I don't really get why people are so convinced that removing normal will make "dem lazy casuals EARN their gosh-durned story" when in reality all I'd do if they took it out is just wait for someone from Elysium to put their first clear video on YouTube. Hilariously, just watching it on Twitch or something would let me see it sooner than 90% of the people who are complaining about normal mode in this thread.

Better ilevel gear might solve SOME of the problems re: raider attrition, but for me at least the Alexander raid just wasn't FUN. It had a crappy buildup, terrible boss music, drab arena design, roles more focused on meter-topping than supporting a group, and more of the same tired old unrecoverable lockstep mechanics that make raid members hate one another for making a single slip-up five minutes into the encounter. Fix all of that, and I might be back. Until then, the raid story could reveal the mystery of life itself and drop gear so powerful it pays my subscription for me, and I still won't step foot in there because I don't play video games to be effing miserable.