Quote Originally Posted by Gilthas View Post
Oh wait indeed. Read the opening post again. This game used to be like that when ARR was released. Since then SE has been adding more and more punishing mechanics to hurt players that want to be self-sufficient and force the MB down their throats.

If SE is so obsessed with keeping MB prices up I want them to give players like me a parallel system where we can gather and craft untradable versions of the same items while bypassing all the grindy mechanics that are solely in place to keep MB prices up and to push players out of crafting and gathering.
I've been playing this game (and crafting / gathering) since closed beta, so I'm very familiar with the changes that have been made over time. There's always going to be a work to reward ratio for optional activities in this game. Whether or not that ratio is fair is entirely subjective and beholden in the eyes of each player. Bottom line, if you don't feel it's worth it, then don't do it. Nothing required to do content in this game needs to be crafted. Also, SE has nothing to do with MB prices. This is a player-driven economy. SE doesn't care if things are being sold for 1 gil or a million gil. The players are left to set the prices based upon perceived value and what the consumers are willing to pay.