I'm terrified of the extreme modes. Even though I managed to find an FC that all played in 11 I'm still scared of being told that I'm the weak link. It also doesn't help that they drag me through areas like Coil long before I have the gear necessary. We only have two scholars and we need the other to tank.
I'm just glad that they are willing to work around my lack of gear by having me heal our pld since he has better mitigation than our warrior. My whm partner has the bigger heals and is better suited for the time being to deal with the warrior's yoyoing hp.
As for Crystal Tower...I haven't seen that level of foolishness and elitism since the battlegrounds of WoW. You even have all of the same stereotype. The guy that knows everything and demands everyone bow downs before his greatness and follow his orders, the guy that offers nothing constructive and just insults people (usually ends up being the same person as the first), the people who have no clue how to even play the game, and finally the guy that just wants to pad his dps meter and completely ignores fight mechanics.
It reminds me of why I quit WoW in the first place.