As a new player that really likes this game ...

[RichardButte]

Players can progress character power without raiding, and the gap in gear power between those who raid and those who don't is very small compared to other mmo's that accentuate raiding as their primary endgame.

While true, endgame progression isn't just about gear but by which raids your group has been able to overcome. Also, if you don't raid, why gear up at all?

As for what players who aren't raiding do, my guess would be unsub until there's more story content added, since Yoshi-P said in an interview that many players do this and that the devs are actually fine with it (the sales from the xpac will carry the team during the lower sub numbers).

If you don't raid, what do YOU do once you've hit the end of the MSQ?

Change everything about FFXIV so it's just a WoW clone.

No one who's actually a fan of XIV would ever say something like this.... except the OP did. Hmmmm guess he's not a fan then.

Making the story quest not gate content ≠ turning XIV into a WoW clone.

XIV is already a WoW clone: everything in XIV's player progression, from the level cap being raised via expansions to collecting gear to raise your item level, to quests ferrying you from zone to zone, is taken directly from WoW (which took some of this from Everquest, if we're being honest).

One of the key reasons Yoshi-P was chosen for his role is his extensive knowledge of and experience with western MMOs, including WoW. He even talked in an interview about how much time he spent chasing down a copy of Everquest back in the day.

How can people say "OH NOES!! WOW CLONE!!!" and not realize they're playing one?

All the WoW clones died short anguished deaths yet FFXIV is still around and healthy....clearly SE is doing something wrong.

The Final Fantasy brand name still holds a lot of sway over people, but XIV is ultimately still around because it's the best-made WoW clone out there that offers enough to its players that it can succeed primarily from selling xpacs.

[Nicodemus_Mercy]

While true, endgame progression isn't just about gear but by which raids your group has been able to overcome. Also, if you don't raid, why gear up at all?

As for what players who aren't raiding do, my guess would be unsub until there's more story content added, since Yoshi-P said in an interview that many players do this and that the devs are actually fine with it (the sales from the xpac will carry the team during the lower sub numbers).

If you don't raid, what do YOU do once you've hit the end of the MSQ?

Raiding is not a prerequisite for a desire to progress character power ("gear up"). The "need" is irrelevant. Everyone wants to progress their character's power to some degree and gear is the primary method of doing so, particularly once the level cap is reached. It's really as simple as that.

While I can't speak for anyone else, what I do instead of raiding once I've finished the MSQ is work on crafting and gathering, level other jobs I haven't maxed to see their stories, do side quests I may have missed along the way for more story, enjoy events like the Moonfire Faire, I farm tomestones to progress my gear as far as I can without raiding, not because I "need" better gear for any specific reason, but rather simply for the sake of being more powerful because its fun to feel uber. I sometimes farm old content for glamour or mounts. I rarely engage in current ex primals when friends twist my arm. I also work on the old ARR beast tribe reps I havent maxed when I feel a desire to do so.

I don't touch savage raids because I don't have any interest in being tied to a schedule for specific content. I also have no desire to spend my time wiping over and over on a fight till every "gets it" (assuming they ever do). As a former mmo raider I'd be good for that sorta content, but after years of doing it, I just don't have the patience to deal with it anymore. It can be stressful when you find yourselves stuck on a particular fight and hours go by with no progress made. And being expected to show up on a specific schedule... yea I'm just not interested in that anymore. I like my freedom to log on when I want and log off when I want without any obligations or expectations.

Asking me why I "need" better gear if I don't raid is stupid. I don't need it, I want it. It's fun to feel more powerful regardless of if you choose to engage in high difficulty content. My days of being a hardcore raider are behind me. That's just not the stuff I'm interested in anymore and its precisely why I play FFXIV now instead of other MMO's that emphasize raiding as the endgame.