Why we need the "Vanity" system (and beyond)
Final Fantasy to me has always been about 'character' over everything else. When you think of Final Fantasy, you think Cecil and Kain, Rydia and her bright green hair, Cloud and his sword, Tifa and her... eyes. In this game, I look like everyone else. I am not one of the "Warriors of Light," I am a "Warrior of Light" in a world where being a "Warrior of Light" feels as exclusive as having a membership to Costco. My character has no discernible back-story beyond what I give it in my head; there are no choices in this game... everyone gets the same skills, weapons, gear, etc.
If you'd allow me to armchair-quarterback this game for a second, I would have made the character creation system one of the primary focuses in the game. You start off the game by creating your character. You can still pick from races, but you design your body, your face, your clothes, your weapon's style and "skin," etc. Then you would have a proper Final Fantasy game, in that you get stronger, you learn new skills, you get better gear, but you still look like you. Final Fantasy characters should look unique like they always have, think more "Comic Book" and less "World of Warcraft."
When I look at a video of Final Fantasy XIV game play, there is absolutely nothing visually that can tell me who I'm watching; all I am watching is a "Paladin in full Darklight" or a "Bard in AF gear." That's not Final Fantasy, that's World of Warcraft. In previous games, when a character equipped a job or a weapon, they didn't cease to look like themselves, nor did they look like each other.
I hope when they implement the "vanity" system later on that it goes more in this direction, but for now, I feel "un-special." When I get to the end of the game, I will look like everyone else who has reached the end of the game. At level 50, every Dragoon looked like Kain, every White Mage looked like "The White Mage." The variety lessens as you go further. It's hard to tell similar classes apart wearing Darklight gear unless you're very familiar with them, etc.
I want to see people's Final Fantasy characters when I look at them, not process them as a generic person who has progressed XYZ far in the game.
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I would love to see a true "transformation" take place when you obtain your Job's soul, this would basically amount to a "redesign" of your character's appearance (with limitations, no race/face changes, but makeup, hair, etc.) with additional clothing options opened up (AF armor designs, etc.). Alternatively this can take place at the END of your job-questline. It would be a neat thing when you become a Bard that you have the option to switch to a harp as a weapon (that shoots arrows) with slightly adjusted attack animations, etc.
More to the point, when you're a gladiator, you should look like a gladiator. Armor sets should be raw and more "Roman" styled; you should look like someone who fights for money and entertainment. When you finally become a paladin, you should feel like you just became a paladin. Aura's, glowing hair/eyes, additional makeup options, shiny metal/gold/silver/white armors should unlock... etc. Your characters posture should change, attack animations, should feel more "refined" and less "raw."
Pugilists should fight like kickboxers, where as monks should fight like martial artists. Summoners' "egis" should be larger, Scholars' "egis" should be "mechanical." A thaumaturge's Fire spell should look different than a Black Mage's fire spell. A conjurers casting animation can look different from a White Mages. Point being is right now everything feels "special" in name only. You should be able to tell the differences between classes visually, while also being able to tell the differences between players of a same class visually what you should not be able to figure out visually, is where someone is in the progression of the game.
What I feel they have now, is a solid foundation, and I hope as time goes on, they don't spend all their resources making the next dungeon to farm for the next armor set for everyone to collect so that they can all again look the same further down the road. I want this game to feel like you are one of the Scions of the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Row IV or whatever... I hope the vanity system addresses this, but I'm afraid of feeling crushing disappointment when it's finally implemented.