XI vs XIV Lore - similarities and differences

I never played XI, but I know that a lot of people in this game's community have.

How similar are the cities and races of XI to XIV's in terms of general attitude, strengths and weaknesses? For instance is Ul'dah pretty much a carbon copy of Bastok? Are the Elvaan pretty much a combination of the Wildwood Elezen and the Ishgardians?

Also, is XI's setting just as dark as, if not more so, than XIV's? Does it share the same kind of "British" feel, complete with all the slang swear words, as Eorzea?

There are a number of similarities between FFXI's setting and storyline and FFXIV's, but there are also major differences as well (this is because both games had the same original producer, Hiromichi Tanaka). In some respects Vana'diel was a far darker and more dangerous place - the open 'wilds' of the Middle Lands were far more dangerous than Eorzea's outside areas are, even despite having regular guard posts along the way.

There's really far too much to mention here in regards to differences and similarities between the two games so I'll just suggest to read up on FFXI's backstory at the FF Wiki and draw your own conclusions. ;)

The similarities are mostly just thematic things that keep the game familiar and make sure everyone finds something they resonate well with - a human analogous race, a cute diminutive race, a strong animalistic race, a promiscuous feline race, and a haughty elf race. A forest city, a desert city, and an ocean city. A city based on spirituality, a city based on money, and a city based on freedom. A city that values faith and honor, a city that values merit and industry, and a city that values initiative and independence. All of these themes existed in FFXI, but most were shuffled around for FFXIV so nothing is a carbon copy, just carries traces of familiarity from many places.

I think the closest match you'll find is the match between San d'Oria and Ishgard - brick military fortresses, elves, absolute absolute devotion to religion.

Not to mention FFXIV's Gridania is at least thematically similar to Windurst in FFXI - in some respects anyway (both revere nature, magic plays an important role in their society, their head of state is an oracle of sorts, and they're both threatened by a bird-like beast race who regard the surrounding lands as sacred to them and who reside in a location with the word 'Spine' in it's name). ;)

And because of this, I'm wondering if this was the reason why SE had Shantotto's FFXI crossover event occur in the Black Shroud and Gridania - simply because Gridania is so similar to the FFXI nation she comes from. ;)

But yeah, there's no direct copying of ideas between FFXIV and FFXI. They're both independent settings and storylines.

In fact, it was these similarities which made me choose Gridania as my starting city in 1.0 in the first place - although I considered Limsa simply for the awesome theme music (Navigator's Glory), and Ul'dah for being the location of the GLA's Guild, I settled with Gridania because it reminded me of my beloved Windurst in FFXI (which was Vana'diel Enki's hometown). :D It's a choice I don't regret (and in fact I went with Gridania again as Enki's starting city at the start of ARR too, just to keep in character. ;)).

I'll just copy-and-paste something I posted on another forum, way back in October 2010.

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Discovery Age is probably one of the best ways to describe Eorzea's overall world theme. In that sense, it offers something different from Vana'diel, which had a heavier emphasis on nationalism and ethnic rivalries.

I've always been fascinated with how the Final Fantasy franchise adapts real-world issues into the storylines of its games. In the case of Vana'diel, it incorporated issues as diverse as capitalistic greed (Bastok's plutocratic merchants), racial tensions (the humes' disdain for the typically working-class galka), xenophobia (the infuriating ethnic chauvinism of San d'Oria's elvaan), misplaced patriotism (the over-proud elvaan aristocracy, clinging stubbornly to fading glory) and environmental degradation (the priaries around Windhurst, slowly being wrecked by an experiment gone awry).

By the time players first enter FFXI, Vana'diel had already undergone an entire generation of socio-cultural and political upheaval. The Crystal War that nearly destroyed all civilisation 20 years prior to the start of the game is comparable, in a way, to World War II in our reality: It marked the complete end of one way of life and the beginning of something entirely new. Vana'diel's Age of Adventurers was a time of unprecedented social mobility, as men and women of all races and nationalities mixed freely, fighting the remnants of beastmen tribes that still openly roamed the land.

To a certain extent, the airship was a symbol of the new era. The flying machines were introduced to Vana'diel shortly after the start of the Crystal War, revived by the Grand Duchy of Jeuno and improved upon by Cid, Bastok's engineer extraordinaire. The airships facilitated the crumbling of national borders and connected former rival cities together in a vast network with Jeuno, the leading power of the new world order, serving as the hub of all trade and travel.

