After playing since beta 2.0 I quit my sub a couple months ago. Part of me wants to come back, but I have some questions. If I missed a link somewhere, feel free to beat me over the head with it.

Is end game still a major head banging affair? My static lost nearly half of its members just clearing T9, and I quit the game after T13 because it just didn't seem like fun anymore. My raid group was a blast, but the content felt like it was overly technical and deliberately difficult just to make a wall (thinking Titan HM in 2.0 type of wall), and then things eventually get nerfed so hard so that you don't get a sense of accomplishment. Are things a bit more balanced now?

Is it possible to clear end game without treating it like a job? Part of the reason I left was because I had to continually pass up real life activities for my raid schedule, but raiding any less than I was doing didn't yield much progress. I want to play this game, but not at the expense of it taking over my life.

Has anything new been developed for Gold Saucer? Waiting for GS is one thing kept me playing as long as I did, and while I love Triple Triad I was generally disappointed with the overall lack of fun-house type content.

How are the new zones? I was generally frustrated with the 2.0 zones because they were small with invisible walls everywhere. I could never get lost or feel like I was exploring. From the videos I've seen they are quite large, but do they truly capture a sense of adventure that I was missing? Are there still invisible walls all over inside the zones? Can you actually get far enough away from an Aetherite that you get to feel like you journeyed somewhere?