Almost everyone wants to "skip" having to raid!

[Kosmos992k]

Not sure about this wanting to skip having to raid, I think most people just want to have fun. Unfortunately, not very many people's idea of fun is repeatedly running the same crappy stressful content that potentially wipes you over and over and over for a possible drop. MMORPGs are intended to be social experiences are they not? I don't find static teams very social, fine if you are in a group you have those other 7 people, but if you have a group of 10 friends, 2 of the are frozen out.

That goes on on a larger scale, especially when you factor in verious stages of progression, available time and ability. In the end only a minority of the playerbase finds themselves in a riding static group that hand handle the raids in FFXIV, everyone else is basically screwed. Can't get into a static because your schedule won't allow, or you're not far enough along yet, or your gear isn;t good enough for the raid leader, or your other friends are alreadyu in statics and you can't get in. Either way, you're screwed because you have ZERO chance of getting the best gear or weapons simply because you cannot get into a static, which only puts you further behind.

Static groups combined with the loot lockouts are a horrible, horrible combination that have hurt many larger groups in this game.

Personally I play for fun, not stress. Call me casual and put me down if you like because I don't play the game to get BiS gear, look up my lodestone and make fun of it, all you do is belittle yourself by doing so. At the end of the day, participating in a static raid group has multiple potential ways of stressing players out, and causing drama. I've seen it in my own Free Company, and am tired of the drama and stress it brings to others.

I understand that raids are there for those that want them, but what about those that don't? If people don't want to raid any more, and want a more social and less stressful experience in the game, then to me it would seem that the Devs need to be adding more content like CT, less like Coil and paying less attention to the raiders.

Perhaps it does mean that the days of raiding being the be all and end all of an MMORPG, but honestly, is that really a bad thing?

Really it seems to me that the issue is that there are two kinds of player, the hardcore goal driven players who want the very best gear, the most challenging, bang your head off the wall style content, and shinies to show to their friends. And on the other hand players who want to have fun, socialize, run a few quests, dip into crafting/gathering, run a dungeon or two with friends, chat, and hang out. They want the shinies to show to their friends as well. Two completely different styles of play, in the same game. One is more likely to raid, the other is more likely not to. The population of the SE forum over represents the hardcore raiding population, and the risk of that is that the game is not as engaging for others as it might be.

Perhaps the point of the game needs to be something other than raiding, and have the raids as optional content...with obscure, and next to impossible to overcome mechanics for the masochistic players that want the punishment.

[TeganLaron]

Four nights a week? I think even the most hardcore FC on Leviathan server schedules only three nights. My old static raided for one night a week and we were working on turn 9 (though admittedly, how much can you do when you raid 2.5hrs a week as we did, so we weren't probably going to down it soon).

If "most" of your FCs on your server are doing four nights, they'd better be on turn 10 (I know there is no such thing...)! lol....seriously, what would they do with four nights? Turn 9 is very difficult yes, but it's something that quite a few have managed to down on leviathan server. If a FC spent four nights a week on it, that wouldn't even be for very long because they'd probably down turn 9. After that, what will they do the other 3 nights? :/

I apologize for being one to doubt, but I think you are exaggerating just a tad bit there... I can get your point however that some FC take raiding very seriously but, I would suggest they are the exception and not the rule. I'm very serious (like a heart attack) when I say that hardcore FC's in this game are a very small minority. Mostly for the fact that they are serious for a bit, clear everything, then just farm for the rest of their time until the next patch comes out.

Couldn't reply quicker because of a daily limit or something.

No I'm not exaggerating at all actually. My old static did 4 days a week, my friend's does 3-4 and 2 other statics I know of do 4 nights days as well. Also according to someone in the FC of our server first Turn 9 group they reportedly do 5-6 nights a week.

I think it's your group that is the minority here not mine. Sure if you're doing Turns 6-9 in a night then you don't need to do anything else. But not everyone has it that easy and instead is forced to bang their head against the wall of whatever turn they are stuck on.

[IveraIvalice]

I would love to do the latest coil. I want a challenge too, I want good loot and I hate waiting for it till the next coil comes out. But I want the challenge to be the raid not the people or person I can't stand or the requirement for a mic that I don't want to have/use. I would rather practice with my friends and have a good time when we take on hard content. But that's not possible with this lock out.

Just because I don't like being in a static and everything that makes up that experience, doesn't mean I don't like a challenge and I want everything handed to me with little effort. I just want the freedom to play how I want. With the lock out, I can't play how I want and that means I can't play second coil at all. That sucks.

[Marael]

In over ten years of MMO playing, I have to say, that the big endgame things have always been my LEAST favorite aspect of the whole MMO experience. I hate the drama. I hate the everyone expecting everyone to be absolutely perfect. I hate the stress. I absolutely despise the requirement that I use third party voice chat programs. People say they make things easier... but to me they make them harder, more annoying, and far more frustrating. I hate the waiting in line for gear that never freaking drops. I hate having to be online at specific times to do specific things with specific people. I'm more of a spontaneous person and do not like being kept to a schedule in something I'm using to escape from reality where all there is is schedules, stress, and everyone expecting me to be perfect. It becomes more of a job than my actual job!!! These things are not fun to me. The events themselves may be entertaining, but the people I usually end up having to do them with, and the often ridiculous requirements they impose upon others to be able to participate in said event with them, are not. Thanks, but you can take your endgame crap somewhere else, I'll stick with what I find fun. When I first picked this game up, I promised myself that I was just going to stay the hell away from endgame, and that's what I plan to do, because I just don't need that garbage in my life again.

I'm 35. I have a wife, kids, a house and yard that need upkeep, and other hobbies. I'm not in high school or college anymore. When I have limited leisure time, I don't want to spend it putting up with all of the crap that made me quit most MMOs that I've quit. I don't want to feel like I'm going to another job, where I have to be on at a certain time to do a certain thing. You go right ahead and do that if you want, but I have better things to do with my time. The absolute last thing I want to have to do is put up with prima donna drama endgame BS. I've had enough of it to last a lifetime, and I want no more. I'm playing this game to have fun, not to be a babysitter and work at something more stressful than my actual career is. This game is pretty easy to play as though it's single player, and I'm okay with that. In fact, these days, I actually kind of prefer it. An MMO where I don't need a huge group to do the things that I want is exactly the thing I wanted.

[Nuinn]

It's all about the loot, for most it seems. As unimpressive or unneeded some of the end-game gear is, there's the nagging voice that seems to have gotten louder over the years, that e-peen size matters I find it quite unfortunate as, more often than not, when I enter a random duty by DF, or even PF people seem to become mute X___X or enter troll mode.

Perhaps it's the nature of the content and the abundance of easy to obtain items being flailed in our faces, or it's cause the overall attention span of MMOers has shortened. Can't see it changing as the developers and publishers have to gain good coin, and this route seems to work well enough. Until someone invents something completely new and amazing within the genre, which doesn't happen often. . . .

Thankfully, there's still people who like to socialize, take their time with everything and just enjoy the virtual life and not worry only about the virtual job.