I think people get the wrong idea about B2P/F2P. Usually when a MMO does this it's because it's trying to adapt to the modern MMO economy. A lot of people simply do not want to pay a sub fee if NOT doing so is an option. F2P titles can also make a lot of money, trust me. A lot.

The problem is the genre of MMORPGs specifically does not fit this payment model too well. ESO is about the only game I've seen it do it in a non-obnoxious way and it manages by having an optional sub (ESO Plus) that grants you automatic access to everything in the cash shop for no more than the cost of your sub. Free users still have make initial payments for extra content and expansions (which still costs less than a sub would over time but I still prefer using a sub here).

The overwhelming majority of the time you feel like you are only getting partial access to the game and little things will flash and ping and try to get you to pay money. The worst monetization strategies let you buy power.

FFXIV could possibly find ways of having an unobtrusive monetization strategy but odds are it WOULD front load the cash shop... This is all a bit of a silly conversation anyway, though, to be honest. FFXIV may go completely buy to play someday but I doubt it'll be any time soon.