I understand that, but that isn't really relevant to the point; the issue as framed is "How much self-sufficiency is reasonable in an MMO game?"
Ultimately, it's Virtrium's decision, but I'd like to think that the realities of play-style fluidity (i.e., people like to change it up and part of that includes being able to solo when they prefer it), being a little more open to it would be the wiser course.
At the moment, I greatly prefer solo play. Not because I dislike people, but because I play to de-stress, unwind, and frankly, grouping tends to be just the opposite of that for me.
(I spend my work days as facilitator and problem solver; helping large groups of people or companies figure out what the market wants, how to best meet that want, and how to balance a product/service between conflicting wants. Having to do the same things in a game just isn't attractive to me all the time. Some of the time, yes. Not all.)