A few ideas on how to fix the whole "race to endgame" thingy.

Goronian

I need to find someone to name the threads for me.

Anyway! I was thinking recently, about how the whole "endgame dungeon grinding" gets ridiculous sometimes. Around 70-80% of the game is non-endgame, yet it's completely ignored and raced through, just so the players could enter the gear treadmill. No one really likes it, barely anyone defends it, but everyone seems to think, that there's no choice, other, than grinding.

Let me draw you a little parallel, before we begin. What do you do, when you reach the level cap? You raid Tier I. After Tier I? You raid Tier II. After Tier II? You get my point.

You see, what it is? You can see it, can't you? If not, let me spell it out for you.

IT'S LEVELLING!

Seriously, it is! You're basically doing what you were doing the whole game before that, but with a group. Instead of getting rid of "group grind", devs masked it with shiny dungeons and forced it to the mythical "endgame".

So here are my thoughts, on what could be done. 

Levelling curve should be slowed done. Really slowed done, like EQI slow. But each player is able to do content +/- 10 levels from his. This way we ensure, that he can find a group for his content, whenever he wants to. And since the levelling is now once again slow, it should be easier, than ever.

Now, solo should not be thrown out either. Each class should have the ability to solo - some faster, some slower, butultimately possible. It should be noticeably slower, than levelling in a group, but not too much, so that players won't feel all that gimped.

Classes should, once again, be less interchangeable. CC, buffers, trackers - the more variety, the better. It helps people to rely on each other, to seek players of specific talents, who could be useful in different situations. But again, soloability, remember? CCs should have a tanking/damaging pet, they can rely on. Bards should be limited in how many buffs they can have at once, forcing them to choose between self- and group buffs, and so on. 

The actual "cool parts" should be in game, during the levelling process, not just at the endgame. From dungeons, to world bosses, to "minigame quests" - anything goes. Lots of the "better" gear should be available from crafters, while the "uber" gear drops from mobs. But just a bare minimum. How about crafters basing their new stuff on the existing "uber" weapons?

Going forward with the crafting idea, how about giving the players the ability to post their own quests? "Bring me these mats, and I'll give you that rubber chicken of infinite frying pans", or something. Could work - stuff for players to do, without the need to involve devs.

And as far, as questing goes... I think questing should not be about XP. Rewards - I can get behind that. From rare stuff, to access quests - they have the right to exist. But removing the XP boost can slow the levelling curve down a lot. And if players find themselves with nothing to do, they can simply pick requests from other players, why not?

Gear grind should be removed from endgame completely - it's just not that fun, when you think about it. At the endgame players are essentially royalty - so theys hould act like one. Politics, city-building, guild warfare, territory control and, well, maybe an occasional dungeon or two. 

Thanks for reading this disjointed string of conciousness. I promise not to start threads at 4 AM again.

Ihmotepp

I got a better idea. Just make a forced grouping game. Anything that gives you XP will kill you if you try to do it solo.

Questing, mob grinding, gathering mats, whatever, If you do it solo, you die. Instantly. No xp penalty, you just die.

If you go off into the wilderness with some players and they all log off, that's it, you're boned. You're gonna die.

You want to travel from City A to City B? If you go by yourself, you'll get attacked, and never see City B.

Crafting, you just can't do it solo. Period. Takes at least two players to make anything.

ozmono

I haven't played a game where raiding and end game gear is the goal for a long time because I don't like such games. I now play games where you fight over territory and try to build impressive things but the problem still persist no matter if it's themepark or sandbox. I agree the problem is grinding levels or skills. What I don't agree with though is that is should be slowed down. I think it makes more sense to speed it up and increase the penalities for death. That way you can partake in the end game quicker but cannot just breeze through it without some immersion. That said think I'm talking from a different type of MMO perspective than you.

Kilrain

Remove levels and go with a skill based game with a skill cap, all skills train reletively fast so building your character takes a few weeks or month to build up casually, then make the entire game about content, both PVE and PVP. Allow players to build stuff, create homes/castles that can and will be destroyed. Armor and weapons that need to be replaced due to damage or even player looting. Make the "grind" about playing the game, not creating your character.