There is no magical workaround for grinding, content gating, and skinner box tactics. No matter how hard you try, these elements are pretty much necessary to create longevity in an MMO. None of us have a solution for this. We all complain about it, and it is your right to do so, but no one at the end of the day are giving any good ideas. You can pull the FFXI/Everquest card, but it is really trading a design with flaws for another design with flaws.