You absolutely can play how you want - just realize that that comes with the trade off of hurting you in certain areas of the game.
Don't want to develop Geos? That's fine - but you won't be much help in the Wat mission for your guild. The same with clones and the Kam mission.
Many good characters require you to build up factions to acquire them. That's part of the game - always has been. The journey guide is exactly that.
You can farm, gear and relic whoever you want - just realize that there are consequences. And yes, having consequences based on your choices is fair. That's not only true in this game, but IRL too.