What SE Has Done RIGHT with the Updates

[Arcon]

My personal beef with leeching is hpw rude it is. I'm doing the work for other they should do themselves.

You're confusing people who go afk during dom ops parties with people who pay others to leech or who hold KI while getting EXP to help other people with their empyrean weapon farming. No one cares about random party afkers and they usually get kicked anyway. That's not all that "leeching" is. The word just has an undeservingly bad connotation to it. It's just used to describe someone who doesn't kill mobs for their EXP, which still leaves plenty of uses for them in a party. A keywhore, for example, is necessary to a party but is still leeching EXP. Those are the people we are talking about here.

And yes, it is our choice for leeching, and there's nothing at all wrong about it. It's a lot faster to leech to 99 in a few hours and then skill up any weapon in a few hours, than to spend weeks and months leveling to 99 in what some people consider the "real" way. There is "real" way to EXP and there certainly isn't a "better" way, it all comes down to personal preference. The people complaining about skilling up their jobs kinda remind me of those super sweet sixteen girls who cry over getting the wrong luxury car for their birthday. Both EXP and skilling are easier and faster than ever, there really is no need to complain.

[Rosina]

Acron leeching is bad. It is rude. no way around it. Players doing the work of others is rude. And yes it is rude. I dislike joing a party in ANYTHING and see 50% (not made up either i literly saw 1/2 a party be afk.) It also does slow the exp rate as less people killing slower the kill rate, slower the exp flow. Not to mention how many "healers" are afk. And no i'm not mixing up the two, Been on this game for years to know the difference. Leeching was bad once and you did get kicked for it. Some of what you listed isn't leeching just so you know. Key people are still doing work... though not killing mobs they are infact opening boxes so they still contribute. Holding KI or pops isn't leeching cuz you are contributing to the party. Leeching means you do not contribute at all, you just sit and suck what ever is there exp, items etc w/o putting any effort into it.

[Arcon]

Acron leeching is bad. It is rude. no way around it.

As I said, you're mixing up things.

Key people are still doing work... though not killing mobs they are infact opening boxes so they still contribute. Holding KI or pops isn't leeching cuz you are contributing to the party. Leeching means you do not contribute at all, you just sit and suck what ever is there exp, items etc w/o putting any effort into it.

You know what I find funny, people complaining about skilling up when it inreality is their fault for leeching.

So people who "contribute" in ways that aren't combat somehow don't have a skilling problem? Keying boxes gives you skillups? You were the one who said people who need skillups are the ones who leeched, so either you consider people who contribute another way (holding KI, keying, paying, etc.) to be leeching as well, or you're contradicting yourself.

No one gives a crap about people who afk in parties. "Leeching" is a commonly accepted term for people who do not fight in a party, regardless of their contribution. And that affects a large majority of people who level any jobs these days, because almost everyone either pays to have their jobs leeched to 99 or gets their EXP from friends' KI cleave parties.

[Daniel_Hatcher]

Holding KI or pops isn't leeching cuz you are contributing to the party.

lol, if you say so....

[Tamoa]

Acron leeching is bad. It is rude. no way around it. Players doing the work of others is rude. And yes it is rude. I dislike joing a party in ANYTHING and see 50% (not made up either i literly saw 1/2 a party be afk.) It also does slow the exp rate as less people killing slower the kill rate, slower the exp flow. Not to mention how many "healers" are afk. And no i'm not mixing up the two, Been on this game for years to know the difference. Leeching was bad once and you did get kicked for it. Some of what you listed isn't leeching just so you know. Key people are still doing work... though not killing mobs they are infact opening boxes so they still contribute. Holding KI or pops isn't leeching cuz you are contributing to the party. Leeching means you do not contribute at all, you just sit and suck what ever is there exp, items etc w/o putting any effort into it.

Abyssea has been out for almost 2 years. People leech exp (in abyssea and other areas too) one way or another, but nobody says you have to leech. You can also just leave an exp alliance in abyssea if there are too many people leeching.

Get over it already. Quit beating the very very dead horse.

[hiko]

pink DD not blinking is bad. It is rude. no way around it. Players doing the work of others is rude. And yes it is rude. I dislike joing a party in ANYTHING and see 50% (not made up either i literly saw 1/2 a party be pink DD not blinking.) It also does slow the exp rate as less people slower killing slower the kill rate, slower the exp flow.......

FTFY

as for skilling and leeching, even XPing without leeching you get your lvl faster than your skill, +lvl synced skill+ jobs that have use for several weapons......

[Shadowsong]

Acron leeching is bad. It is rude. no way around it. Players doing the work of others is rude. And yes it is rude.

