How raids have hurt this game.

[Rhomagus]

The only thing hurting this game is the people who play it, same thing happened to XI, just happening rather quickly in this game due to the state it's in. 1.18/Raids have increased party play and fostered growing relationships between people outside of the same linkshell, and I don't want to go back to the same anti-social "linkshell fantasy online" we were playing before.

The party search feature is fine, player's refuse to use it out of a)never playing an mmo with an advanced party search feature or b) its not like XI'S OMG eff it i'll never use it. IMHO all it needs is a flag for seeking now and some sort of seacom.

I do believe r30 players with low phys levels cannot do toto-rak without pl. Honestly you'd prob need like GLA, CONJ,THM (for dd and back up heal), and then any other dd (archer doesn't matter half of much in this one). You would need a dedicated tank though, and a dedicated healer, and prob an off healer, because rank 30 people with low phys levels have gimp for mp, i mean the average rank 30 person i know doesn't have above a r40 phys level and has 600-600 mp, as a r32 conj, i have 1000mp due to phys level 50, it helps way more when doing the dungeons because you don't run out of mp half as fast. Even with mp management, with 600 mp you can't do crap. Yoshi P said the r25s wouldn't really required a dedicated party set up as much, but for now, with phys levels still in place, and lots of people level 30 for some reason who never level past that (unexplainable to me honestly easiest level range ever and they quit out and stay 30 for months but still on everyday? wth are you doing standing afk in uldah most the time?!) Those dungeons will be harder.

4 r30s with phys level 50 could do that dungeon just fine, or just as long as your vit and mnd are capped at that level its fine not nececcasirly phys level 50. But seriously my idea of a dungeon being fun isn't waiting for three other low level people to be unweakened -.- because they have no concept of hate management and pull all hate.

Your assessment of the requirements for a rank appropriate run aren't entirely true. While I haven't done Toto Rak in a purely R25 L<30 party, I have had people rank up their physical level to 27 in a well balanced party ranging from R25-30 and besides, party balance is fine for trying to run efficiently. Also completed the run by the way, and in no way am I an elitist nor are the people I played with. I don't think it's a detrimental design flaw for the dungeon runs. Storm through them as R30 L50 or strategize prior to entry and put together a party with specific abilities.

Switching classes is also supposed to be made easier with some of the upcoming patches so I'm not entirely against the idea that switching classes will maximize efficiency. It is unfortunate though as if you switch to a higher rank class in Toto or an R50 in Dzemael you'll be missing out on SP and, as stated before, under the current system it's a time sink unless you want to use your macros for changing classes.