I’m in the (what feels like) minority who loves all the changes that have been made to the game. I’ve been playing for 8 years, and the only reason I ever decided to pick up the game was because I’ve been a huge fan of all things FF for decades and I like creating my own characters. If not for that I never would’ve touched an MMO (and never have bothered with another MMO). I prefer keeping to myself, experiencing things at my own pace, and have severe clinical anxiety that makes socializing in any kind of co-op or competitive environment a nightmare. It took me years to feel comfortable enough to even do MSQ dungeons since I had no friends that wanted to play the game with me, and I still have extreme tank anxiety despite enjoying the role.
All of the changes to make the game simpler and more solo friendly have been a godsend for me. Even though I have mostly gotten over my anxiety and started doing normal raids a few years ago and joining farm parties in PF, I still prefer doing things at my own pace on my own. That said, it really makes me sad to see how many people hate the direction the game has taken. I don’t like seeing so many unhappy with it, because at the end of the day it’s a game meant to be enjoyed by people together. If the direction of the game changed to cater to the majority again, I wouldn’t mind, I’ll still be doing my own thing and enjoying all the social interactions that happen around me.
