If you really want to grind, you can always duo mobs somewhere with your friend. And it will still be effectively faster then the old experience parties because you won't have to wait for a Bard or Red Mage in order to get people together, even if your kill speed isn't ideal.

Really, if you liked the old way, either you played a job that was in high demand, you were in a static, or you have an acute case of Stockholm syndrome. The majority of experience grind in "the old days" was waiting for a party to gather, begging off a PL to help, or resting between mobs because your party makeup was sub-optimal. These days it is going to an area, and killing mobs to your hearts desire.

Quote Originally Posted by Sines View Post
I don't have the gil to get myself power leveled, so I may not feel the end will be worth the climb, especially since I liked being able to play different classes on a whim.
Some players choose to pay others to grind for them. I'm not one of them, and it isn't necessary. There are plenty of ways to get experience for yourself, solo, duo, in a party, in a book burn alliance, in Abyssea, in Walk of Echos, in Campaign Battle, etc. If you can't level at a steady pace that is faster then "the old days" even if it is still slower then maybe going to Abyssea and leveling all in one day, then you really have nobody to blame but yourself. And you get to choose what path you take now no matter what job you are on rather then being forced to a party type dependent on what job you are on.

And players will say what they will, but for the vast majority of things, there is a lot of room for whatever job you feel like playing this week. Certain content will definitely optimize towards certain classes (with different classes depending on the content), but you can still work through things going your own way.

Also, as a side note, what of doing storyline? I don't really think you can say you've truly played FFXI if you've never been to Sky for your first time, or never seen the craziness of a Walk of Echoes battlefield, or never challenged a Voidwalker and lived to tell the tale, or never stepped forth in An Explorers Footsteps, or never climbed Parradamo Tor before sunset, or never seen Riverne, never challenged the Dark Rider or the King of Dragons, or never saved the world a few times, or never even broke the chains. You don't have to be a 99 to do all these things, but you don't have to grind your soul away either.