Endgame toxicity

[Dement]

What you are experiencing is typical NA/EU attitude regarding endgame. I came from a JPN server, it was quite shocking to me as well the rudeness of the NA/EU PF's. I highly recommend joining a JPN server to avoid this NA/EU disgusting attitude of playing a video game to have fun.

The JP have a different view of how to play the game but I can't imagine it's all sunshine and rainbows on a JP server. If it is then they've come a long long way in 10 years. I played FFXI where all the servers were integrated and the JP were incredibly exclusionary. It was pretty typical that the moment they had the slightest idea that you weren't JP, they'd drop you instantly if they could replace you.

Honestly people in game are chill in like 99.9% of my experiences (whether "casual" or "elite" or the giant middle ground that most people are actually in). The forums on the other hand...

I have to agree with this. I see the PFs that are asking for certain skill levels and have a lot of hostility regarding kicks. I've joined some, I avoid most (mostly due to my similar experience to others here that the leaders of such parties can rarely meet their own expectations) and I can count on one hand the number of truly terribly toxic interactions I've had in the game since ARR launch. Maybe I'm just lucky. However, I also try to take steps to alleviate it. If it's my first time in a dungeon I will openly admit it as the cutscene loads and explain that I will be doing small pulls since I don't know what to expect. I won't join a clear group unless I know the fight and I won't join a farm party unless I've cleared the fight save for a few exceptions where I'd been down to less than 5% on the fight and I always send the leader a tell before I join the party explaining my situation and asking if they would check to see if anyone would have a problem with me joining for a clear.