Repetitive grind parties should NOT be the main source of leveling

[Murugan]

I'm pretty sure we all know by now that RPGs all have a grinding aspect to them. Personally I think the most successful ones found ways to disguise it. Some games did it through pacing things in such a way that you never felt you had to stop and run around in circles to be at the right level. Others do it by trying to provide an interesting story or set of objectives to go with it. I don't think this game can be successful with grinding parties as the only viable form of progression.

Besides if you look at many other MMOs there is always the option to group up and kill mobs to level. But there are other paths to advance that are offered and you will find most players taking those routes. That tells me enough right there.

You are wrong, the majority of people simply choose the most efficient route to level. If any are actually fooled by "efforts to disguise it" by which you probably mean generic quest leveling which gives gobs of XP for menial tasks, then those players are a small naive minority.

The rest simply tolerate such lackluster and pointless gameplay simply because it is in those games faster than actually forming a competent group capable of reaching the same or higher XP. It is complete devolution because the content offered by these MMO's to level on is seriously lacking in any actual challenge (or even an ability for a skillful player to feel like he/she is actually putting that skill/knowledge to good use to level faster) and what of it can be done in groups is done at such a low level of effort and coordination that it brings absolutely nothing to the activity. As a result in these sad games people for the most party simply grit their teeth and rush through these quest/run "rifts"/dailies (which are guildleves lol) and other high XP low fun and challenge activities until they hit endgame. We tried that in this game already, it sucked get over it.

I understand a lot of comparisons between FFXIV and some other MMO's in which people want FFXIV to improve on. However it is laughable to say that the strength of any of the newer MMO's is in these completely mindless and repetitive "quest/public event leveling" system. 90% of players just try to bear down and get through it as fast as possible to reach endgame (luckily in most MMO's that doesn't take long). And when they get there they don't know how to play their classes in groups, in short they haven't even really had a chance to actually play the MMO yet because they've been stuck drifting through your poorly "disguised" unskillful and so much worse than FFXI/EQ/FFXIV "grind".

That being said I'm all for adding more "diversions" and solo activities for people like this in MMO's. However it cannot in anyway be comparable to group grinding or you just killed character progression from 1-50 again for anyone who gives a damn about putting any thought into how they play the game.