Quote Originally Posted by RichardButte View Post
While true, endgame progression isn't just about gear but by which raids your group has been able to overcome. Also, if you don't raid, why gear up at all?

As for what players who aren't raiding do, my guess would be unsub until there's more story content added, since Yoshi-P said in an interview that many players do this and that the devs are actually fine with it (the sales from the xpac will carry the team during the lower sub numbers).

If you don't raid, what do YOU do once you've hit the end of the MSQ?
Raiding is not a prerequisite for a desire to progress character power ("gear up"). The "need" is irrelevant. Everyone wants to progress their character's power to some degree and gear is the primary method of doing so, particularly once the level cap is reached. It's really as simple as that.

While I can't speak for anyone else, what I do instead of raiding once I've finished the MSQ is work on crafting and gathering, level other jobs I haven't maxed to see their stories, do side quests I may have missed along the way for more story, enjoy events like the Moonfire Faire, I farm tomestones to progress my gear as far as I can without raiding, not because I "need" better gear for any specific reason, but rather simply for the sake of being more powerful because its fun to feel uber. I sometimes farm old content for glamour or mounts. I rarely engage in current ex primals when friends twist my arm. I also work on the old ARR beast tribe reps I havent maxed when I feel a desire to do so.

I don't touch savage raids because I don't have any interest in being tied to a schedule for specific content. I also have no desire to spend my time wiping over and over on a fight till every "gets it" (assuming they ever do). As a former mmo raider I'd be good for that sorta content, but after years of doing it, I just don't have the patience to deal with it anymore. It can be stressful when you find yourselves stuck on a particular fight and hours go by with no progress made. And being expected to show up on a specific schedule... yea I'm just not interested in that anymore. I like my freedom to log on when I want and log off when I want without any obligations or expectations.

Asking me why I "need" better gear if I don't raid is stupid. I don't need it, I want it. It's fun to feel more powerful regardless of if you choose to engage in high difficulty content. My days of being a hardcore raider are behind me. That's just not the stuff I'm interested in anymore and its precisely why I play FFXIV now instead of other MMO's that emphasize raiding as the endgame.