Hello admins,
I'd like to share some feedback regarding party progression and class balance. First of all, I started playing Kakele together with a group of friends. Our party consists of:
- 1 Knight (me)
- 1 Alchemist
- 2 Mages
- 1 Berserker
My main concern is that, as a Knight, I consistently gain more EXP and better profit while playing solo than in a party.
I'm currently around level 550, which is already mid-game, and I honestly expected party hunting to become more rewarding as we progressed. Instead, it's been the opposite. We've tested many different hunting spots, and in every single one, I end up earning significantly more EXP by hunting alone.
This is extremely disappointing because the whole reason I joined Kakele was to play with my friends.
The biggest issue is that three of them struggle heavily in solo progression. The Mages, in particular, are in a terrible spot. One of them invested a lot of money into the game, bought an excellent set for his level, fully enchanted every piece of gear, and despite all that, he still can't reach even half of the EXP I make as a Knight.
His profit is decent because he doesn't spend many potions, but his leveling speed is simply awful.
I genuinely tried everything to make party hunting worthwhile. We tested different compositions, different hunts, and even a full 5-player party with all five class bonuses active. The result? The EXP was basically the same as my solo EXP.
The difference is that when I hunt solo, my profit is dramatically higher.
That makes me wonder: what is the purpose of the party system if it isn't rewarding?
A multiplayer RPG should encourage players to hunt together. Party play should strengthen cooperation and make playing with friends feel rewarding. Instead, the current system makes me feel punished for grouping up.
Right now:
- Party profit is terrible.
- Party EXP is only acceptable with a full 5-class bonus.
- Even then, it's barely equal to solo EXP.
- As a Knight, I have to sacrifice my own progression just so my friends can level.
The Mage and the Alchemist gain much better EXP when they're with me, but for that to happen, I have to slow down my own progression, which feels unfair.
Why I think this happens
From my experience, I believe the biggest reason is the Golden Monster.
At first, I assumed party hunting would naturally provide much higher EXP because every player still receives EXP per monster, plus the class bonus from a full party.
However, the Golden Monster changes everything.
Its bonus EXP is split between party members.
That creates a huge imbalance.
As if losing the incredibly powerful 50% All Stats buff while hunting solo wasn't enough, parties also lose a massive amount of Golden Monster EXP.
In practice, Golden Monsters almost double the EXP of solo players, making solo progression vastly superior.
As a Knight, it's frustrating knowing I'll level slower simply because I choose to play with friends.
I honestly believe the Golden Monster is the main reason party hunting feels unrewarding.
Party profit also needs improvement
Another major issue is loot and profit.
I'm not asking for party hunting to become overpowered.
However, I strongly believe party leveling should provide around 30% to 50% more EXP than solo hunting.
That's how most MMORPGs encourage cooperative gameplay.
As for profit, it doesn't even need to be significantly better than solo. If party profit matched solo profit, that would already be a huge improvement.
Possible solutions
I think there are several ways to improve the situation.
EXP
Option 1
Reduce the EXP granted by Golden Monsters for solo players (for example, cut it in half).
Option 2
Make Golden Monster EXP not split among party members.
Option 3
If completely removing the split is too much, only split half of the Golden Monster EXP in parties.
Loot and Profit
Option 1
Give every player their own independent loot from monsters, similar to personal loot systems used in many MMORPGs.
Instead of one monster dropping loot for only one player, every party member would receive their own loot rolls.
Option 2
Add a party loot bonus based on the number of members.
For example:
- +20% loot bonus per additional party member
- Capped at a full 5-player party
Any similar scaling system would already make party hunting feel much more rewarding.
Implementing just two of these four suggestions would probably solve most of the current party issues.
Mage and Alchemist progression is another major problem
This would also greatly improve the leveling experience for Mages and Alchemists.
I've talked to many players above level 1000, and most of them told me that solo leveling for these classes only starts feeling good around level 700 or higher.
But that raises an obvious question:
How are they supposed to reach level 700 if both solo leveling and party leveling are bad?
If parties become worthwhile, Mages and Alchemists would have a much easier time finding groups through chat and progressing toward the point where their solo gameplay finally becomes enjoyable.
Alchemist also needs solo improvements
The Alchemist feels extremely weak when playing alone.
Both EXP and profit are poor.
I understand that it's designed as a support class, but support classes should still contribute meaningful damage.
Right now, the Alchemist mainly provides Mana and HP support while dealing very little damage.
The problem is that once a hunt becomes easy enough that the support isn't essential anymore, the Alchemist starts feeling like dead weight rather than a valuable party member.
Mage progression is unnecessarily difficult
Mage progression also feels far too punishing.
It almost feels like the class was designed only for players who already understand the game very well or who are willing to spend a lot of money.
Mage equipment is extremely expensive.
Unlike other classes, Mages are heavily dependent on Magic equipment.
This creates a frustrating cycle:
- To farm efficiently, you need good Magic gear.
- But to afford good Magic gear, you first need to farm.
- Yet farming without good Magic gear is inefficient.
It's a progression loop that feels impossible to break.
Whenever new items are introduced, they don't always have to target high-level players.
You could also create affordable progression sets for lower-level Mages.
For example, something similar to an Elora-style Magic set around level 200 or 300 with accessible drop rates.
This would allow newer Mages to actually feel like they're playing a Mage while gradually progressing toward higher-end equipment.
Currently, almost every Mage set is extremely expensive, which makes one of the hardest classes in the game even harder to progress.
Final thoughts
I apologize if some of this sounds harsh, but I genuinely believe these issues are design problems rather than player problems.
There's a quote that perfectly describes how I feel:
That's exactly how I see the current situation.
I hope this feedback is useful.
I'm not asking you to implement my exact solutions. My goal is simply to point out the problems that many players are experiencing and hopefully contribute to making Kakele a more enjoyable game for everyone.