As a young adventurer visiting each of the nations early in the game's storyline, you could immediately sense the differences in culture and political attitude between them. It gave the world a sense of history and reality, making Vana'diel feel plausible.

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Eorzea, to me, is a subtly different world because of the heavier emphasis on individual enterprise and endeavour. The continent, in a way, feels like the Africa of our world, a vast land of rich, untapped resources. The individual city-states embrace a frontiersmen-like work ethic. National pride does not appear to matter as much as individual advancement through dedication to one's chosen profession.

Overall, there also seems to be a stronger environmental theme, as all three main plots appear to hint at a major disturbance in the natural balance, thus awakening mythical creatures that threaten to bring apocalyptic ruin to the world.

And unlike Vana'diel, which had already sustained and survived a world war, Eorzea had not yet been actually invaded. The threat of attack by the Garlean Empire, with its superior technology such as airships and apparently advanced firearms, is always looming in the background. But, as hinted in FFXIV's opening movie, the imperial forces appear to be kept at bay, for the time being, by primal forces. What those primal forces may be, the player-adventurers will probably one day discover as they delve deeper into the game's plot.

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Needless to say, my observations from 2010 about Eorzea will have to be adjusted. :p I'll post them a little later.

What about the quests? Do the Jobs in XI have significant storylines the way XIV's do? Is the Player Character in XI an adventurer as well, or are the quests more similar to the Grand Companies, 2.1 & 2.2, etc.?

Not really - there was no guilds for any of the Jobs (only crafting trades had Guilds), so the only quest lines for Jobs were for the AF quests or Maat's quest line to raise the level cap beyond 50, other than the 'flag' quests to unlock the advanced Jobs like SMN or DRK. They didn't really go into great detail about the Job's history either, instead preferring to concentrate on the game's actual storyline at large (for instance, the WHM AF quests involved dealing with the restless undead from the fall of Tavnazia on behalf of the San d'Orian Cathedral). They were fun, but I just didn't feel there was much connection to between what was being mentioned in the Job/AF quests and what the player actually used the Job for.

But yes, the player in FFXI is called an 'adventurer' as well, but it should be noted the occupation in FFXI is a little more generic than it is in FFXIV - an adventurer in Vana'diel is basically a jack-of-all-trades who the nations of the Alliance of Altana relied on in the aftermath of the Crystal War to fill manpower shortages in their militaries - they were basically mercenaries in every way but name (in fact, the Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansion actually had the player becoming a mercenary in the Empire of Aht Urhgan). There was no Adventurer's Guild or anything though - the player was pretty much left to their own devices and had to rely on little more than their wits and occasional mission assignments from their home nation to get by. But they did have a subsidized apartment called a Mog House to live in though, so it wasn't all bad. :p

As mentioned already, FFXIV and FFXI share many thematic similarities. In many cases, story concepts had merely been shuffled around. The key difference, however, is that nation storylines in FFXI were emphasised much more heavily than in FFXIV. Despite the surface unity that had emerged after the Crystal War, national and ethnic differences still factored greatly in the relations between Bastok, San d'Oria and Windhurst. A supranational organisation like the Scions of the Seventh Dawn quite never emerged in Vana'diel (at least, not that I was aware of by the end of Chains of Promathia expansion, which was when I stopped playing).

FFXI played up the still-existing national rivalries in various ways. The most obvious was the gameplay mechanic that allowed each nation to "take control" of various regions, depending on factors such as the number of kills made there by the citizens of each nation. Having control of a region conferred marginal benefits, such as warp points exclusive to the controlling nation's citizens. During the year and a half that I played FFXI, Bastok frequently ended up last in the overall standing, simply because it was the nation with the fewest adventurers. :(

One of the things I really noticed about FFXIV compared to the single player FFs (that I played) is the way many NPCs have zero respect for the Player Character - in fact, entire Class storylines and sections of the Main Scenario story revolve around you being harassed, beaten, and even manipulated by questgivers and city-state governments alike. According to some other people, this was very much the case in XI as well.

But in XIV, much of it seems to be because Adventurers in general are freedom-loving, and hence they've acquired a reputation for being untrustworthy. In a game like WoW, by contrast, it's more due to the fact that they're training you military-style.

