Raiding is becoming less and less optional

[Barraind]

Victim of the term "raid" applying to too much content in this game.

Pretty much this.

The 24mans arent raids in any sense of having to be organized, and the actual raid-like content in the game is actually group content.

Yoshi and crew took some extreme liberties with how they named things (or kept the 1.0 version of names) in a completely arbitrary way that dont match any established precedent in the MMO genre, which is really bad when you're trying to explain things to people who know more than 0 about the MMO genre and everything ends up getting needlessly called a raid.

Funny thing about "raids" in this game is that anything outside savage/ultimate is considered casual content when those encounters are basically trials, and for all intents and purposes could be called "savage/ultimate trials"; all the while, 24 man alliance raids is actually a true raid by definition. But "raiding" is typically the term used to refer to the most difficult content the game has to offer. Ahhhh, semantics.

The thing people call "raids" are trials, all trials are "full party" content, and alliance raids are the closest thing we have to actual raids, but have almost no group-interdependency and no requirements for group fluidity, meaning they really arent raids, just content for 3 fixed-on-entry full parties.

Its all backwards!

[Gemina]

Bahamut and Alexander (Normal) actual felt like raids as they made you feel like you where infiltrating and fighting through dangerous locations. Omega and Eden have felt more like a series of interconnected trials. It is funny how the existence or nonexistence of trash fights can seriously change how a raid feels.

I agree. Though the thing about the 8-man raids of old (and current) is that you only face one boss, which is a pretty big distinction between those and the Alliance Raids. I believe this is why a lot of players where like, "Screw the trash. Just gimme the boss."

The thing people call "raids" are trials, all trials are "full party" content, and alliance raids are the closest thing we have to actual raids, but have almost no group-interdependency and no requirements for group fluidity, meaning they really arent raids, just content for 3 fixed-on-entry full parties.

Its all backwards!

I don't put much thought into it. You have a colloquial term vs the actual definition of it. Many of those exist in the mmo genre, and you just have to let some stuff slide if you're someone who is anal-retentive. However, what I feel needs to be corrected is the dismissal of Alliance Raids not being coordinated, as they very much are. Everyone still has a role to fill in there, and for healers, it is quite possibly the only content in the game where their primary function in a party is consistently called upon.

In contrast to what some might say about Alliance Raids, players do need to work together. If the majority of the players do not work together, those raids will not get cleared. What can make them cumbersome is when you get several players in there who don't know what's going on, and this is ok. Just like actual playgrounds, most figure out how to use the equipment on their own, and do so even faster if someone is kind of to explain how it works.

What Alliance Raids do lack is the requirement for optimization. What you refer to is synchronization, or synergy between 8 party members in order to obtain a clear, and that will never be a requirement for 24-man. Even true synchronized sports that have the team consistently practice together don't have that many players involved. Alliance raids are supposed to be fun and engaging. And by "fun", I mean there isn't pressure there to perform optimally, but you're A-game is still very much appreciated. They are engaging, because they're chaotic. You have awesome music going on, explosions everywhere, players doing damage, players supporting, players dropping, MPKs, and clutch saves. Without question my favorite content to do in this game.