I’m obsessively playing guild wars 2 at the moment, and it is arguably similar, in that you don’t absolutely have to grind to enjoy the game. You can get a character to top level very quickly (a few days), and you can gear them up to play a lot of the end game content fairly quickly (exotic gear is about 5% weaker than the best gear in the game and significantly cheaper and easier to get. You don’t have to craft or collect resources to play and have a good time.
I play FF XIV online. There’s as much or as little grinding as you want there to be. I’m in a really chill social FC.
Can you advance in the game without any grinding?
Yes, they give you the gear you need to make it each step of the way through the story.
Crafting and gathering are optional. Relic weapons are optional.
There are some players who like to role play. There are casuals, hardcore, and everything in between.
I’m obsessively playing guild wars 2 at the moment, and it is arguably similar, in that you don’t absolutely have to grind to enjoy the game. You can get a character to top level very quickly (a few days), and you can gear them up to play a lot of the end game content fairly quickly (exotic gear is about 5% weaker than the best gear in the game and significantly cheaper and easier to get. You don’t have to craft or collect resources to play and have a good time.