Quote Originally Posted by Allyrion View Post
You need to have standards a group can meet, when doing group content.
Those personal standards are there in the solo parts of the Main Story.

But as soon as you reach group content, the dynamic is different.
It's not about any of you individually anymore, it's about what you can accomplish together as group performing your roles optimally.

So yea, there are standards and they've always been there.
The only argument is that the game doesn't really teach you how to perform.
But, at a certain point, you need to figure it out yourself and talk with the people around you to learn as well.

So yea, doesn't matter if you're the best player in the world.
The Boss faces the group as a whole and you can only carry so much.
Some things might be solo-able at low level but most group content later on needs everyone to perform to a standard.

What's wrong with that? It's still an MMO, so grouping is a part of it.
Hence content is tuned and rewards the group, not the individual.
There is no difference between group standard and individual standard. A group is made up of individuals. If all individuals are up to standard then the group is up to standard.

The problems arise when you can't guarantee the "standard" of players in the likes of DF and when that player messes up, the whole group is punished for his failings.

Overall, the root cause of all this toxicity and unhappiness is the interdependence of players where the entire group is punished for the failings of a few. So long as people are punished for the failings of others, there will be "elitism" and toxicity to deal with.

PS: And no, it doesn't have to be like that. It's possible to have fun together without shackling everyone's fate together such that if one falls the rest falls with him/her.