Why do you raid?

[NatSilverguard]

this is the recurring problem of every themepark game like FFXIV.

[Sigmar_Heldenhammer]

You raid for the challenge, to be able to say "been there, done that, and all I got was this lousy book page."

I haven't gotten to endgame here yet, but I've raided in every mmo I played, and I can tell you, no matter how good your crew is, you will wipe from time to time. Especially on first clears.
It's a learning experience and a challenge, that's the meat of it all, the loot is just icing on the pain cake.

I remember my old WoW guild from Vanilla days... First time we went into Molten Core (first raid for those who might not kno) we wiped on the first boss for 18 hours straight before we gave up for the day. But when we finally got him and moved on... that's why I raid.

[Bdyer]

Raiding is only fun if your on voice chat with friends who can laugh about the stupid mistakes we as humans always do.

" bye bye me ninja, it was nice knowing you" after he gets zombied
Ninja " life wasn't worth living ANYWAYS!"

[Werhusky]

Raiding is only fun if your on voice chat with friends who can laugh about the stupid mistakes we as humans always do.

" bye bye me ninja, it was nice knowing you" after he gets zombied
Ninja " life wasn't worth living ANYWAYS!"

As a healer my standards are "I got this!" and "No problem, totally no problem..." to: coheal already reset I am alone with like 3 people at like 10% HP and heavy AoE damage incoming :P
At one point our maintank went "SPOILER: you won't have it!" I still laugh about that one ^^

[Anubis_Nephthys]

To complete the challenge, and gain a reputation by having high fflogs.

[HyoMinPark]

I don't raid, but one of my friends and FC mates raids, and when I asked him why he does Savage content, he said he does it for the personal challenge. He said he likes pushing each and every job to it's absolute limit (which he does in and out of Savage), and that it feels satisfying for him when he clears savage content. He also raids with a lot of close friends, and he comes back and tells the FC all their jokes and the fun they had during raid that day.

I have considered getting into raiding, only because I want to challenge myself, and I would love to have something challenging to do with a group of friends who would enjoy said challenge. I don't really want to raid just to have "the best gear" or for bragging rights.

[Mature]

I raid to get gear.

[Atoli]

I've been away from raiding for a while now (have not done anything this tier), so I'm sorry if my answer is weird in any way or does not fit the current raid content:

I raided, because concentrating on something really hard is a lot of fun
Because I can challenge myself, and because every bit of progress feels rewarding,
and it's a rush of endorphines when everything goes right for once and everyone is in sync and it results in a clear
Because I personally really enjoy having lots of mechanics to deal with, especially mechanics that can't just be ignored, and very few of the non-raid contents offer that.

I can honestly say I never once raided for the loot.
I don't like showing off, so trophy mounts/furniture/etc. are lost on me,
and the gear is a means to an end - making raiding easier, not..just "having" it.

[Talraen]

All I want to do is all the content, so I briefly raided in 2.x. I was in my FC's first clear group for T5, but quit when T6 progression went from being a fun thing to a job. I am very thankful for the Alexander difficulty split, because now I can do the content and never even look at savage.

All that is to say, if you find it enjoyable, raid, and if you don't, don't. Don't feel obligated to do anything because someone else is pressuring you.

[FunkYeahDragons]

Because trying to beat video game bosses with friends has always been fun, as far back as sitting around the Playstation and watching someone fight Sephiroth or Ozma. Raiding is an extension of that where the whole group gets their say on the strategy. It's also rewarding to figure out new job tricks, new fight tricks, etc.

You have to consider your time investments as a raider, though. Grinding for crafted gear ASAP and Grade Vs are not necessary. If you're pressed for time, tomestone or weekly gear and IVs are enough. You don't need HQ Priestly Omelettes, you can still use Baked Pipira Pira or even Grilled Sweetfish.

Hardcore expectations for someone who doesn't have the desires of a hardcore player will unsurprisingly suck.