What does Heavensward actually bring to the table as an expansion?

[Souljacker]

If XI had an ilvl system from the start and new content replaced what came before on each expansion release, Limbus still didn't feel like Dynamis and Salvage still didn't feel like Limbus. while they all presented similar goals the roads to those ends were very different in execution and they didn't have to turn the design of the game on it's head each time new content came out to do so.

Was I the only one who upon hearing about Alexander's "Floors" expected something more like Nyzul Isle Investigation or even climbing the crags\Delkfutt tower? I thought we would be ascending through floors to get to the final bosses, but instead its just 30 seconds of an AOE fest, falling down a couple of broken staircases that I swear are copy pasta from Praetorium, and then a surf board. I hadn't even been thinking about recycled mechanics of bosses but yea, Coincounter and Ifrit's recycled mechanics come straight to mind. There's a couple of interesting new ones, but the whole design itself is still just... meh, and that's not even taking into account my personal opinion of the design methodology of just tossing 30+ different insta-death mechanics in rapid sequence at someone until they either mess up and die or finally memorize it.

[Ryel]

Was I the only one who upon hearing about Alexander's "Floors" expected something more like Nyzul Isle Investigation or even climbing the crags\Delkfutt tower?

Nah i'm right there with you, i was totally expecting (hoping for) something in the vein of Nyzul Isle, but then again there was a part of me also hoping that when hunts were first announced that they were going to be like ZNMs (minus taking selfies with mobs) and well... yeah.