I despise Aurum Vale.

[Theodric]

It's not nearly as terrible as it's often made out to be. I suspect a lot of people dislike it because it's one of those dungeons that requires players to pay attention not only to mechanics but their surroundings as well.

[Mahri]

It's not nearly as terrible as it's often made out to be.

Bolded is the core of my problem. What we have here is a dungeon which has a reputation for being awful. People, upon seeing it, will complain, or just drop group outright. Should they? No. Can I blame them? No. Attitude is really, really important. Aurum Vale doesn't encourage good ones, and it possesses no actual redeeming value to make it feel worthwhile, save in this case:

I like AV and it's great XP for those at that level.

Everyone has to be on board, and that typically means that they're a level that truly benefits from the XP yielded. Bolded, however: If they're above 50 or so, the additional gains are negligible.

So let's meet halfway.

Don't delete it. Just don't let 50+ characters get it in their DR.

The Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak, on the hand...

This isn't a coincidence. Toto-Rak, AV, and Dzemael Darkhold are three dungeons that are holdovers from 1.0, their poor design reflecting the general incompetence that ruled around then. What you'll notice is that these dungeons are very cramped, have some sort of issue with terrain (be it goo, exploding crystals, or poison + knockback geysers), have terrible sightlines, and are just generally unfriendly for a game that requires deliberate positioning. This problem is not shared with newer dungeons, which tend to have much more wide-open spaces to move around and boundaries that do not cramp camera controls.

[Sylve]

Don't delete it. Just don't let 50+ characters get it in their DR.

AV was the second dungeon that made me (While leveling my Tanks) really sit up and take notice of the place instead of just watching anime while hitting Flash/Overpower.
The first being Stone Vigil, that place starts to hit rather hard when you first get there and you can't just ignore all the boss mechanics.

As to the part of your post I'm highlighting here, If you removed it from the leveling Roulette, legitimate first timers and those trying to use it to level a new Job as well as those doing new Grand Company promotions would find the queues to be atrocious.
Its very rare indeed that i get into an AV that is at least 3/4 under 50. And when it DOES happen, I make damn sure i give simple, clear instructions on the boss fights to make sure whoever happens to be actually new doesn't screw up.

Its not hard or tedious. The Trash can pose a serious threat if the Tank isn't being care--- Oh, wait. The trash. Right. Now i understand. People don't want trash mobs that make them think, they just want a series of 3 rooms with pinatas in them.

[Naunet]

I like Aurum Vale. :/ Never really understood why people hate it so much. It's not difficult. >_>