Why can't Dungeons be longer/harder, but more... piecework?

[linay]

...

Ok, I think I understand more about your position, though I still disagree with it. For one, all the things that you say make the dungeons more relevant (relic quest/wondrous tail), I would still prefer to do them in the current dungeon structure rather than what ARR had. For another, experiences may vary, but for me, the current roulette system is sufficient to bring life to old content and add variety (though I won't necessarily oppose for making even more use of them). But I also look at it from a story perspective. Yes, running the same dungeon again is fine (I do it every day with roulette), but I'm also not opposed to content being just a stepping stone because that's how it works in the narrative. (That's why I do appreciate it when we do get to revisit a fight/location in the narrative that differentiates between the two encounters, such as normal vs hard mode trials/dungeons in ARR).

If there is a most efficient method to do something, there is at least one. There is nothing limiting the number of solutions to one though. FF14 leveling is a good example. Leveling through roulettes is only efficient because of the "artificial" daily bonus. If that didn't exist, leveling a little every day would be as efficient as leveling in chunks every few days. A player aiming for efficiency would have a choice to make. Right now we don't. This is what makes roulettes restrictive.

The choice is entirely your own. You don't have to choose the most efficient method if it's not how you want to spend your time. It may be efficient in exp/time, but there are other criteria by which you can value your time. For example, many people suggest deep dungeon as a fast way of leveling, especially for DPS like me. I am ok with running deep dungeon, but it's not my type of content, so I choose not to do it for leveling and only do it if I want something from it (other than exp) or if I am joining other people.