So I have no problem with constructive criticism as long as it's constructive. Demanding the devs "make it better" while giving no specifics (either on what is wrong or what you want to see) really doesn't help. That being said, this thread seems largely to actually being going into detail so I really don't have any beef with it.

However, it's inevitable in these kinds of threads that you see the same re-worded sentiment bemoaning "the same old grind" over and over again. To which I just want to point out that MMOs (at least every one I've ever played) have that same gear grind: you bust your butt killing (either monsters or other players) to drop or craft the best gear in the game, then a patch or two later they release new shinies and you gotta do it all over again. To me at least, that is the engine that drives the endgame in MMOs.

FF14 is wonderful in how story driven it is and they are constantly continuing that story with most of the larger patches, but even extending the MSQ isn't enough to keep most players busy for more than a day or two. I guess my question is, without the above-mentioned endgame gear grind (which is apparently "boring" and "stale" now, regardless of being a genre staple,) what is it exactly that you would like to see as a means of giving players a goal/reason to keep playing once they hit the level cap and finish the MSQ?