Originally Posted by
Niwashi
I would agree with this if the hardest content in the game were solo content. But like most (likely all) MMOs, the hardest content requires not just a skilled player, but a whole team of skilled players who are familiar with each other's gameplay.
Many players have real lives that don't allow for their gaming to follow the sort of regular predictable schedule that would make it possible to join a static group. No matter how skilled they are at the game, their job, and the specific content they're trying to complete, they can still only complete content that can be done by one skilled player and 7 other random unknown people that joined their PUG. The only content that's available to all paying players is content that's PUGable.
That leaves the only options as:
1) Make the hardest content in the game easy enough to do in a pick up group. Of course, this is going to anger any statics who want challenging group content.
2) Exclude most of their paying customers from any access to the content they're paying for.
3) Make sure all the rewards are available through easier content, and that the most challenging content simply provides somewhat faster access to them, along with the pride and enjoyment that comes from the challenge itself.