From PlayOnline.com:

The FFXI development team is proud to announce the "Level Sync" system, a revolutionary new feature in the upcoming version update that will allow all players-grizzled veterans and novices alike-to adventure and gain experience together regardless of level differences!

Discuss this exciting announcement on our forums!

The Concept

The development team has been listening intently to feedback from players, and working hard to address concerns such as the following:
"I can't party effectively with my friends or linkshell members because our levels are too far apart!"
"I invited one of my friends to play FFXI with me, but we can't party together because we don't have any jobs at similar levels!"
"I can't find anyone close enough to my level to party with!"

The new Level Sync system is the result of extensive discussions on how to resolve these concerns, while preserving game balance and avoiding abuse and power-leveling by RMT groups. It addresses the issues that have resulted from a steady stream of new, low-level players joining an existing game world populated by scores of high-level veterans, and is part of the ongoing effort to clean up the FFXI community and remove players in violation of the users' agreement.


At the heart of the feature is the new ability for members of a party to "power down" to the level of a designated target player. Now friends will be able to adventure together and gain experience as if they were all the same level!

With the introduction of this system, there will also be major changes to the way equipment is handled in regard to level restrictions. Rather than automatically unequipping items if a player's level is reduced below the item's minimum level, the attributes of high-level equipment will be scaled down proportionally to the reduced level.
This will apply not only to the Level Sync system, but to all level-restricted areas and missions. This means that players will now be able to participate in various battlefields, Assault missions, and Ballista, and also to adventure in level-capped areas such as Riverne without the hassle of having to switch equipment!

Read on for more details about how the Level Sync system will work, and examples of how equipment and experience-gaining will be affected.

How it Works

When Level Sync is activated, the level of all party members will be temporarily reduced to that of a target player designated by the party leader. For as long as the Level Sync remains in effect, all party members – regardless of their original level – will be able to gain experience as if they were actually the lower, restricted level.

e.g. With a party containing characters of Levels 75, 48, 46, 30, 12, and 11:
If the target character is Lv. 11, everyone will become Lv. 11.
If the target character is Lv. 12, the Lv. 30-75 party members will become Lv. 12.
(the Lv. 11 character will remain Lv. 11)
* If the target character gains a level while Level Sync is in effect, the other characters' levels will automatically adjust to reflect the new target level.
* Level Sync cannot be used in areas or events where a separate level restriction already applies.
* The Level Sync settings are easily accessible from the main menu.

Three simple restrictions will be implemented to ensure that the Level Sync feature is not abused and does not provide an excessive advantage over traditional leveling.
1)The minimum target level that can be synchronized to is Level 10.
2)The party leader and target player must be located in the same area.
3)There will be a buffer period of thirty seconds when deactivating Level Sync.

Gaining Experience

When Level Sync is in effect, players will gain 100% of the experience and limit points possible to gain at their reduced level. Be aware, though, that no EXP will be gained if the target player is unconscious, removed from the party, too far away from the battle location, or otherwise unable to receive EXP at the time the monster is defeated.
In addition, the amount of EXP lost when rendered unconscious will be calculated based upon the player's reduced level.

Equipment

As mentioned above, equipment will also be temporarily powered down to match the player's reduced level. Attributes that will be affected include: DMG, DEF, HP, MP, Status Effects, Accuracy+, Attack+, Ranged Accuracy+, Ranged Attack+, Magic Accuracy+, and Magic Attack+.
* The current plan is for other special properties (including Evasion, Enmity, enchantments and ability bonuses) to be negated entirely.

Ex. 1) Centurion's Sword (Lv. 30)
DMG: 19 Delay: 225 Accuracy +3 Attack +4

Ex. 2) Askar Zucchetto (Lv. 75)
DEF: 23 STR+4 DEX+4 VIT+4 Haste +4%
Set: Max HP Boost

Ex. 3) Goliard Clogs (Lv. 75)
DEF: 19 DEX+4 INT+4 MND+4 CHR+4 Evasion +5
MP recovered while healing +3 Magic Accuracy +2

* The attributes in red will be scaled down relative to the player's level.

Also, low-level players need not be discouraged! Statistics on higher-level equipment (including HQ and rare items) being scaled down will be comparable to those of common items at the target level. This means that lower-level characters who have obtained special equipment via quests, notorious monsters, or HQ syntheses will still have the best gear available at their respective level!

There are still more exciting new changes that will be introduced, so keep an eye out for the full details to be posted on the day of the version update. Until then, happy adventuring!