Well, I think my love affair with Rift may be in jeopardy

And here is why.

I was a WoW player, at least on and off.  I stopped playin WoW because the game had turned into a login/wait in queue, hope to find something to do with my main game.  I couldn't go out and play an alt and find something to do with my main when I saw someone looking for some help or wanting someone to do a particular instance.  When WoW added the LFD system they put a lot of incentive on using the system and really no reason to log in otherwise except for raids.

Well Rift seems to be going down the same road.  When they originally announced a LFG system that would not be the same as WoW I had hope that it might be a more freeform system like what Everquest put into their system around the Planes of Power days.  That system was just a refinement of the advertising to find a group.  Want I want in a LFG system is a way for me to be out leveling or harvesting with an alt yet be able to list my level 50.  At the very least I would have wanted to have a way for me to search for a lvl 50 group while out playing my lvl 23 character in stonefield.  On the positive side, Trion is keeping the LFD system on the same server initially.  Hopefully this will keep any sense of community from deteriorating, but when they stated this they added the caveat "for now" to their statements.

On top of this they are going to be dumbing down their expert dungeons and buffing the plaque rewards.  I don't know why they think they need to do this as they are giving buffs to equipment at the same time.  Like WoW did before they are taking away challenge when it wasn't needed.  I haven't been in a group yet where people weren't surprised by having a wipe or two.  Recovery is simple and as a group you get to learn from your mistakes.  What I want to know is, has there been an expert dungeon that has never been completed?  If there is no cost to making mistakes the game becomes a boring treadmill, just like WoW.

How are we "not in Azeroth anymore"?  as far as I'm concerned it's becoming the far east of Azeroth, just because it's not on your WoW map doesn't mean you're not in the same world.

I may be completely wrong, Trion may not nerf the experts as much as it sounds, the challenge may remain, but I am now questioning where I have placed my loyalty.