The city states in XIV and the ones in XI are like a mixed up bag San d'Oria was more a Scottish based castle with a lush forest surrounding it. Ul'Dah & Gridania take from San d'Oria, Bastok was a more current city built on industry, in a plateau region Ul'Dah and Limsa take from Bastok. Windurst was a land of magic and midgets lol in a plains sort of area Gridania and Limsa take from Windurst.

Male Mithras were unplayable and only one was ever seen in the story of XI

Some enemy Lore is indeed different. Mind/Soulflayers in XI we're Blue mages who lost control of the beast within, the minion of the baby mindflayer goes against XI's lore

Goblins were a mostly aggressive race of "Mercenary" beastmen, though this is due to difference in Gods with the awakened races. While Qiqirn were a race of pacifistic nomads.

Alot of the AF quests in Vanadiel shed light as to the origin of some of the many enemies faced in XI, we will have to wait and see what lore they release for XIV

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Originally Posted by AspectOfWinter

One of the things I really noticed about FFXIV compared to the single player FFs (that I played) is the way many NPCs have zero respect for the Player Character - in fact, entire Class storylines and sections of the Main Scenario story revolve around you being harassed, beaten, and even manipulated by questgivers and city-state governments alike. According to some other people, this was very much the case in XI as well.

But in XIV, much of it seems to be because Adventurers in general are freedom-loving, and hence they've acquired a reputation for being untrustworthy. In a game like WoW, by contrast, it's more due to the fact that they're training you military-style

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Ironically enough, FFXI was worse in that regard in that often the player was officially sent on a mission from their home nation, only to find themselves arrested and accused of some trumped up charge through no fault of their own other than they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or because they were 'guilty by association' with a npc who was violating some official decree (accessing the Full Moon Fountain under Ajido-Maurjido's orders in the Windurst storyline, inadvertently being present when Prishe allowed Bahamut to escape capture by the Jeuno/Zilart authorities in Chains of Promathia) - usually this then involved the player being blackmailed into doing something against their will simply to avoid jail/execution, often with predictable results.

It seemed more often than not the player became nothing but a tool that differing sinister forces tried to exploit that went far beyond the nations of Altana, simply because of the player character's tendency to stick their nose in where it really didn't belong.

FFXIV 1.0/ARR takes a similar tack, but at least this time everything the adventurer is doing is with official backing - there's no double-crossing by the three nations just to save their own hides for one thing.

I think one of the biggest differences is that in XIV, you truly are a Warrior of Light and are the central hero to the story. There were some stories in XI where it felt like you were the companion, and the story was really being played out by the NPCs. (ex: Prishe)
Jobs had some quests, but very little in terms of lore generation and it wasn't every 5 levels like it is in XIV.

I didn't mind that, though. As much as I enjoy being brought in front of a random crystal in space, it still felt like there was a lot more at stake in XI because the people around me were super important too.

The main difference I think that I see is just a general "feeling" of patriarchy in this game. I don't know if it was intended, but the overwhelming use of male pronouns in the game is shocking and a lot different than I remember from XI. It's especially surprising given the balance of NPCS - guildmasters are split almost evenly down the middle and two of the three main leaders are female (I'm not counting the lalafell since clearly Raubahm is in charge).

There are also a lot of very adult things going on. Specifically, there is a lot of rape and rape themes in the game. Just during the main storyline you will come across at least 5 NPCs that have been raped, are being threatened with rape, or have stories of a close relative\friend being raped (thus fueling their rage for whatever it is you are helping them with). Passing comments around you, side quests, dungeons (satasha comes to mind - the mithra in the captain's quarters and the enemy comments to take the women of your party alive).

There's enough that it stood out and some of the responses to it (I'm thinking specifically of Ala Mihgo and the leader's awful handling of the situation) are really, REALLY questionable. I just think it's too much and while I appreciate a more adult experience during my gameplay as much as the next person, I feel they are coming close to crossing a line here. Some people said that XI felt more dangerous, and from a "wandering monsters" standpoint it certainly was.

XIV has its own monsters, though. I'm not sure it's a place I would really want to live, tbh. I didn't feel that way about XI.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

Ironically enough, FFXI was worse in that regard in that often the player was officially sent on a mission from their home nation, only to find themselves arrested and accused of some trumped up charge through no fault of their own other than they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or because they were 'guilty by association' with a npc who was violating some official decree (accessing the Full Moon Fountain under Ajido-Maurjido's orders in the Windurst storyline, inadvertently being present when Prishe allowed Bahamut to escape capture by the Jeuno/Zilart authorities in Chains of Promathia) - usually this then involved the player being blackmailed into doing something against their will simply to avoid jail/execution, often with predictable results.

