I think it's a good thing.

I have just resubscribed. I played alpha as one of the first testers, beta, and a little bit into launch. I think people who have stayed with the game from the start have truley lost perspective of what a great MMO is.

Part of creating a great MMO community is catering to every type of player. And allowing people decent progression.

Personally, while I am enjoying my limited time I choose to play XIV since I resubbed, it is not my main choice of game. So logging on once and a while, getting that bonus exp is a good incentive to keep me subscribed, as the only reason I chose to resubscribe was because of the 2.0 announcement and the PVP additions. So, slowly leveling until 2.0 is worth it to me for a small 10$ a month. I think you'll find a large number of people to be doing the same, but sticking to another MMO as their main source, whatever that may be.

However SE still has a lot of work, and they're lucky to have a dedicated fanbase willing to play this game full time when there are so many other great MMO options. If any company could turn this game around, it is surely the name brand of Square.