In December, we launched a new 100-level system for cyclists, along with a ride streak mechanism which lets you earn bonus experience points (XP) by riding consistently every week. We’ve been listening to feedback from across the Zwift community, and today we’re sharing some upcoming changes to these features based on your feedback.
We’ve heard your feedback that the new 100-level system (along with bonus XP from ride streaks) makes leveling-up much more achievable and engaging than it was in the past, but that there’s a desire to make leveling-up more challenging and prestigious, especially for higher levels.
To address this, we’re making the following changes:
Starting in Zwift game version 1.62, weekly ride streak bonus XP will only be granted once per week, instead of the current twice per week. The amount of bonus XP granted for maintaining a streak will stay the same:
Week 1 streak: +300 XP
Week 2 streak: +400 XP
Week 3 (and all subsequent weeks) streak: +500 XP
We’ve also listened to your feedback about the Ride Streaks screen: Arriving in Zwift game version 1.62, the Ride Streak screen will only be shown once per week when your streak increases or you start a new streak. We’ve heard your positive feedback about seeing your XP and level progress on the Streak screen, so we’ve added this information to the Ride Report which will continue to be available at the end of every ride.
In early May 2024, the 100-level system will be revised. We will share more specifics when this revised system is launched, but as a preview:
The amount of XP required to earn levels will continue to increase proportionally for higher levels as it does with the current system. Compared to the current system, the revised system will have a moderate increase in required XP throughout levels 28-50, a higher increase between levels 50-90, and a further higher increase between levels 90-100.
Leveling-up will still be faster than the previous 60-level system, helping to make progression feel more attainable.
You will not lose any levels or progress when moving to the revised system. Whatever your current level is, you will keep that same level in the revised system.
There will be no change to the amount of XP required to reach your immediate next level - you’ll earn your next level based on the requirements of the previous system and the revised system will take effect after that.
There will be no changes to XP requirements for Levels 1-27.
Just as with the previous 100-level system, existing Zwifters will receive “XP discounts” based on their ‘banked XP’ from the previous level system to transition to the new system faster. This means that you’ll still get the satisfaction of leveling-up, but each level will be faster to earn while you complete the transition to the revised level system.
For new Zwifters, the XP required to reach maximum Level 100 will be 1,000,000 XP.
We appreciate all of the feedback you’ve provided on levels, XP, and streaks since we launched this new system in December. We hope these changes strike a reasonable balance, and we’ll continue listening to your feedback.
Why don’t Zwift just run some of these things past users before implementing them. It’s really frustrating when a system gets implemented, you learn about it and accept it and then they radically change it. Personally I like the leveling up quicker. Maybe give an option to stay on the current xp increase or switch to the new one. Zwift shouldn’t give in to the vocal minority.
I already have over 1M xp, so this doesn’t really affect me (I think I’m at level 94 currently, spent years stuck at 50), but isn’t the easier solution to just leave levels 1-100 as is, so that people aren’t mad you’re suddenly pulling up the ladder, but also create levels 101+ that are harder to achieve? I am excited about confetti socks!
How many times has the team completely revamped how all of this works? So many development hours spent on this which could have been used on more important things that have been ignored for so long. Why not devise a solution and stick with it for the long-term?
I’m at level 84 and thought the confetti socks sound cool and I should get there in a reasonable amount of time. But no, as of next month you are going to change the rules yet again.
Just add more levels and leave the current ones as they are.
Interesting. So I think the trick is to try to get to L100 before May, so if anyone is close, now is the time to grind a lot of Z2 with your favorite pace partner to get locked in at the highest level possible for the least amount of XP I am personally too far from 100 to do it between now and end of may though, so all I can do is lock in the highest level possible with the time I have.
That said, one question I have is for folks that start at a lot higher level than they ‘should’ be in the new system (since people will keep their current level even though they didn’t achieve close to the amount of XP required to get there in the new system)…
Let’s say for someone who is at around L70ish in the current system, if they would be say L50ish in the new system, I see it will take the current per-level XP to get from L70 in the old system to L71 in the new system, but then how does leveling grading work after that?
If they would normally be very very far away from L72 in the new system do they just lock in to the new per-level XP requirements (meaning they are always ahead of what they would need to hit the next level if they had started fresh in the old system), or do they need to hit the L72 overall XP requirement making it a very long haul between L71 and L72?
In my head the above was an easy question, but it seems like a very complicated question now that I’ve written it down. Not sure how to write it more succinctly however. If anyone understands what I wrote above let me know if there’s an easier way to ask it
So disappointed in the impending change to the leveling up system. I found this new system to be much more motivating than the previous 60-level system. Large gaps between levels is not at all motivating to me as it takes too long to see any progress.
I’m happy to see this change. I found the rapid level progression demotivating because it was too easy and I felt like I was being showered with unlocks. The system is still too complicated.
Yeah personally I think it’s unfortunate that they didn’t release it this way to start with. It’s hard to take back things people are used to (like one of the double 500xp) bonuses, making levelling harder, etc, but the way it was initially release felt way too quick to level for me, to the point levels didn’t mean anything, and I didn’t even bother looking at the unlocks as I was getting one every week or two.
One more “this looks like a good change” vote. The old leveling steps were huge, fine I guess but obviously see it being demotivating when it could take months to go one level. New ones, I’ve been leveling up weekly with just a few rides and I’m not even on the double-XP rate. So fast it was truly a “who cares” situation. I’ll say I don’t envy having to deal with the coming influx of questions about it.
Do you have or will you provide interactive graphs or calculators demonstrating the changes?
I don’t have “banked” XP since I was not yet at level 60 at the time of the first set of changes but I did have “excess”(?) XP since my XP would have qualified me almost for level 100 in the new system and so I have accelerated leveling right now.
I started on Zwift in Dec 2015. I’m currently at level 59 but with 556,831 XP and accelerated leveling 50>>98 (2x chevrons, the 20% discount).
To their credit, they have been pretty good about that sort of thing with stuff that matters e.g. pack dynamics, and Zwift Racing Score. Since levels don’t really matter they’re mostly just making a headache for themselves with some soon-to-be confused users, and nobody will care after 2 weeks have passed.
If it happened today, you’d be at level 59. Presumably the 20% discount will still apply. Nobody can answer how much more XP you’ll need to get to 100 but safe to assume it’ll be in the middle.
Totally agree so not sure why they are changing it now. I think things like new worlds, events, big ticket items obviously have to be kept secret but I have no idea why for smaller changes like these they don’t have a panel of users to run these things past to avoid messes like this. Same with the lack of testing before releases implementing bugs. It makes then look very amateurish. Ask the people who use the platform what they want when changing existing things rather than deciding what people want and then having to backtrack.
Everyone is now used to the new levelling up and now they are going to change it all again.
Why would people complain about levelling up to fast , how many members did you consult before deciding on this change, I certainly wasn’t asked about it , you keep moving the goalposts because of a minority of people who will complain about anything if they think someone is getting something they are not , I would like to see published the numbers of people who you or they decide were disadvantaged , also the numbers regarding the we listen to you comment as a percentage of actual users ,
I am personally too far from 100 to do it between now and end of may though, so all I can do is lock in the highest level possible with the time I have.