Story & graphic is better then XI but gameplay is a total disaster
1. Horrible UI - it's for console not for PC........
2. Lack of AH - will add later but it makes buying and selling a hassle for now. If you like go spending 1 or 2 hours just to find an item. I read on a post, someone even prepared a day just to "Go Shopping"... that's really sad.... because if I like "shopping", I think I would rather go to the mall.
3. Limited quests per day: it sounds better on the paper but in reality is pretty bad. How about if someone just wants to fight and explore and doing quests? No, SE basically shut down any possibilities for player to do that, because they want to make it casual friendly game. They force everyone to either leveling crafting or leveling other classes regardless if a player wants to do so or not. On the surface, it appears SE gives MORE choices for player, but a player can NOT choose what they want to do. Choices are limited since you are forced to grind on crafting or gathering or some classes that you don't really want to play.
4. Diminishing Return of XP - this part was ok, it's too prevent people to grind to level 50 too fast, so I was not too upset about it. I just wonder how little the contents that SE has created, they feel like there is a need to put such mechanism to physically prevent players to level up.
Overall, it's NOT a game that I had dreaming of since they announced FFXIV. I guess that I just wanted an updated version of FFXI... not a mixture of craps.....
Personally, I like 60% adventure, 25% crafting and 15% PVP, but so far this game is 35% adventure, 65% crafting and gathering and 0% PVP. Sadly, I even think Aion was more fun then FFXIV.
Yes, we would all agree FFXIV is "Different" but it's "Different" in a bad way, if I want to play a game so slow and sucky, I think I would rather go to play EVE online at least you can be like all the players playing on 5 accounts then sell gold to pay for monthly fee.