I don't want to say I'm bored with the game, because that would be untrue, but I won't deny that it has stagnated a bit.

This game has all become about the grind.

It's no longer about what's fun content, or what's a nice diversion from the usual whack-a-mole, but is now about spamming endless dungeons and raids for gear and tomes. All for that new shiny upgrade which will be made redundant in a few months time. THAT, dear community, is truly what the problem is with the game.

We have daily beastman quests, which are essentially the same four missions repeated ad infinity. We have daily roulettes, which are again all about progression. We have the brick wall that is the crafting system, forcing you to endlessly meld expensive materia and watch it fail over and over until you get the 'perfect' stats necessary to actually reach the next tier. For me, the latter was really the last straw. They added a ton of gear, but only at the highest level and requiring stupid amounts of rare items to craft. There's still no real 'progression', you're either max-melded or you're bottom tier. And yes, I do have my artisan tool.

I hate comparing FFXI since they're very different games, but it does have a lot of things right. For a start, gear is unique and tailored. There's none of this rubbish "equip X item or you suck", but more like "equip X item for this type of content". Instead of wearing a level 120 armor piece and feeling superior, I could wear a robe which improves my healing potency, or a cloak which gives me mana regeneration. At later levels, perhaps even both!

Here, it's the same few BORING stats on every piece. Do I want crit or spell speed? Do I care enough to make a distinction since that measly +27 doesn't seem at all noticeable in a real fight? Do I want Parry or Skill Speed? It sort of robs the fun of getting a new piece of gear when every single one is the same as the last in terms of practical use.