Quote Originally Posted by Neophyte View Post
But why does people who don't care about the story (or as I said quite often now: Someone like me who cares, but wants to have a 2nd or 3rd character in end-game content) even bother you?

As Terribad explained: Doing all the MSQ isn't doing anything good or worse to the overall player skill. There are some who care about getting good, and some who don't. That has nothing to do with doing MSQ.
Yes, MSQ is a slow way to learn every bit of the game in a set pace... but what, if someone doesn't want to, but wants to learn the ins and outs of the battle content with PotD or with friends in current content? As if they care that the first 20 runs with their friend are kinda rough. All I see is that you want to prevent them from that.
Maybe a girl-/boyfriend who enjoyed the story together with you and then decides to make an own account and enjoy the further story together with 2 characters? Too bad, you're only entiteld to leave base game after 280+ quests.

If people still have a sprout for 168h and get encouraged to learn their class there is no problem. This encouragment to actually learn a bit about your class has to be created anyway. They could also create something like an alternate 10h long MSQ (you can already be level 50) which leads people into the game mechanics and "what has happened". Make it cost ~20€ like a DCL for a normal game to justify those extra works for that, pff..
Your examples are not the majority. They are specific and situational examples. That's the problem. If you want to release a jump potion that can only be used for alts or with a RaF code, then I think SE would ask if it's worth the trouble to cater to such a minority when they should be looking at majority based solutions. They already give people the option to spam click through dialogue, skip cut-scenes, under-size rush trials and dungeons, and burn through the MSQ.

And the MSQ does make a difference. I think most people have come across a healer or tank that has leveled exclusively through FATE spam as opposed to by doing dungeons. The MSQ at least does something to try and guarantee a very basic competence.

So, in order to cater to your specific examples, you are throwing the majority of players under the bus. Yea, some people who use the leveling pot will be doing it for an alt. Some will have outside help for self improvement. The majority will just be regular new MMO players who bought an expansion and want to just jump into the current content. Do you not see the blatant skew in equivalency there?

Games that use leveling pots need to be designed specifically for them. Earlier, I told people to think back to 3.0's release. Dusk Vigil and Ravana, the first dungeon and trial of the expansion, were not designed for players completely new to FFXIV. Players were dumped straight into the thick of things because it was expected 2.X's MSQ prepped you for it. When we get an expansion with a means of skipping straight to it, it'll require a much more specific design that allows new players enough of an introduction but doesn't bore veterans.