Instanced Raids Unveiled!

[Lerris]

Question - What does RAID mean? I thought it was when you have large number or people (usually more than your regular party like Dynamis in FFXI) does 4 people + 8 people limit dungeons actually considered RAID?

I know if you do those large scale RAID dungeons with fewer people than it normally takes then sure, it still can be considered since the dungeon itself is still made for RAID... I dunno, to me it don't feel right when SE says RAID and being only 4-8 people.

raid
   
–noun
1.
a sudden assault or attack, as upon something to be seized or suppressed: a police raid on a gambling ring.
2.
Military . a sudden attack on the enemy, as by air or by a small land force.

LOL I mean in a MMO - but anyways going with yours, so does 4-8 raid qualify for these? w 4 military guys taking out 100's of mobs, or even 1-4 people taking down 100 mobs in a dungeon considered raid?

Let's look at the word "guild". In a typical "Western" MMO, a guild is a group of players sharing common goals. In FFXIV, a guild is an organization of craftspeople devoted to promoting and regulating a specific craft skill. In the real world, a guild is a group of craftspeople devoted to promoting and regulating a specific trade.

Definition 2 actually fits very well- a sudden attack on the enemy by a small land force. The nature of a raid is to accomplish a specific objective, and the attackers generally go in, do what they're there to do, and get out.

Because FFXIV is developed in a different language, we shouldn't expect what we consider standard MMO terminology to apply. Instead, what we have is words that had been co-opted by earlier MMOs being used with their original meanings as a consequence of translation.