Is FFXIV viable as an MMORPG without doing end-game & raiding?

[Kaurie]

Of course, in one sense, that's true—that's essentially the structure the developers have in place. But that doesn't mean people can't find enjoyment in the game without following the structure to its natural endpoint.

The question wasn't about how the game is structured but more about whether there is enough content if you don't raid, and given the majority of players that don't, I'd say the answer is essentially yes to that specific question. Plenty of players are happy to complete their max-level gearsets using only Tomestone gear and never touch raiding, and greater numbers of players still never complete a max-level gearset at all, and they continue to pay for and play the game.

Indeed, i guess I am struggling with the question from the OP. Is it a viable game? Yes, even Tetris is a 'viable' game. However, is it one of the better MMO's without raiding? I'd say no. FFXIV reaches the best balance of everything, but ultimately fails in a lot of ways compared to other MMO's on the market. The thing is, FFXIV's core is the best, whereas in the other games the negatives are often deal breakers (for me). If FFXIV didn't have raiding, I'd probably place FFXIV 5th or so on my list of MMO's to play -> 1. WoW, 2. Guild Wars 2, 3. Wildstar, 4. Blade and Soul, 5. FFXIV - whereas currently, FFXIV sits in #1 for me. This is likely to change with Legion, as I have high hopes for it and with every patch the dev team shoves me further away in FFXIV (though, time will tell).

All of that said, if you don't like raiding, Guild Wars 2 is a far better game. I listed this already, but have expanded my list and wanted to bring it back as I feel it is important to answering the question. Is FFXIV viable without raiding? On it's own yes. In the context of other MMO's on the market? No, GW2 is significantly better and has no sub fee.

GW2 has better:
leveling experience
combat
pvp
gathering
crafting
market
open world events
open world bosses
cash shop
non-combat content (jumping puzzles)
seasonal events
job balance
glamour system
wardrobe system
wallet
inventory
armor skins
daily activities
maps
zones

FFXIV has better:
Instanced PvE content
Trinity - wins
Story

But that's entirely subjective. I'm not really traditionally a raider (I do raid casually in FFXIV but it's the first game where I've done so and when I'm not raiding I still get plenty of enjoyment out of the game), but I can't stand GW2. I don't like the art style, the character animations, the combat, the ability system, or the PvP—hell, I don't even like the game's movement.

Entirely fair. It is subjective.

I have a hard time seeing how one could say the combat is better in FFXIV though. GW2 is faster, allows you to customize more, and is more action based.
I don't like the PvP either, but I don't like PvP in any game (even CoD), so my opinion on that is based more on consensus that I've seen via discussions.
Character animations are definitely nicer in FFXIV, you are right there - walking in GW2 feels funny.

However, how do you feel about say;
Super Adventure Box vs Little Ladies Day
Jumping Puzzles vs Sightseeing Log
Depositing gathered materials in to a crafting bank from anywhere vs running out of inventory constantly
Having a crafting bank vs paying for multiple retainers
Dynamic events vs FATEs
Having a saved wardrobe vs buying glamour prisms and hogging inventory space
Zones that are expansive and allow you to go everywhere vs narrow zones and invisible walls galore
Maps that are colourful and clear vs yellow old-style maps
A cash shop you can use in-game gold to buy nice glamours vs a cash shop that requires real money and won't allow refunds for mistaken purchases
Open world bosses that are epic and require coordination vs Hunts that die in 12 seconds
A leveling experience that lets you experience multiple paths of a story vs a leveling experience of grinding FATEs

I just have a very hard time seeing how one could say FFXIV is better in any of the ways above. However, the ones below I can see how one could argue FFXIV is better - they just really aren't for me.
Crafting
Gathering
Daily Activities

Finally, in terms of subjectivity - yes, it is. However, it's also more agreed upon. MMORPG.com has Guild Wars 2 be the #1 game fairly consistently
Guild Wars 2 hits for the year = 1.6 million
FFXIV = 0.9 million

Gamerankings.com average review scores:
Guild Wars 2 average reviews = 90.02%
FFXIV = 86.08%
that said, Heavensward beats out Heart of the Thorns (never played GW2 expansion)