Originally Posted by
Osmeric
By including heroic raid modes, the ego value of the rest of the game is devalued. Basically, it causes the game to remind most players that they aren't very good. Players have defense mechanisms about this ("I don't play enough" "schedule" "not really interested") but these can only go so far. Underneath, the central value proposition of the game, that you are a hero in a heroic world, is being corroded. Far from telling most players that they're heroes, the game is sending them the message "YOU SUCK!"
I don't think it's a coincidence that subs plateaued and began to fall when they added higher difficulty raid modes.
This is exactly the opposite of the message we hear from the elite, that their presence attracts other players. No, I think catering to you guys drives other people away.