Quote Originally Posted by Krotoan View Post
And no, that is NOT the definition. You get no advantage to "beat" other players. Someone with the time to put in the game can make just as much currency and purchase the same upgrades. "Pay to win" is about having an unfair advantage (usually PVP, such as having weapons you can use against people that are ONLY available for real money) or having a "paywall" that cannot be surmounted without paying real money, not about paying money INSTEAD of putting in time.
Actually, "P2W" is as it sounds. A game where a person can literally buy their way into the top tiers. It's not like it's necessary for them to be strictly superior to the long-playing, elite gamers. That is simply an extreme version of it. It's enough that they can become elite entirely based on their real-life purchases. If the top-end gear, pots, food and what not were all sold for real life money, even though you can get them in game, it still would be technically a "pay to win" game. Cause you "bought" your superiority over majority of the population.

That being said, it would NOT be the case in Final Fantasy XIV. The effort required to get the gear that can be bought is "manageable", while it is significantly inferior to things that are gotten only in game. It's entirely possible to NEVER spend a single gil or level ANY of the crafter classes. Never to touch any gear that can be sold. And still end up with the best character in the game. On the contrary, a person could have unlimited supply of gil and still be sub-par, just because there's an unbreakable wall. The best gear cannot be bought with gil.