[Nairbog]

I don't see how my "logic" is flawed. It was just an observation that different people tend to have different experiences with the game based on how they progress through content. It wasn't an argument. The content with the best exp/loot is often the most boring. Personally I prefer to try out new dungeons and areas constantly to change things up so I don't get bored, regardless of how "efficient" it is. You're right that there is a lot of "weak" content in the game, and all throughout beta this was one of my main complaints. I didn't see the point in investing so much time on quantity over quality. They finally figured out that people want interesting content around beta 3 though and pumped out quite a bit of quality stuff in that time period, more so than any other MMORPG I've played.

Frankly though, the starting areas depending on where you go have some of the weaker content in Vanguard. The dungeons tend to be smaller, and the content less interesting. There are exceptions though, the half elf newbie progression was fantastic. The Ra'Jin stronghold is an excellent dungeon. The raki progression did feel a bit too linear to me, and the starting dungeon is less than impressive. The city is neat though heh. I'm curious since you got the highest level with your bard, what places did you go to with her?

EDIT: While I agree they could be better, what exactly is it about the VG starting areas that are any different from other popular MMO's like WoW? In WoW it was mini-dungeons only until your first instance which you progressed to around the time you start progressing to interesting dungeons in Vanguard. I'm not sure how the Raki or Orc starting area for example are terrible, they're not amazing but they're "satisfactory."