It seemed more often than not the player became nothing but a tool that differing sinister forces tried to exploit that went far beyond the nations of Altana, simply because of the player character's tendency to stick their nose in where it really didn't belong.

FFXIV 1.0/ARR takes a similar tack, but at least this time everything the adventurer is doing is with official backing - there's no double-crossing by the three nations just to save their own hides for one thing.

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Yeah, but what's a good storyline without someone backstabbing another. It made the nations seem more real, and not like some ultimate good.

One of the main differences is that the threats in XI were mainly internal. Racism in Bastok (The Galka were persecuted both religiously and personally, used for their massive size as disposable miners and/or builders), feuding princes in San'd'Oria as well as a very shifty religious organization to which the entire nation is devoted, and finally Windurst had issues with forbidden magics being uncovered in an effort to understand and fix the magical structures that seem to be draining the environment and slowly converting lush plains into desert, not to mention the issues involving the Star Sybil being unable to read the future any more (One of the defining features of the position). Also the general mistrust that each nation had for the others, held together only by the independent nation of Jeuno (Which, turns out, was run by the surviving heirs of a dangerous lost civilization!)

The threats in XIV are mostly external. A technologically superior country invading, beast tribes summoning dangerous beings, and... Well those seem to be the main issues until the expansion. :P The internal issues, seen mostly in the job quests, are fairly minor in comparison. The differences in the beast-tribes are of note, as well. In XI the Orcs and Yagudo (So much cooler than the Ixali, by the way!) were dangerous, unrelenting foes constantly plotting the downfall of the awakened races. The Quadav (Turtles!) were a minor nuisance in comparison, but they were territorial. Goblins were a constant threat (As opposed to the joke they've become in XIV). Antica plagued the deserts. Tonberries were terrifying denizens of the jungles. Gigas at every turn in the frozen wastes. Skeletons. Ghosts. Tigers. Crabs. CATERPILLARS! BATS! EVEN BUNNIES! Everything was deadly and you never knew which ones wanted to EAT YOUR FACE! *cough* Yeah, Eorzea is a fairly tame place compared to Vana'diel. XD

Eorzea is a fairly tame place compared to Vana'diel, except for the rapey themes.

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Originally Posted by Eggnook24

Eorzea is a fairly tame place compared to Vana'diel, except for the rapey themes.

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Ok outside of the Ala Migo thing and yeah the slave trade bit in the Arcanist questline..Annnd the guys in sastasha...I didn't see much rape..Where is all of it?

Well... for one thing, the Shantoto (XI cross over) event kinda tell in a way that Eorzea & Vana'diel might be connected somehow, and XIV current time might be distant future of XI timeline. Would explain why there's many mobs design from XI were intact in XI. Heck... even Gigas, Sahagins from XI's Zilart expansion and Mamool Ja from Aht Urhgan expansion also exist in Eorzea. And let's not forget about the goblins & qiqirns who were usually found in cities doing their usual trading stuff.

We do even get treated with taste of XI's latest expansion which the existance of White Lion as PLD mount achievement.

Which makes me wonder, atm XI already has 2 crossover pair (that's XIV & DQX) events while XIV still has one. Wonder if SE will make another of this happening again in the future...

If Eorzea and Vana'diel are the same places at different time periods, I would think that Eorzea is far in Vana'diels past. Primarily owing to the lack of crags and other similar Zilart structures. There are other things you can look at to draw this conclusion. The ant mobs look like devolved Antica. The northern areas (North shore of Batallia, Sauromugue, and Qufim island) all have a blackened, crystallized look to them, as if some giant magical explosion occurred in the northern region. We don't see that anywhere in Eorzea. (I always wanted to know what caused this...) But if they're happening on the same planet, they're obviously continents that are so far apart that they have no contact with each-other. So much so that the guardian Avatars of Vana'diel are instead vicious Primals in Eorzea. No, I think they might have some kind of relationship, but they're not the same world, past or future.

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Originally Posted by Teslo

If Eorzea and Vana'diel are the same places at different time periods,

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I've been wondering if Eorzea might not be a sort of SE nexus...OH GODS WE'RE IN KINGDOM HEARTS!

