This whole thing takes me back to my days playing Monster Hunter for hours on end. If I wanted to get a Silver Rathalos Ruby for example (an Item with an extremely low drop rate) at least I didn't have to do it with a group of 3 other people. Ideally, you would get faster Silver Rathalos kills with a band of hunters but If you were skilled and patient enough, you could kill him on your own.

That way, I could get awesome gear in my own time if I wanted to catch up with my friends who had awesome gear. Then when I got my awesome gear I could join them in the much harder quests where you have to group up.

For me that kind of approach compromises the time sink because at the very least you can do the annoying drop runs by yourself instead of having to bring along a bunch of dedicated guys to help you get a pair of boots that might not drop. TERA is intriguing me and I hope I get into the closed Beta. It's pretty much an online Monster Hunter that emphasizes skill over luck of a drop and potency of gear.