Is the concept of a FC already dead?

[Welsper59]

Maybe if raid weren't 8 men exclusive clubs.

This is a huge thing for this topic. Many raids can currently be undermanned by significant numbers (4-man Twintania anyone?), but many people do not want to resort to pugs for their FC groups simply because they're forced to to just start it. SE seems to want people to experience the content, but they're also afraid of letting people do that to participate in content under their own limitations, under fear of seclusion of players that want to solo (queue).

You can't have it all be roses and ponies, but for the MMORPG genre, the possibility of doing things with groups that you know should take precedence over solo queue play. Solo queuing, which IS something I do on occasion, is the equivalent of viewing the game like a generic online one (e.g. Diablo 2/3, FPS games, etc). Games that do not necessarily require more than just yourself to accomplish your goals and are essentially reset in the process (you just keep your current status/progress of character). Solo queuing is perfectly acceptable, but what's not is restricting grouped play in fear of hindering the solo style.

I'm a dominantly solo player, and always on the lookout for ways to solo things in MMORPGs. Raids/dungeons that have mechanics that MIGHT make it possible to solo something? I'm all over it the instant I learn of it. For this game, soloing places like Haukke Manor and Cutter's Cry as SCH was fun as hell. Long and definitely not as efficient as just queuing for it, but at least it offered a bit of a challenge that was decently rewarding. Beating the average or norm is part of the appeal in games like this. Knowing you and/or your group can beat something that is otherwise designed for more people does not undermine the content as much as it gives the players involved a sense of accomplishment.