Rate of Leveling and the New Player Experience

[Mitruya]

I started a mule to help with gil, inventory, sparks, etc. and I have to agree, the thought of all the grinds and gates all over again is not appealing at all so he will probably stay a low-level undergeared mule.
The reduction of time between quests, the door key items, and the increased travel options have been a good start; but there is a gracious plenty of things they could streamline so you can actually play instead of going through menu hell or whatever.

Also I agree with Draylo somewhat, as scaled content for less players has killed grouping. It just leads to more job exclusivity and more casuals that don't get the clears and drops they need. People are so obsessed with greed and success that there's no incentive to carry lesser players along.

[AppropriateName5786]

Also I agree with Draylo somewhat, as scaled content for less players has killed grouping. It just leads to more job exclusivity and more casuals that don't get the clears and drops they need. People are so obsessed with greed and success that there's no incentive to carry lesser players along.

This is kind of off-topic, but he actually advocates alliance content for the sake of it being alliance content because, when you have the right circle of friends, that's the only way you get to feel special. That kind of content serves no purpose other than to pander to an inconsequential minority.

I think you agree with how job exclusivity sucks, as any sensible person would, but that stems solely from lack of job balance and has zilch to do with scaled content. If job balance were as close to perfect as theoretically possible, who would care if you did 6-man Delve with a RDM healer, GEO solo buffer, and DRG/DNC/BST/PUP as DD? What a perfect FFXI that would be, where you could always play your favorite job, and as long as a healer (WHM SCH RDM), a buffer (COR GEO BRD SMN RDM), and enough DDs were willing to go, you would have a party ready.

Right now, it's always WHM, BRD, PLD, MNK, RNG, SAM or gtfo because job balance is utterly non-existent, and every other job simply doesn't cut it for their respective roles. Hope I understood your line of thought correctly.