Quote Originally Posted by SamRF View Post
Some people may misunderstand what "accessibility" means in MMO design. It doesn't mean making all content equally easy - it means having content that matches different time investments and commitment levels. The leveling experience and normal content already serve casual players well. Endgame should remain challenging for those who seek it out, even if that means mid-core players sometimes need to either step up or step back.
I agree here. The accessibility of anything above normal is the real turn off. I don't think sitting around in party finder for hours is the right gateway for people who want to "step up" to try something a bit harder like extreme or unreal. It's a crappy way to spend an evening. The reality is you either get in with the rush to clear in the first week or two, or you're left trying to fill prog parties that no one wants to join. I thought Criterion was going to be a nice middle ground somewhere between normal and savage, only requiring 4 people, but it was another missed opportunity. I've seen people say that extremes are casual content, which is just so wrong. It's hours in PF on top of hours to learn and clear - and sure it should be difficult, but that's a massive step up from 10 minutes in duty finder, a couple of wipes, and you're done.

The problem isn't that the endgame is extreme and savage, the problem is there's nothing in between - either in terms of difficulty or accessibility. The really dispiriting thing is that we've had it confirmed in an interview that there never will be either - chaotic was exactly their vision of midcore, but it's both savage and difficult to get into. By all means leave the current tiers of difficult content as they are, but let's have something else as well - re-do Criterion and cut out half of all the mechanics for example.