Originally Posted by
arus2001
When the root of the request applies logic like, "Content not MEANT for them!" then, yeah, it kinda is. See, some people seem a bit too caught up in presuming everyone who hates this kind of model is just skill-less bad, when it's not just individual skill that determines a character's progression potential in the long term. When you can not commit to a static and routine schedule, you immediately become undesirable to those who can. Each week that goes by where one can not participate, their currency count isn't as high and/or they simply don't get access to a RNG drop. All of that simply snowballs until the regulars are a full gear slot of stats ahead, then a second, and so on. If the affected player can not hope to PUG or take advantage of alternative content if it did exist, just what is their motivation to keep playing if they are interested in becoming stronger?
Bluntly, if you really do want to run with that exclusivity wall, then pay wall the shit. Make the casual sub cost $8/mo while all you guys who want the "full experience" pay current full price. Anyone who wants to join in after the fact would obviously have to upgrade their payment plan, even if only temporarily. Not only does SE find who truly is interested in such content/difficulty, but it also effectively budgets them on how much they should divert to the obvious minority, because not a damn dime of casual money should go into such content if you want to keep it from them just because you wanna feel more important. And if that means you wind up only getting a new raid once every 9-12 months, well, perhaps the game is not meant for you, hmm?
Snark aside, I do understand wanting to feel challenged. However, accessibility is still key. Simply adding another difficulty level does nothing to address that conundrum since coordinating the lives of 7-23 others is not within one person's control. What this ultimately means is that one should not expect exclusive combat applicable rewards like higher tier gear. At best, they should see the other stuff at a quicker pace due to increased currency/drop slots. Vanity is free game, of course. If the resulting complaint is that finishing more quickly would leave you bored even more so, I'd continue to posit the real flaw in the game design is what goes on between the raids. Or more accurately, what does not. No interest to craft? No interest to level/gear other jobs? No reason to fight in the overworld? What would it take to get one to indulge in such things that isn't just another "you and 7-23 additional bodies" solution?