Mediocrity should NOT be the standard for players in any content.

[jameseoakes]

In any case, yeah skill floors need to be a thing. If the game becomes any easier than it is or too casual, you will lose your hardcore base OR split the user base and promote hyper toxicity between the more skilled players and the more casual players. Either situation is bad for the game's health.

I think you massively over state the importance of the games hardcore community, the games base is fairly casual and has been for a long time. The game gains very little from forcing most of it's player base out of it comfort zone purely for the benefit of a small minority of players.