I call this kind of quote "Starcade-ing"
Who is this hypthetical group of "other players" that are being taken advantage of? Can we include full pink DNC that parse 1% of total damage in the group of leechers?

I forgot about that feature that lets those damned dirty leechers join parties without a leaders permission, taking advantage of everyone!

edit: Ya know what Rosina? I'm sick of this. "Leeching is Bad", well who the heck are you to tell me what is good or bad? I'm playing the game SE designed, NOT YOU. Hmmmm should we listen to some crazy girl who constantly spews incorrect game mechanics and advice or should we listen to THE DESIGNERS OF THE GAME.
Hint: People do not like being told what to do, especially by mediocre players. Perhaps if you started playing the game like it was 2012 instead of 2004, "Rosina" wouldn't now be a synonym with "retarded"

[Feynman]

I do think the "leeching war" has gotten out of hand. I don't leech my jobs but I don't think poorly of anyone who does. In fact I'm one of these absolutely insane people that solo each job these days because burn parties and aby parties are a "shoot to the top" approach that I personally don't find appealing. To me, this type of game is about the climb. It's the struggle to get to the top. Once I'm there...then what? But that's the point right? It is a personal preference. Live and let live.

That said it IS annoying when you get wiped because someone has no idea what they are doing. This is largely a product of being able to reach 99 without ever having to have played your job. But if you correct these people (kindly not the omg ur so dumb and such a bad player tactic that is normally seen) and they STILL do the same things and are getting you killed then they probably ARE bad players and you should move on. Because Shadowsong is right in general. Pretty much all major mechanics can be learned very quickly. I do disagree that everything can be learn in under an hour. The nuances of monster weaknesses, family strengths/weakness, and things of this nature can take awhile. Let's face it, if I asked "Which monster class is weak against vermin?" most people wouldn't be able to answer right away. Is this crucial to gameplay? No. But I soloed BST to 99 so I learned these things. It was annoying to charm a pet that was terrified of the mob I was trying to kill.

On the topic of the OP, what SE has done is allowed people to play however they want. Part of me misses the days of the 6-man party, meeting new people and every fight having a degree of challenge where one mistake could spell disaster. Then I remember how many times I wouldn't log into the game because I didn't have an entire day to devote to seeking a party. Or watching the party I just joined die because the WHM left. Rosina is right that the exp has been boosted and I think that was needed. Soloing jobs with books I still cap my skills well before I level. And you can solo every job now. I'm currently soloing WHM, so I do mean every job. But when I wanted DNC to 50 for subjob (I hate DNC...again preference) I was able to jump into a burn party for the last 10 levels when I thought I was going to go insane. Overall SE has made the game more accessible, which I think is great.

[Shadowsong]

I do think the "leeching war" has gotten out of hand. I don't leech my jobs but I don't think poorly of anyone who does. In fact I'm one of these absolutely insane people that solo each job these days because burn parties and aby parties are a "shoot to the top" approach that I personally don't find appealing. To me, this type of game is about the climb. It's the struggle to get to the top. Once I'm there...then what?

I respect your decision to treat exping as content. But it is extreamly unrealistic to think that the majority of people think it is. For me, "this type of game" is about Killing Gods with your friends, Liberating Abyssea, popping HNMs and having to develope a strategy for success, and seeing my character grow as a reward for my efforts.
I do not get the same rush after killing my 1500th Robber Crab as I do when I kill the Legendary Wyrm God Shinryu... I mean come on

[Feynman]

I respect your decision to treat exping as content. But it is extreamly unrealistic to think that the majority of people think it is. For me, "this type of game" is about Killing Gods with your friends, Liberating Abyssea, popping HNMs and having to develope a strategy for success, and seeing my character grow as a reward for my efforts.
I do not get the same rush after killing my 1500th Robber Crab as I do when I kill the Legendary Wyrm God Shinryu... I mean come on

I agree with that as well. I enjoy these things also. The way I view it though, once all jobs are 99 that's all there is to do. And I'm sorry but "develop strategy" for Gods? By now I think every job iteration has been tried and can be found online. You are right that killing thousands of the same mobs itself is not the most exciting thing. No argument there. But to me, killing an Aby NM the thousandth time and getting the last item I need to upgrade equipment is only exciting for a very short time. Getting a new ability or spell that I know I've worked for, and then having the time to experiment with it, find its best uses, and learn how to use it most effectively is a much longer lasting enjoyment.

All of this is moot though because my point was that SE has turned the game into one that really only had one play style into one that you can play in many different ways. This is a good thing because people enjoy different types of play style! I know many people that quit back in the day because of the exp grind. I know many people today that have quit because we act like aby is the only way and they hate it. Can't we stop demeaning and arguing over what is the "right" or "best" way to play the game already?