Insta-solution: slow leveling the hell down + make the low level content mandatory to advance.

You take a few days to get to 15, then the game has require you to clear shposhae to advance, you go there, you see the loot and think hm... maybe I'll do this a few more times to get me some plundered equipment" and 3-5 runs later you got some loot and gained a few levels and you move on to the next level threshold/content and so on.

VS

Get 10 in 30mins, get PLed to 35 in a day, 35>40 the next day > leech in natalan for a few hours to 50.


In FFXI you had to stop @18 to get the subjobs then level up a subjob then make your way to jeuno @20 afterwards you gotta clear rank 2 then 3 missions then get kazham access and stay there to 33 then start on rank 4 then 5 around 40-45 to get your airship access then @50 you needed to beat G1 to get to 55 then more Gs every 5 levels to 75.

You needed to keep your subs leveled, you needed to upgrade gear often and many quests were worth doing for spells gear and money and there was unlocking advanced jobs and leveling them from scratch also BCNMs that were a decent challenge and a source of income, money was tight for most people and you had to slow down to make it.

And FFXI's version of PLing was a mage curing you from outside the PT, they couldnt help you kill 20 mobs in an instant so leveling speed was the same with or without one but with 1 around the down time was cut incase of death or links.