing immediate or short-term profit, but instead wants to provide a sustainable game, to a sustainable, growing, and happy community.

As we don't know the specific details of these changes yet, we also don't have an ETA yet.

In addition to these improvements, we will soon have more effective means of dealing with spammers, so that hopefully the game will no longer be almost constantly plagued with their chat flooding/disruption.

I am asking my fellow players to have patience, because this is a major undertaking and will not be accomplished overnight. Things have been messed up for a while, and have been getting increasingly messed up. That is changing now, but with all that is messed up, it will take some time. It did not become messed up over night, and therefore, it cannot be fixed over night. Once this is done, I believe most, and probably all, players will be quite pleased. It may not all be exactly to everyone's liking, but I am pretty sure at least most players will be *much* fonder of LC then than they are now. Please be patient.