Why no parties

[Enkidoh]

Old-school FFXI-style exp parties are regarded as being a thing of the past, and that 'content based exp' (using Yoshi-P's own words) is the way of things now. Personally I like being able to level at my own pace through different ways such as FATEs and the Hunting Log, as I always regarded 'dooms parties' in FFXI as nothing but a chore.

However, a lot of people like exp parties for the social aspect such as yourself, so party based exp is not necessarily 'wrong' either, it's just another way of doing things. And having said that though, there are still parties in FFXIV, just not ones camping somewhere in the overworld and pulling mobs ad nasum. Here parties usually run dungeons (which are instanced), or go hunting Hunt NMs and FATEs.

Of course there is nothing stopping anyone forming an old-style exp party though, but due to game mechanics where not only will everything link on you if you're in a party and enemies being 'leashed' (that is, if they agro they will actually deagro you if you try running away from them after a certain distance), exp gain for enemies over ten levels more than your current level will just be the same as a monster of equivalent level for you making an FFXI-style exp party rather pointless anyway.