XIV is not a guild centered game. It is based on solo/statics.

A free company in essence is nothing more then a chat channel with benefits.
There is no way to do guild level events.
There is no way to do scheduled events.
There is no way to run a guild bank.
There is no way to have an organized lotting system
There is no way to promote the mentality of Guild over self
There is no way to enforce policies set by the guild
There is no advantage with clearing content from being in a guild
There is no Guild related content at all in that matter

If people remove housing and guild buffs from the equation what is the purpose of being in a guild vs a small static/ls.

There are no advantages to being in a guild in XIV in all honesty. It is why loyalty does not really even exist it seems in this game outside a core group of friends. You cannot really run a guild in XIV, all you can do is run a social group. Even the top guilds are not really guilds. They are collections of highly skilled statics which is not a guild.

If you disagree with that. Answer this is it more effective to do the hardest content in this game by involving everyone in your guild or is it more effective to form set groups of 8 people of similar skill and playtimes. If you answer the 2nd... that explains the problem with guilds in this game. XIV is a 100% pure joke when it comes to guilds in a mmo. It is probably the area the fails in more hardcore then most. Only AAA mmo with a worse guild system are TESO and SWToR.