Except you are arguing that this applies specifically to PvP, and let's be honest, in FFXIV, PvP is not popular, is it? I already agreed that personal experience varies, but that does not alter the fact that only a small minority of players who have tried PvP, have done more than dip a toe into PvP. I'm not even willing to believe that the majority of players have even tried PvP, simply because they don't want to do PvP.
The lack of interest in PvP has less to do with whether you can play with friends than it does a general apathy for PvP among FFXIV players.
I personally don't want to play PvP, but I can agree with what you are saying here. I can see that if people really want PvP - are serious about it as you say, then a sanitized, pigeon holed experience is not what they want. The issue I have there though is that this isn't a PvP game, and I do not think that unstructured, open world PvP would fit FFXIV.
That would be an accurate assessment. I find PvP to be grossly unfair to anyone who either does not often partake, or who lacks sufficient levels/gear to compete. There are several other reasons for my personal dislike of PvP, you could correctly conclude it is a deep seated aversion to PvP.
