SE stop doing the "norm"

[Wolfie]

This is what we call an opinion. Let me argue both of those points.

A. You did learn how to play your characters, but in many instances, you played differently in an XP party than you would in other instances.

B. The number of friends you'd make from XP parties was negligible at best. Most of the time you'd be telling your LS how bad someone in your group was.

If they're half as serious about instanced dungeons as they said they were, the "not enough party play" argument will become invalid.

It's all rose tinted nostalgia or completely anecdotal. SMN's role was radically different between exp parties and end game, as was RDM and BRD. BLM didn't even level in parties or traditional ones, but was heavily used in end-game. PLD subbed WAR in parties, but subbed WHM or NIN for harder NMs. Same for NIN/WAR and NIN/DRK.

[Exn]

It's all rose tinted nostalgia or completely anecdotal. SMN's role was radically different between exp parties and end game, as was RDM and BRD. BLM didn't even level in parties or traditional ones, but was heavily used in end-game. PLD subbed WAR in parties, but subbed WHM or NIN for harder NMs. Same for NIN/WAR and NIN/DRK.

Whooa what? You can't argue that you generally didn't learn your role via exp parties in XI. Obviously you adapt the skills you learn to fit the situation.. Even with SMN, you may have learned how to maximize DPS while keeping buffs, or effectively fish for your pt (holding active mobs while supporting pt), or just something as simple as practicing SCs+MBs. All would be used in endgame.

Heck, RDM and BRD's party roles were practically the exact same as endgame. RDM, (generally) refresh | buff/debuff | heal in both situations and BRD (generally) refresh | buff/debuff | kite/fish in both situations. There was a time ( a long period of time...) that BLM did level in traditional parties (the good ole days of timing AM1 with a SC) and BLM later continued to level in parties, just primarily manaburn. It's still an exp party though.. so I'm not sure what your point there was. And BLM certainly learned their role in both styles, especially manaburn as BLM were often grouped into BLM teams for endgame (the exact same setup as a manaburn, often with timed nukes that SHOULD'VE been learned mastered back in those manaburn parties..).

Ohh.. almost forgot.. /PreAbyssea

[Firon]

Whooa what? You can't argue that you generally didn't learn your role via exp parties in XI. Obviously you adapt the skills you learn to fit the situation.. Even with SMN, you may have learned how to maximize DPS while keeping buffs, or effectively fish for your pt (holding active mobs while supporting pt), or just something as simple as practicing SCs+MBs. All would be used in endgame.

Heck, RDM and BRD's party roles were practically the exact same as endgame. RDM, (generally) refresh | buff/debuff | heal in both situations and BRD (generally) refresh | buff/debuff | kite/fish in both situations. There was a time ( a long period of time...) that BLM did level in traditional parties (the good ole days of timing AM1 with a SC) and BLM later continued to level in parties, just primarily manaburn. It's still an exp party though.. so I'm not sure what your point there was. And BLM certainly learned their role in both styles, especially manaburn as BLM were often grouped into BLM teams for endgame (the exact same setup as a manaburn, often with timed nukes that SHOULD'VE been learned mastered back in those manaburn parties..).

Ohh.. almost forgot.. /PreAbyssea

People keep using this argument for XI but that is because a lot of endgame fights used similar strats to what you did in a pt. If your boss fights are truly great it wont teach you a lot of things end game has to offer.

No matter how much grinding you do in this game it could not get you prepared for garuda or teach you how to play your job to react to so many different situations.

FYI the only hard classes to play in XI FYI in a pt setting was Tank healer/other mages. Soon healing got easy to cause of so much refresh stacking. DD was super brainless.