So, how is Pagos?

[Penthea]

Chain is still more efficient. People do the train, because it is less work over a given period of time.

It's also more fun to do fates. Combat for them is far more interesting and it encourages exploration.

The xp gain in pre-patch Pagos was not a primary issue for me. My main grievance was that chains were the only reliable source of xp and they're insanely dull to do because of the mindless repetition of the task and the lack of exploration.

Fun > xp gain, for me at least.