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Originally Posted by BobbinT

Well... for one thing, the Shantoto (XI cross over) event kinda tell in a way that Eorzea & Vana'diel might be connected somehow, and XIV current time might be distant future of XI timeline. Would explain why there's many mobs design from XI were intact in XI. Heck... even Gigas, Sahagins from XI's Zilart expansion and Mamool Ja from Aht Urhgan expansion also exist in Eorzea. And let's not forget about the goblins & qiqirns who were usually found in cities doing their usual trading stuff.

We do even get treated with taste of XI's latest expansion which the existance of White Lion as PLD mount achievement.

Which makes me wonder, atm XI already has 2 crossover pair (that's XIV & DQX) events while XIV still has one. Wonder if SE will make another of this happening again in the future...

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*sighs* Not this again. Hydaelyn and Vana'diel are two totally different worlds - they're not the same world in different time periods, same as Hydaelyn is not FFIII's world, FFIV's world, FFVII's Planet, Ivalice from FFXII/Tactics, Gran Pulse/Coccoon from FFXIII or any other FF world. It has references to all these worlds, yes, but that's just fan service - Yoshi-P stated he wanted to make ARR reference all the FF games that proceeded it, but that doesn't mean it's a 'hub' world either.

And besides, officially SE stated this in an answer to a question in one of the Live Letters and said that Hydaelyn is not any other FF world in a different time period (specifically they were talking about FFXII's Ivalice, but it also counts towards any other FF world as well), found here: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...=1#post1963619

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Originally Posted by Bayohne

Q55: There are a lot of names from Ivalice such as Dalmasca, Belias, and Zodiak that have been mentioned, is there some connection between Hydaelyn and Ivalice?

A55: To be absolutely clear, there is no connection between FFXIV’s Hydaelyn and FFXII’s Ivalice. Likewise there is no connection with FFXI’s Vana’diel. Each are their own individual world. Based on this, there are connections between the things that appear in the world, and we’ll be revealing more in the future.

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So yeah, that's pretty conclusive that the Hydaelyn=Vana'diel idea is completely false.

