IN order for SE to reduce the lockout they would also have to reduce the rewards, which them the casual crowd would rant that it is too big of a gear grind. Already people wanting the choice to choose an item everytime they win.

The problem in my eyes is the damage the current model does to endgame guilds. It is a horrific cancer that forces you to screw over people in your own guild, instead of bringing your group together and strengthening the group. SE has focused endgame on small group statics and pugs instead of guilds. Yoshida even stated this was the intention. Which is wrong the path for them to take. Endgame should be about guilds, community, and guild wide progression. The guild is what keeps people playing long term, it is the bonds with people you meet that make a mmo a mmo it is the defining difference between a mmo and the rest of the rpg genre. The problem with raiding is the developers mentality that if they add guild content... then those who are not in guilds cannot progress. Instead of the correct mentalty of forcing people into guilds at endgame... it is a mmo after all.

SE at the expansion needs to look at large scale varied size content. Something you can take between 8-24 people into... can scale it if they want. That drops BIS gear and has very difficult mechanics. Not Crystal/S Tower difficulty where you can repetitively bash your head on the keyboard and still win. If people in 4 man guilds cannot beat it... they need to be told to join a linkshell that does it, or join a bigger fc. THE CATERING TO THE LOWEST DENOMINATOR IS THE PROBLEM IN RAIDING.

SE need to put BIS gear coming from GUILD BASED CONTENT.