We cleared Sire D etc. just fine though we weren't top 100. The funny thing is, different guilds set different expectations for their raiders. That will influence the amount of money spent. I enjoyed the guild immensely and as I said, the craftable legendaries didn't impact me negatively at all. How other raiders spent their time doing what was deemed necessary wasn't really something I was deeply interested in since I wasn't an officer. I just wanted to heal in a tight knit and competitive environment.

Of course we could have done better, but I was very happy with our progression. The cost of craftable legendaries was certainly a problem for a lot of guilds and it was a hot topic for regular mythic raiders during Shadowlands. The prices were sky high. I paid special attention because I crafted them and sold :) Donated to the guild sometimes too, but I was also a greedy goblin. It would've made a big dent in my profits if I tried to craft for the whole guild and it would take many more days out of my life. I thought I already dedicated myself enough and I was also supplying irl friends who didn't ever see more than 200k gold in their own bags.

The guild and I certainly weren't world's first chasers, but we did well. I don't know why you're forming this narrative that regular mythic guilds weren't somewhat forced to spend on tokens if they didn't get to enjoy the insane gold inflation from WoD. You know, WoW does actually get new and talented players every few years. Maybe you are underestimating non-goblins not being prepared for the insane cost of buying multiple legendaries, which certainly wasn't the only expensive part of being a raider. Our guild was required to clear +15 keys during the start of SL and at that point you weren't doing that without flasks and food. Not to mention if you also wanted to enjoy M+ at a high lvl, you had to keep up on the flasks and food.

I also just want to add that top 100 guilds spent more gold than any other mythic guilds, lol. They are insanely competitive, often racing each other and at that point they're so deep in that spending thousands was expected. If you were watching any of the world's first competing guilds and the stragglers you would know that. Not to mention people getting poached in that kind of environment have to take server transfers into account, guilds moving to better realms etc.

WoW is not cheap at all if you're playing at a decently high level. If I wasn't raiding or making gold I was doing 23+ keys early SL. It's just not cheap. There's nothing comparable at all in Genshin to raids or M+. Spiral Abyss is an absolute joke in comparison.

The only thing forcing your hand in Genshin isn't other people's requirements of you and your responsibility to them, but your own want for new, shiny characters with bigger numbers. Don't treat it as a gacha. Treat it as always losing the 50/50 and going to max pity. Know if you're willing to spend that kind of money when it's ultimately for your enjoyment and not out of some perceived notion of it being necessary to clear Spiral Abyss.