The general player base needs to improve

[MoroMurasaki]

Casual content is by definition not particularly challenging. Which is the opposite of what the OP thinks the game needs. So really I'm agreeing with you in a way. OPs definition of FF14 is not your definition. To answer OPs "problem," it's the dev's job to provide that "carrot." What you are describing is just a bunch of smaller carrots (in my view).

Sorry for my poor punctuation and sentence structure. My Duty Finder poped.

It happens. I was just legitimately unsure if I was missing an edit.

The thing is I don't think players need a measurable reward in order to want to improve assuming the requisite improvment isn't a huge stretch.

Let's use me as an example. In my previous post I talked about my fear of Savage content, feeling unprepared for it. Realistically even though I'm as prepared as someone who hasn't done it could be I am still not going to perform well in that enviroment without a lot of effort on my part because it is more things happening faster and that hurt you more than what I am accuatomed to.

It requires things like better awareness and reflexes, prefarably stronger gear and a willingness to optimize more.

Now apply that to someone that completes Expert roulette daily and then hears about the easy 340 weapon from Rabanastre. There is nothing in Expert roulette that prepares a player for Hashmal, not even a little. Someone who has only regularly had to do content on par with Kugane Castle isn't ready for that many one-shot mechanics, required movement and incoming damage.

If the steps in this ladder were closer together perhaps people who completed Expert roulette wouldn't be so lost in a 24man, or people like me who can comfortably complete EX primals wouldn't be so lost in Savage.

I circle back to the same theory - people are bad because they can be. I have seen people in Byakko doing under 2k on MNK. I've had cohealers in Rabanastre that spend an equal amount of time on the floor as they do standing up. They still get their clears though, despite being in content they couldn't hope to keep up with.

A better (or at least existant) difficulty curve would be such a positive change for this game. Right now it's more like gambling than strategy for some of these people - it isn't about having the skill to complete the fight but rather just a matter of queueing for said fight until they get a group that can drag them through.

Sadly, even Savage hasn't been immune to "laughing stock" status lest we never forget the absolute joke that was Alte Roite.

Oh Alte Roite...

I remember clearing that fight and thinking "Oh, this is Savage? Okay, I can totally do this"...

... then I got to O3S.