I had an idea long before this happened..... The lvl of the weapon is just the requirement for you to use it, not so much the weapon itself The numerical attack is the effectiveness in terms if PvE enemy levels 240=24 Impact is the attack, relative to level Stats don't change per level, only their weighted relativity There for, in PvE, if you used a lvl 10 and 18 weapon that were the same on a Lvl 10 enemy, they might do equal damage, but on a lvl 18 enemy, the lvl 10 would do less. Same with your character, the damage you give and take is a relative ratio based on the level In PvP, they say level advantages disabled and iron banner dies, maybe they just mean impact, not relative levels, such as the starting autorifle has more impact than hardlight, defense seems non-existent, idk