Bring back zones like:

[Sotek]

Let's say first time you go to Castle Zvahl Bailey was to kill Shadow Lord. There are strong enemies that made you have to sneak/invis around so you couldn't just go anywhere you pleased like in FFXIV. Second time you might explore more of the area looking for coffer keys or hunting nms, quests, or whatever. The areas are big enough that you can still get lost after going to it often.

Now compared that to FFXIV where you explore Satasha. There was just more to FFXI areas like FF12 is to FF13.

When I first went through Zvahl it was fun, though I instantly noticed the heavy amount of copy and paste zone design. Second time I went through it I knew things like the teleport mechanics, and the copy and paste zone design was just boring by then so there was nothing new to see.
First time I went through Satasha? Still had a lot of copy and paste zone design, but it was far more varied than anything in XI. It had an interesting boss who kept running off. It had side passages for optional treasure chests. One of those side passages had two groups of enemies fighting each other, which was very entertaining to see. Other side passages had some caged whores.

Zvahl was the same corridor over and over, occasionally swapping out the type of beastmen I'd already seen plenty of from Lv.1. The Shadow Lord at the end was the only new thing there.
Satasha was varied, had optional side passages with a purpose then and there (and side passage in Zvahl was to be seen later), as well as interesting things happening there. It was the first time in the game I'd faced a Coeurl type mob (which also came as a surprise). It was the first time in the game I'd faced Sahagin.

Best part here? Satasha is the first dungeon in XIV. Zvahl was the endgame on XI at launch. A real comparison would be Zvahl vs Castrum Meridianum and Praetorium. Granted, there is a lot less path deviation there.