Going back to what other games have done before which made raiding more interesting (we used EQ as an example) when you entered a Plane raid area, the boss wasn't in a specified place all the time. He was in an area (anywhere in that area) he wandered, but he wasn't standing there in the middle of a small arena waiting for you to kill him. You had to keep your eyes open and be aware that he could be anywhere. You had to kill adds round him before taking him on. FFXIV coil areas are so ...sterile. You know EXACTLY what mobs are where and it's a linear path to them, you are not free to wander the area or even to approach the boss from a different direction. (except ADS perhaps...but that is still a series of small rooms, not a "free" area). Zoning in to Fear or Hate, had to even be carefully done, there wasn't a "safe zone in"....you could be suddenly set upon by a myriad of very hard trash mobs, so everyone had to be on their toes even before you zoned in.

Just small things, but they all add interest.