What's your opinion about the game's story?

[Yasuhiro]

Weakest out of all the Final Fantasy games but for an MMO I guess it's okay? But that doesn't really say much since there's really nothing else to compare it too in the genre.

I just find the plot to be extremely forgettable, the pacing is awful, the English localization makes the game's story confusing when characters be vague for whatever reason (Switching to Japanese voices helped a lot and yes I know the language, Koji Fox's succor speak REALLY brings the story telling down for me too, not because I can't understand it but it just comes off as lame and whenever urianger speaks I end up reading the quest summaries) for Final Fantasy in general I could tell you the synopsis of every mainline game, but for this game? I couldn't tell you and that's a real shame, maybe it's more of a personal problem but very few moments have stuck with me and I don't see characters like Haurchefaunt being as remembered by Final Fantasy fans in general compared to others like say Galuf, because when are you ever going to see him on a top 10 list?.
Heavensward came VERY close to feeling like a Final Fantasy game but it just ended up falling flat again.
Sucks how it took an expansion to feel Final Fantasy but I guess what's Final Fantasy to some people is very subjective]

Like OP I just play for the gameplay now and the Final Fantasy Fanservice.

This is a separate matter and I understand why it had to be done but I think the animations really take away from the experience too. This is a mainline Final Fantasy game, why are they using stock emotes in cutscenes? Final Fantasy XI square's other MMO is a lot more expressive.