Current State of End-Game Contents - A Blog Post from A Japanese Player

[Richiealvian]

Personally, I find the difficulty level very satisfying. It's not impossible, but it is not easy. It however, requires commitment to learn and to cooperate with 7 other people, so team growth > personal growth.
The curve at the moment, I find to be really perfect. You get to beat t5, and then in t6 you realized that the playing field has changed drastically. Basically coil 1 had a pretty much static boss positioning, while the later turns introduced awareness from all directions, not one at a time. It was an amazing surprise and difficulty curve for me, and I'm really enjoying it. In case you are wondering, I've gotten to the last phase of T9, I'm in no way a very top-end player nor a very casual player. I raid 2-3 times a week, about an hour each session.

The thing that I find might alleviate all this problem is if high level bosses don't drop even higher ilvl, because the mass WANTS epic gear as much as the hardcores do. Now if those higher level gear is gated behind a hard encounter, upon which drops higher ilvl items which in the most part will only serve to make the currently hard enemy which has already been defeated easier.. There is little motivation for the non-hardcore mass to do it, is there? I think Animus is heading to the right direction, letting people with inferior skills/ability to commit because of time/commitment restrictions have a shot at epic loot, BUT with effort.

In fact, while not everyone likes their challenges like mine, I will absolutely hate myself if I cannot clear the current content before the echo is applied. I don't really like the echo.. that adrenaline rush when you first downed twintania is a feeling like no other.
That sense of accomplishment is what keeps me playing, however for people who don't like the challenge and wants to play for fun in their own respect, at the moment there is very little to collect. I think this will all change once mini games are released.

if anything, my idea of making the endgame bosses amazing is to make them give out "Weathered" high allagan weapons, which has similar potency to what the masses can use, which will be upgraded for "almost" free in the next patch when harder bosses come. That way, it rewards hardcore players and masses alike, because the mass feel they can be equally geared without playing hardcore, and the hardcore feel that they get something to show for their effort. Or even just vanity items instead of even mroe p[owerful gear.

EDIT: Sorry, I didn't mean inferior skills. I mean not as quick to learn and naturally respond to mechanics because if someone is not skilled at this game who would've known if he is a world famous chef, or programmer, or CEO even?