Please stop simplifying and homogenizing the game. Please.

[Grann-Goro]

So i've been playing since 3.3. 14 was my first MMO. I had such a bad understanding of the game when I started that when I got to Baelsar's Wall my item level was too low. I had to ask my FC what an item level was. I (a warrior) didn't know that pulling wall to wall was normal until the healer in that group told me to. I didn't know that Alexander was a raid, I just thought it was a cool set piece in the hinterlands. I didn't know I could do Alexander each week for gear. The first extreme I did was Byakko in 4.1 and I absolutely sandbagged. I didn't use any cooldowns on the TB since I thought I was just supposed to get shielded for it.
Since then, I've cleared every savage tier since Eden's Verse on content. I've gotten every job to 80 and a little over half to 90. I'm currently progging UCOB to prepare for DSR. All this to say that though i'm somewhat hardcore now, I wasn't. I know what it's like to be totally lost in an MMO. I WAS the skill floor for a long time. I, like literally all players, got better. I learned. I had fun doing it. I know i'm not the best player in the world, nor am I a game designer. But, given what we were told in PLL 70 and the Famitsu interview from last week, i'm seriously worried about the game's design going forward. Specifically, it seems as though the devs are more and more designing the game for the lowest common denominator in terms of skill.

Same here o/

Besides, I have a very good group of close friends IRL.
Back in the days, we were playing WoW together at various occurences over the years and its different xpac. We never were hardcore raiders, but we enjoyed the leveling experience, and eventually we all left when the leveling in WoW became dumb and boring...

After that, I tried FFXIV alone. It was during Heavensward, and at that time, I tried many times to convince my friends to join me on FFXIV.
"Guys, there is a sync option is this game ! It's awesome ! Even the first dungeons stay playables and enjoyables for new players !"
Sadly, I never succeded (because of multiple reasons), but they seemed kinda interested nonetheless.

Today, when those friends ask me if FFXIV is still that good and how it is today for new players, I'm forced to tell them that it's easier than before during leveling, and that they will even add bots for low levels dungeons.
And now, all their interest is gone... :/
"it will end like WoW, they say..."