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Originally Posted by SorriorDragneel

~~~I didn't see much rape..Where is all of it?

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I'd just like to add that one rape is too much. The less of "much rape", and "all of it" the better.

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Originally Posted by AspectOfWinter

I never played XI, but I know that a lot of people in this game's community have.

How similar are the cities and races of XI to XIV's in terms of general attitude, strengths and weaknesses? For instance is Ul'dah pretty much a carbon copy of Bastok? Are the Elvaan pretty much a combination of the Wildwood Elezen and the Ishgardians?

Also, is XI's setting just as dark as, if not more so, than XIV's? Does it share the same kind of "British" feel, complete with all the slang swear words, as Eorzea?

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Interest, FFXIV doesn't feel British to me.

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Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Needless to say, my observations from 2010 about Eorzea will have to be adjusted. :p I'll post them a little later.

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I agree, you do need to adjust your observations because Eorzea had to deal with 6 umbral eras at the start of FFXIV and 7 Umbral eras at the start of FFXIV ARR 1.0. After each Umbral era there is a calm kind of like how things are after each Sin dies in FFX. Which is why right now the world seems so untapped and just started because after each Era the world is basically renewed/tranformed which is called the Astral era.

"The Eorzeans believe the land is always shifting from periods of abundance followed by catastrophes that bring scarcity, and sometimes destroy entire civilizations. These periods are known as the Astral (abundance) and Umbral (scarcity) eras. "
http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Seventh_Umbral_Era

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Originally Posted by Sanadaiyeve

I'd just like to add that one rape is too much. The less of "much rape", and "all of it" the better.

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Soooo whitewash a fantasy setting in a medieval esque world? Gotcha no horrors in fantasy.. And i apologize for being insensitive but i am getting tired of all this political correctness.

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Originally Posted by Teslo

If Eorzea and Vana'diel are the same places at different time periods, I would think that Eorzea is far in Vana'diels past. Primarily owing to the lack of crags and other similar Zilart structures. There are other things you can look at to draw this conclusion. The ant mobs look like devolved Antica. The northern areas (North shore of Batallia, Sauromugue, and Qufim island) all have a blackened, crystallized look to them, as if some giant magical explosion occurred in the northern region. We don't see that anywhere in Eorzea. (I always wanted to know what caused this...) But if they're happening on the same planet, they're obviously continents that are so far apart that they have no contact with each-other. So much so that the guardian Avatars of Vana'diel are instead vicious Primals in Eorzea. No, I think they might have some kind of relationship, but they're not the same world, past or future.

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Parallel/alternative universes/different dimension maybe. Didn't Shantotto travel to an alternate universe and I it odd that they chose her for the crossover event. Coincidence maybe or maybe not.

Hmm, maybe Eorzia will turn out to be at some kind of center point of the void, at an equal distance from all the other FF dimensions (Err, dimensions, distance... I don't think those things go together in most fiction. >_<) Hence why it seems to have more connections/references to other worlds, it has more literal connections to pull them in from... Or maybe it's three in the morning and this will seem like a really bad idea once I get some sleep lol.

I really like the idea that the Final Fantasy Universe is connected. Sure, this may not be the world of any other Final Fantasy, but it has been shown that travel between the worlds is possible. We had Lightning show up, and then Shantotto. I'm sure that when FFXV is ready to release, we'll get an event where Noct shows up, but who knows. I think just because the devs say that its not the same world as Ivalice, or Vanadiel, doesn't mean that there aren't ways of getting to or from them.

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Originally Posted by Teslo

The northern areas (North shore of Batallia, Sauromugue, and Qufim island) all have a blackened, crystallized look to them, as if some giant magical explosion occurred in the northern region. We don't see that anywhere in Eorzea. (I always wanted to know what caused this...)

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I was under the impression that the blacked areas were caused by the Cataclysm that ended the reign of the Zilart that also froze Xarcabard and Beaucedine Glacier. That explosion also mutated the animals of the land to make the angry critters that want to tear our throats out most of the time...

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Originally Posted by Desudro

I was under the impression that the blacked areas were caused by the Cataclysm that ended the reign of the Zilart that also froze Xarcabard and Beaucedine Glacier. That explosion also mutated the animals of the land to make the angry critters that want to tear our throats out most of the time...

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it also turned the Kuluu into Tonberries.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

Ironically enough, FFXI was worse in that regard in that often the player was officially sent on a mission from their home nation, only to find themselves arrested and accused of some trumped up charge through no fault of their own other than they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or because they were 'guilty by association' with a npc who was violating some official decree (accessing the Full Moon Fountain under Ajido-Maurjido's orders in the Windurst storyline, inadvertently being present when Prishe allowed Bahamut to escape capture by the Jeuno/Zilart authorities in Chains of Promathia) - usually this then involved the player being blackmailed into doing something against their will simply to avoid jail/execution, often with predictable results.

It seemed more often than not the player became nothing but a tool that differing sinister forces tried to exploit that went far beyond the nations of Altana, simply because of the player character's tendency to stick their nose in where it really didn't belong.

