I am a veteran of the D&D/Pathfinder system. I understand power levels there. First level characters can barely do anything. 20th level characters can reorganize the planes.

My goal is to take the story from a Pathfinder adventure path and tell it using the mechanics of Genesys. Where I need the most help us trying to understand power levels in Genesys. In D20 it's easy to understand. Low levels can't touch high levels. In Genesys it seems possible for brand new characters to hit and overcome higher level characters.

A brand new character in Genesys can potentially be rolling 2 yellow and 2 green dice for an attack. The weapon damage is potentially the same for a brand new character as well as the 'Big Bad' of a campaign. Wound and strain levels aren't all that far apart.

Essentially, what is the Genesys equivalent of a brand new character vs a mid level character vs a high level character?

In the system in general, it is easy for PCs to become offensively very powerful. However, even at advanced levels they tend to be very squishy. The level of defensive quality is not equivalent. It's a nice feature of the system that PCs can be challenged even as they advance.

From my experience, up to 100xp in Genesys/Star Wars is equivalent to a relatively low level character in a level-based system like D&D, maybe 5th or 6th level. By 200xp, you're closer to 8-10th level, depending on how you've spent your XP. Once you've acquired 400+XP, you're getting pretty close to the limits of what a character can achieve in Genesys (a score of 5 in your key characteristic, 5 in one or more key skills, and a wide range of talents).

After that, it looks like Genesys characters will more likely broaden the scope of what they're good at, rather than becoming even more insanely good at what they started out being good at. But with the limit on defense, the soft cap on Soak (Brawn 5 + 2-4, typically), and 16-20 Wounds and Strain, you're never invulnerable, except to the weakest minions (and even then they might get one good shot in on you).

Character improve much more gradually rather than in big jumps. Usually i value about 50 XP earned after character generation as about a level. However, I usually count 100 XP before "leveling up" the threats the PCs encounter, this is because with 50 XP some characters will get some good stuff while others will get more "filler" ability. If someone spends 100 XP on their character, and they are not significantly superior then they where, their doing it wrong.

Once you get past 200 XP (D&D=5th-7th level) your getting pretty powerful and can even hit some of the system limits (5s in stats and skills). The game has a lower power cap (as 2P51 said evin XPed characters need to be careful or go squish), but with the gentel raise in power it doesn't feel as stifling as D&D would if their was only 7 levels.

Theres no xp for killing therefore challenge level doesn’t matter.

Setting challenge types and their difficulty completely depends on the party. If it’s a group of mercenaries all focused on killing and pillaging then they demand combat challenges. But a group of fop’s, minstrels, merchants and farmers need entirely different encounters.

This isn’t a board game and it isn’t a combat simulation with occasional tavern brawls as the token social encounter. I have played entire sessions of social and investigative encounters without a single drawn sword. You will unfortunately have to leave a lot of your DnD expectations behind.

If an encounter is seemingly too easy and your goals for the story won’t be met then spend a Story Point and bring in a complication: reinforcements, a change to the scene, a powerful opposition in a social encounter, a drunk ork kicking down the door.

If an encounter is looking like a whitewash with unconscious pc’s everywhere then don’t declare “TPK HaHa!!” But instead look at what the NPC’s can gain by keeping the players alive, or what could change to save them.

In the beginning of a campaign always start off small, multiple easy encounters that advance the story are more fun than one really long slow challenge that get the characters nowhere.