No one said they need to "sideline" crafting. Make all gear meldable. Make craftable gear that requires mats from bosses. Problem solved. I realize that crafting is a big part of this game unlike any other MMO, but when you sacrifice ANY sense of progression just so crafters can be happy to sit around in town and craft all day from mats gathered right outside town that require 0 danger or any form of skill, THAT'S when there's a problem like there is now. And materia is nothing more than sitting in Natalan for hours on end grinding on wolves. This game has a severe lack of rewarding players for their skill, and more for how patient they are when it comes to mindless grinding.

Is the RNG system that's in place now there to draw out 1.0 content until 2.0 arrives? More than likely. That's only half of the problem though. The other half is the problem of, like I previously stated, that gear that can be made with 0 risk or skill involved. The 1.0 engine is a huge limitation as to how high of a skill ceiling they can place on fights, I understand that. This is a thread asking what plans the devs have for 2.0 and how progression will be handled.