I completely agree. I have seen how having different things to do and having different milestones can change how people play the game.

Currently along with FFXIV I am playing Runes of Magic because my brother plays and wanted me to join with him. It's combat is incredibly bland, it's crafting sucks compared to FFXIV and to this day I have not been made to care enough about the lore to know the name of the world everything takes place in. But I stay for the community.

End game really doesn't exist in that game, just a new instance to conquer and a new world to see. And I see a huge difference in how people act in this game from FFXIV where endgame is pretty much all there is as far as milestones go.

I am about to hit level 55 where as cap is somewhere in the 80s and people are going out of there way to help me. Helping me get good armor, good weapons and help me learn how to stat my gear (that is the one system that out shines FFXIV, the gear stating gear system is insane and makes the materia system look tiny) because 55 is where putting the new stats on my gear becomes a worthwhile endeavor, and effectively increases my stats 50-100%

This is great because as I keep going I will get this treatment a lot, as I reach new milestones they will take me to new places, helping me get the armors and weapons that are considered a rite of passage, and teaching me how to lead someone else like me through these places when I am strong enough to do so myself.

As much as I know the community will hate me for saying it, it reminds me of FFXI. Sure I will admit that the grind wasn't always fun, but the rewards were the best. I still remember getting my chocobo, traveling to a different city, unlocking my Dragoon Job. I never really cared for end game in FFXI, never got to it, my xbox and profile crashed before I got to see probably 75% of the game, but I was happy where I was, and why not? I had a Chocobo, I had a Wyvern following me, and I could travel all sorts of interesting places with them.

FFXI Players were wrong to say that the grind is what made FFXI fun. It was those milestones that made it what it is. But at the same time, maybe they were right. If it was easy to level up, like it is here I may not have cared about getting those things, not as much at least. So I'm with this guy, make leveling up slower, make it much more meaningful but don't just make it slower, give us things to do, accomplishments to achieve. No one would care if they were slow to level if they were too busy fulfilling a role within the game world, within their Grand and Private Companies, and grabbing some awesome loot along the way. If you say Lv. 15 gets you a chocobo, no one cares about Lv. 50 anymore, they want that chocobo, or that house, or the chance to get that crazy new sword.

Milestones become rites of passage, and rites of passage glue a community together. People will help you achieve things, and in turn you will help the next group.