AL Levels

Character Level needs to be less about capability and more the number of "perks" you've obtained. Let me explain thussly: Everyone should have access, to some degree, to every portion of the game. After a certain point, the perks start to provide diminishing returns; high level players are also more likely to want to branch out.

Ideally, a character who has focused primarily on crafting should still be a competent fighter; while a fighter should be able to take up crafting without to much effort. Making level less of a divisor also promotes greater multi-player capability. The difference between seasoned players and beginners should not be utterly insurmountable.

Too that end, combat should be more about skill and gear than actual stats. The Combat Sphere has more to do with unlocking weapon options and special abilities than strictly making a character deal more damage. Monsters goes into more detail about how the battle system will work.