FFXIV 1.0/ARR takes a similar tack, but at least this time everything the adventurer is doing is with official backing - there's no double-crossing by the three nations just to save their own hides for one thing.

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Well if that's true then I guess I should be glad that I never played FFXI...because IMO ARR has some of the rudest, most unappreciative, most unscrupulous NPCs/starting cities I have seen in any MMO.

And I have played the Horde-side quests of WoW Cataclysm!

City things!

Citystate wise, Gridania shares an uncanny same feel as Windurst from XI, though Windurst's population was Tarutaru (pre-Lalafell Lalafell) and Mithra (Miqo'te)
Bastok isn't similar to anything.
Ul'dah has the feel of Aht Urhgan, mainly because of the refugee thing. It should be noted though that Aht Urhgan was in the middle of a forest, not a desert, and Aht Urhgan's population was all races. Lalafell are the majority in Ul'dah.
Dragonhead / Whitebrim has the feel of a very snowy San d'Oria, with a mainly Elezen population.

Racial things!

Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te seem to have a lot of traits similar to the Mithra. (Matriarchal society, limited males, ancestry as hunters)
Roegadyn have nothing in common with the Galka.
Hyur and Humes have the fact they're pretty much spread out everywhere as similarity - though XIV had a disease which meant their numbers are lower.
Lalafell have absolutely nothing in common with Tarutaru.
Coerthan Elezen are pretty much identical in mannerism and personality to San d'Orian/Tavnazian Elvaan.

Racial interaction things!

XI and XIV both indicate a past hostility between Elezen/Elvaan and Hyur/Humes. In XI, Bastok and San d'Oria's proximity meant a lot of struggles for land, and the Elvaan losing. XIV makes mention of the Elezen and Hyur warring, but coming together to build Gridania.

Tarutaru in XI actually once had the world in their hands in the Age of Magic. No mention of any lalafell superiority (other than player remarks) have been made in XIV. The tarutaru are allied with the Mithra.

Mithra in XI have a lot of lore, (most specifically the bow of light/chieftainesses/shikaree/the matriarchy) which isn't mentioned in XIV. Allied with the Tarutaru, though some in the Gha Naboo Matriarchate (the motherland, p. much) are allied with Aht Urhgan.

Galka in XI were actually a slave race allied (enslaved) by the Humes, which was really sad. The Roegadyn in XIV are nothing of the sort.

Elvaan ...are pretty much identical to Coerthan elezen. Including religion, and a papsque. No allies, in both games.

Other, unplayable races in XI stuff!

Zilart and Kuluu in XI are not in XIV- though interestingly the sch storyline shares some similarity with the kuluu turning into tonberries in XI / nymians turning into tonberries in XIV. The circumstances are different of course, though ancient races turning into tonberries.

Goblins, Mamool Ja, Qiqirn are all in XIV, though share different heritage. (Goblins were from Movapolos, underground, Qiqirn were from Aht Urhgan / Nashmau, and Mamool Ja were from Mamook, close to Aht Urhgan.)

Padjal are not in XI.

Job lore:
(This will be incomplete, I didn't level that many classes in XI)

White Mage: XI's white mage story involves the San d'Orian Templar Knights and the second prince of San d'Oria- head of the Temple Knights.
XIV's revolves around the padjal and elementals.

Black Mage: XI's revolves around Shantotto. Can't remember much of this, apologies.
XIV's revolves around closing the void gate.

Dragoon: XI's revolves around a dark dragon possessing Cyraunce, the last dragoon. Veeeeeery similar to XIV's, but Cyra had a damned good reason for it happening to him, which is explained in the WotG expansion. Anyway! progresses to meeting the last (decent) dragoon, whose ghost is all kinds of pissed about what's been done to his legacy.
XIV: possession!

Monk: No idea, sorry.
Warrior: No idea again, sorry.
Ninja: Not a clue.
Thief: Sorry...

Paladin: XI's revolves around Trion, the prince of San d'Oria, and uncovering a plot by a traitorous paladin, but decided to kill himself after changing his mind. And with Trion, lying to the guy's poor mother (who is worried about him!) that he died bravely, fighting the orcs. (XI beastman race in conflict with the Elvaan.)

Scholar: XI's revolves around the Shultz school of martial mastery, lots and lots of learning, and taking out a particular student that wants to overtake the entire operation for his own ends.
XIV's: Nymian civilization gets sick, transforms. Follows Eos (Lily) and her real owner.

Summoner: Working with Carbuncle (the Terrestrial Avatar in charge of the upkeep of Vana'diel) to take out an evil summoner which is draining the strength of all of the Avatars.
XIV's: Gaining Primal essences to use them against the Primals. Tristan Nightflicker (another summoner) having to kill his brother, who was Tempered while fighting Ifrit, going mad, making a deal with an Ascian to learn to summon Belias-egi in order to use that against the Primals, which eventually is the end of him.

As someone already said, Vana'diel was a darker place. Some locations of the game were indeed dangerous and in some way creepy. Just for example, you could feel some real evil going on in Xarcabard and Castle Zvhal. Obviously, having deadly enemies around that could kill you (in the first years of the game perhaps), helped to put up some atmosphere. You can say this for the Promyvion areas as well, generated by the Crystal being devoured by Emptiness. And that doesn't apply only to dark (literally) places. I always found some area like "Sky" and "Sea" really unsettling for being "alien" and lonely places.

Plus the game had a lot more of grey area. You know, FFXIV is always explaining things like good guys VS bad guys. This happens even with the beastribes. I remember this being a lot different in XI. Through the story you understand that beastmen weren't evil per se, but they had their own society and their reasons in the same way the three nations had. Plus, you can say that probably the three nations were in some ways the oppressor of the beast tribes at that point of history. Each nation had to deal with their own betrayals and traitors, as well. About this the meaningful example is what they explain in the end of COP when you found out that the people of Vana'diel have emptiness inside them and they're "sons" of Altana and Promathia. There were all the religious not-so-subtle themes in FFXI about Gates of Paradise, slumbering gods and stuff. In the end, FFXIV:ARR is still new and probably I have some nostalgia googles on but the the story and lore need more courage and complexity.