Community expectations

[Atos]

I don’t understand why the FF14 community is so focused on performing in the most efficient manner and so heavily on ilv/BiS. Given the low level of difficulty of all non-savage content, neither of these aspects really matter much at all. When did games stop being about just having fun. ...

I think the problem starts when people view their performance in game as some kind of measure of their personal value. They start losing distinction between game and real life so they treat others according to their in-game performance, not considering the person on the other end. The amount of such people in this game may be relatively small, but it's the vocal minority that you notice. That's the main reason I moved to this game from Rift ages ago, where the amount of such people was over 70% at the time.

Then there are inexperienced players trying to show off, who may act disrespectfully to prove how good they are and how much they know.

There are plenty of good hardcore players who only apply their standards to other hardcore players or within their own circles, without having to criticize casual players for being casual. Generally I see more positive than obnoxious players, but it's the few with bad attitudes that stand out and create bad impression.