Quote Originally Posted by Liam_Harper View Post
I think what saddens me most is the community interaction and discussion has dropped significantly.
I noticed that too and it is sad and a little worrying.

I posted this in another thread but I think it's relevant to this discussion:
If I need a book or a second monitor to relieve the tedium then I start questioning why I'm bothering to play at all and that's the point I'm at with crafting right now.

I appreciate the recent changes have got people crafting who never enjoyed it in the past, but I do wonder how many will stick with it long-term. It's much easier now but essentially, it's pretty much the same. If you found crafting tedious before, I think you're still going to find it tedious, once the excitement of levelling and getting to endgame wears off.
The discussions on this board that Liam mentioned were all part of the fun. Now endgame crafting has been made so easy, there really isn't anything to discuss; people rarely ask for help in-game, either. So, while there might be a lot more people crafting since 5.2 it actually feels less social.

Crafting is niche in most games, and FFXIV used to offer a more in-depth experience than any other. I do understand the desire to broaden its appeal but I feel they've gone so far with the simplification that they're in danger of losing that depth and alienating those of us who enjoyed crafting as it was.