What Are We Even Doing In The Raids

(Here b4 'you're spamming threads!!!!1!!1!1')
No really but what is canonically going on in a Raid.

The extremely broad strokes is obvious. We're fighting the boss. But, like, how much of the pre-boss parts can be diegetic? Where are we getting wings from to navigate the Canyon? Why are those golems there? Who left that hammer that we're using to dig a tunnel to the Grootslang nest? Why is there puzzles to get the Resource?

Also why do we even do the first two rooms of TCC? We end up right back where we started, why didn't we take down the binding seals at the start? (And TCC's the only one where there's any observable logical connection between the rooms we visit and the result of visiting them... literally no other room has any narrative throughline to reaching and fighting the boss other than "well this is what you rolled for what obstacles were in your way when you hunted the boss".)

 

Not an answer but this is part of why I prefer dungeons over raids. I know I know different aims / intentions but at least dungeons make you feel like you're doing something / engaged in the story, going through the boss's lair and interacting with them. With raids all you get is 3 minigames and then the boss.

 

And the nerf to player buffs only helps to reinforce this impression.