I don't know what can honestly be done for Final Fantasy XIV at this point.

[RyuDragnier]

100% this! I hate custom builds in MMOs because people still force that one best meta build on everyone and if you don't play that meta build, you get kicked out of groups. Sure, you can have a custom build for solo stuff but forget about it if you want to do group content. Source: I also play ESO and GW2 where custom builds and heavily enforced meta builds exist. I'm so glad I don't have to deal with that crap in XIV.

This is the main reason why custom builds could never work. There are meta builds, and then there's everything else. Want to do Raids or Strikes(Trials)? Too bad, you need that meta build or you're likely not getting in the group. Trying to heal or buff without an optimal build? Get out we can get somebody better.

As much as I love GW2, I won't deny the amount of pigeonholing that the playerbase does for anything that's considered high level content. For a good example of a class that's completely pigeonholed, Druid. You are healing/supporting as a Druid, period. You will not do damage builds, you will not do anything less than optimal, and you WILL do every mechanic because only a few people need to know them and the rest of the group is too lazy to learn how to do A SIMPLE MECHANIC THAT TAKES LESS THAN 5 MINUTES TO LEARN. Sincerely, a player who was stuck in Druid jail for 4 years.

[VeyaAkemi]

This is the main reason why custom builds could never work. There are meta builds, and then there's everything else. Want to do Raids or Strikes(Trials)? Too bad, you need that meta build or you're likely not getting in the group. Trying to heal or buff without an optimal build? Get out we can get somebody better.

As much as I love GW2, I won't deny the amount of pigeonholing that the playerbase does for anything that's considered high level content. For a good example of a class that's completely pigeonholed, Druid. You are healing/supporting as a Druid, period. You will not do damage builds, you will not do anything less than optimal, and you WILL do every mechanic because only a few people need to know them and the rest of the group is too lazy to learn how to do A SIMPLE MECHANIC THAT TAKES LESS THAN 5 MINUTES TO LEARN. Sincerely, a player who was stuck in Druid jail for 4 years.

Me, trying to play Reaper because cool spinny scythe feels good but everyone pushing me to play Scourge.

I took a break on GW2 shortly after EoD because there was this heavy demand for any DPS Necro to be Scourge, but I just didn't find Scourge fun or enjoyable, that, combined with the fact that building Legendary weapons require GoB, and my utter distaste for PvP, meant that the game didn't have much else for me until we got more story.

[RyuDragnier]

Me, trying to play Reaper because cool spinny scythe feels good but everyone pushing me to play Scourge.

I took a break on GW2 shortly after EoD because there was this heavy demand for any DPS Necro to be Scourge, but I just didn't find Scourge fun or enjoyable, that, combined with the fact that building Legendary weapons require GoB, and my utter distaste for PvP, meant that the game didn't have much else for me until we got more story.

Had the same problem with me wanting to play Daredevil but nobody wanted Daredevils in their group (dunno why, we're good DPS), which is what led to me being in Druid jail. I do not wish that hell in this game for anybody. Hell, this game already lived that hell (in a sense) during HW and SB when certain jobs were unwanted, we don't need a repeat.

[Shinkuno]

Me, trying to play Reaper because cool spinny scythe feels good but everyone pushing me to play Scourge.

I took a break on GW2 shortly after EoD because there was this heavy demand for any DPS Necro to be Scourge, but I just didn't find Scourge fun or enjoyable, that, combined with the fact that building Legendary weapons require GoB, and my utter distaste for PvP, meant that the game didn't have much else for me until we got more story.

But would you really be forced to do the same in FF14? In the community that rather drags an afk through the finish line than kick them?

[RyuDragnier]

But would you really be forced to do the same in FF14? In the community that rather drags an afk through the finish line than kick them?

Yes. Because that's exactly what happens in GW2 mechanically. You think FF14 is bad with braindead strats, GW2 was nothing BUT braindead strats for a while (and still is in open world content). Back when dungeons were a thing, we all just stacked in a single corner to lure a boss, and then just attacked. You could literally press 1 (the equivalent of just auto attacking) and the boss would die with nobody else dying as long as just a single person spammed heals. You can do the same with World Bosses. It's only recently with the EoD Strikes that they started requiring everybody to know the fight. Before you could easily get through them with somebody dying and being dead weight. Starting in EoD they added the equivalent of FF14 mechanics to things, requiring people to be alive or things go south quick, especially in the Challenge Mode versions (aka Savages).