All of the people screaming "No! This is pay to win and pay to win is of the devil!" - It's a kneejerk reaction to something no one really has any firm "evidence" of what this would actually do to the game's economy. Speculate all you want - either side of the argument - but anything at this point is purely that, speculation. Wildstar and Tera both had different target audiences and different styles than FFXIV. WoW is the real test for the genre.

Honestly, I don't think anyone in this thread has really expressed a "middle ground" opinion here, so I'll go ahead and do so. This topic was dead for God only knows how many months - let it rest for a few more. It won't kill anyone to wait 6 months. FFXIV is booming right now! We're in a great place for subs and activity, and Heavensward is coming soon. Anyone who needs ToS-legal RMT right now should probably consider that they would be part of the potential problem, not the benefits.

WoW is the closest thing to FFXIV out there. Let's wait and see what their PLEX-like system accomplishes, how it effects the game's economy, and then come back and have a more educated discussion that doesn't need to devolve into childish slap-fights and quote wars that accomplish nothing other than to reveal their contributors' immaturity.