Does SE want to us go back to WoW? Because this is how you lose MORE players to WoW.

[Zophar]

You don't have to do the quest to progress the main story, that is optional content.

That's a very basic part of the reason, I'd go further to say it's not required for anything at all, but in any case, yes.

The optional content excuse has go to be one of the highest form of blinding fanboyism, like it makes any kind of difference what kind of content it is.

It's a perfectly reasonable argument when such a large number of people complaining are basically coming off as if they are being forced to do something they don't want to do, when it is, in fact, 100%, unarguably their choice to do it.