In a recent interview it was mentioned there is a push from beta testers to allow combat/adventuring skill gain to level up Crafting skills. I would like to voice my opinion on this specific issue and how I see it as a threat to endgame activities.

Firstly in beta nobody is ripping through character development like they will in the live game. People are figuring out the systems and have not yet maximized xp gain. Also there is more of a sense of urgency as beta is limited time and people are eager to test content further down the pipe than they can get unless they grind the heck out the game. This would make them want to gain skill in crafting without having the time sink of actually crafting through those levels. I don't think it is representative of appropriate time for skill gain post release.

Secondly crafting should make up a portion of elder-game activities. If all we have left to do is AvA and some adventure zones things get pretty flat. We need something else to keep us occupied especially for those times when not a lot to guildies are on. Crafting is a great filler activity between Scroll Raids and advanced dungeons.

If the average gamer is finding it too much a burden to raise crafting why exactly is that? What is the appropriate time spent in crafting vs adventuring to keep those skills equal? How about equal time? And if someone needs to craft without actually spending the appropriate time in learning the skill would it not be better to offer them the option of buying crafting skill through a trainer? They could exchange say 2 hours of adventure for gold and get maybe 1/2 an hour worth of using the relevant skill. People using the skill should always get the better path and nobody should be able to buy their way past say 30% of the total skill line.

If you don't want loads of people blowing through content and leaving two-three months post release don't do silly things like double up on skills gain. It doesn't have to be a grind but if you want the benefits of what crafting has to offer you should be putting a significant amount of time into it. Keep the crafting system entertaining and if people don't want to do it offer them the option of buying those services from people who do. This is what will keep your community interacting and vibrant. Crafting must be a social thing and should never be made so easy so that everyone can do all their own stuff.