I can see how some people say the game is becoming "too easy" But in reality.. its just becoming a bit more manageable for the "older" players ie. adults with jobs who need to work and don't have 8+ hrs a day to play this game. I agree there SHOULD be content for BOTH Casual players or players who want a real challenge. the game is becoming more balanced in that aspect. players who don't have a lot of time to play and would rather not quit just because they don't have as much time to play as they used to after 5+ years need options other then constantly needing parties and such. Creating a party alone can be a ridiculous time sink.. Esp with constant afkers..
Also yes this is an MMO and lets be real everything in this game is STILL faster with a group and/or alliance.. soloing will never be on par with partying even in Abyssea.. you get tons more exp with a big group then you do in a small party or duo.
The game is simply becoming more enjoyable for everyone.. not just people with a lot of time. The difficulty is still about the same.. but lets be honest the number of players is dropping for this game.. so ffxi needs to introduce content for a fewer number of people. that's also a reality people don't realize. there aren't 5k people on at every given day or time to do big things like you used to. If SE wants to keep this game alive they are currently going in the right direction to keep current players interested.
In actuality there are people who like it hard and people who like it "easy" Se has to do its best to fulfill EVERYONES needs and that's is a HARD thing to do and NO matter what someone will be un-happy that's just how it is.