This animosity between endgame linkshells and leechers wouldn't be such an issue if the drops weren't so competitive to begin with.

Getting a Walk of Echoes weapon isn't supposed to be hard. It isn't supposed to involve sitting in Port Jeuno. Just look at the trials that follow WoE: kindred's crests and high kindred's crests. Most people have enough to complete those last two trials before even starting their first trial! It shouldn't require much more coordination among players than what we see in going after VNMs, for which there is a general lack of concern for jobs or tactics.

The main problem with WoE isn't the lotting system; lotting drama is just a symptom here. The main problem is that these are battlefields. They require the kind of coordination and dedication that only a committed group can provide. But individuals naturally aren't going to make that kind of commitment without some sort of return on their investment.

Trying to "fix" WoE by catering to these groups, however, won't get you anywhere. If you've assembled such a group, you're 95% of the way towards getting actual empyrean weapons, so why bother with WoE? Even with plans to allow groups to monopolize a battlefield and its drops, to "give them exactly what they're asking for," I don't see WoE becoming any more popular.

On the contrary, I see it making WoE even less popular. Perhaps its greatest appeal is its appearance of being a pick-up-and-go activity. Of course, we're here having this discussion because it's exactly the opposite, but the idea of being able to pay your fee and stroll on in is supposed to be an advantage over sitting in Jeuno dealing with /shouts for an hour. Locking such people out will just turn Walk of Echoes into what Dynamis was this time last year.

Groups can lay claim to areas in Limbus and Einherjar, too. How popular are those nowadays?

We're not talking about building relic or mythic weapons here. Again, looking at the so-called "trials" for level 85 and 90 weapons, it's not supposed to be grueling. What's breaking WoE is the fact to get weapon "A" you need to focus exclusively on battlefield "B," which all but requires "C" number of players with "D" job mix executing playbook tactic "E." And job mix "D" specifically doesn't include any jobs that can wield weapon "A" to begin with.

At worst, unlocking an empyrean weapon skill shouldn't be worse than unlocking a mythic weapon skill was back in Nyzul's heyday.