Friends of mine, new to the game, becoming discouraged by STORY QUESTS

[AngeloFlick]

I have never played another MMO where all the new content is locked behind the full MSQ.

No other MMO does it, you are correct. But I like the content staying locked behind MSQ. That is why I am playing FFXIV. If you do not like it I don't understand why you are here. I don't like open world PvP at all. When my friends asked me to play Archeage, I didn't buy the game, play and get ganked, then go on their forums and demand they remove something that's integral to the game. I declined to play at all because I'm not interested in paying money for things I don't enjoy.