Quote Originally Posted by Kiara View Post
Please just know that not everyone can do that. Whether it's inconsistent schedules (work, school, family), merging with 7 *other* people's schedules to find matching times, to then finding 7 other people who also can memorize the gimmicks as well as you can (and vice versa), to people quitting, or in finals, etc., not everyone is as fortunate to have 8 people all raiding and executing successfully at the same time each week.
Thanks for the reply! I sort of went over this in another reply to someone else, but as far as scheduling is concerned, my goal has always been to find the best time for us. This doesn't mean perfect, as in we sometimes have to do fill-ins, but it doesn't prevent us from still trying that night. It is certainly difficult to find that sweet spot, but I think it's very possible. My LS currently has 3 statics, all at different points and paces with different schedules. I encourage people all the time to make one, with me assisting in the recruitment department to get everyone gathered. It requires some external work, but the result is really nice. Even though I've had some friends split from our static to run another, it's only helped us grow and make new friends. We also make it so you are not limited to your static and your static only by any means.

Quote Originally Posted by Kiara View Post
One of the issues mentioned throughout this thread is that fundamental fact: That when you do party with players whom you don't know (DF / PF, temporary reps, helping FC / LS mates out, newbies) the way these fights are set up are not conducive to mistakes. It's so punitive in this way that it has a high chance of bringing down the entire raid party when someone makes a mistake (or you end up with not enough DPS to clear key stages which also leads to a fail).
This I do agree with to some extent. The fact, that is. But can making mistakes or learning from mistakes be fun? To me, yes, it definitely can be. I'm not one to give up on people; I have never truly felt, "There is no way we are going to clear this ever." I'm sure that sounds silly, but seriously. I've had people who don't share that mentality and have left, but the people who stay will clear it eventually. And the feeling of completing after trying for a long time is a thousand times more satisfying

I think banking on the impatience of others will be something that will be ironed out over time. New content will be released, new players will still come on, older content will be made easier one way or another. It seems as though the dev team is already pushing toward more "horizontal" options, thus spreading people out to other things as opposed to keeping us all locked on "you must do BC, you must do EX, etc." I know it's already spawned the whole "Well how long is too long to wait?!" debate, but that's just personal opinion and very irrelevant.