The new player experience and how FFXIV fails as an MMO.

[PyurBlue]

This is only true if you regard the purpose of an MMO is to reach endgame. As I've suggested elsewhere, "endgame" in an MMO is an artificial construct taken from single-player games, particularly when applied exclusively to PvE.

Endgame isn't artificial. You can think of it as the point where you've stopped progressing and it makes more sense to focus on honing your gameplay with your complete skill list instead of having to incorporate new skills all the time. The consistency of endgame makes it more likely that challenging and deeper content exists because it doesn't need to account for a huge range of participants that might have different levels or quality of gear. Different people will have different ideas of what makes a game or genre and in my view I prefer the endgame state more than the progression state. I enjoy getting better at a game more than I enjoy getting better stats, especially when better stats are an illusion that only makes for bigger numbers on screen at the end of the day. I also don't want a static game, that's one of my biggest complaints with FF14, but the variety is best applied to the environment that your character is in, rather than coming from your character, at least in my opinion.

Exactly this.

Speaking from my own experience, the MSQ was a sore point from the beginning. I agree with many of the issues brought up in the first post. I didn't like being forced to play solo without friends. I didn't like having to go through many hours of story to catch up with friends. I did like dungeons but I'd have to make time for the MSQ because the entire game depends on it. I don't think FF14's approach to the story is very good. A more open world where you can do things without very specific prerequisites or only in a very tightly intended order would be much more fun.

Just my opinion but I love the long campaign. Makes it feel like an epic journey from humble beginnings. If someone thinks that it’s too long or want their friend to co-op with them so they don’t get bored, maybe they don’t appreciate the story as much as they should.

I feel the same way about length. I'd much rather have a long campaign than a short one. The problem is that FF14's long campaign blocks off 95% of the game. It doesn't have to.