I agree, all areas are are wasted space compared to other MMO's. There isn't any purpose to the monsters or fates, the side quest are boring and forgettable, not one NPC is voiced when talking to them. 1.0-3.45, what war is there, I see nothing of any kind of war going on in the open world. It makes me think that its all in the NPC's head. The bad guys all sit around in their cities/base just like players do. Guild Wars Heart of Thorns great example of a war going on, constant battles all around the map with events leading up to a full scale boss fight that is done still to this day. Maps have evidence of a physical war going on with camps being invaded, NPC's dying and people shouting.

In FF14 3.0 where was this war between the dragons? I only saw it between the dragon and me. Everything else looked peaceful, everybody just sat around. There were no invasions, nor camps to protect. It was all in our heads, where are the constant barrage of dragons attacking towns, villages, cities, where the players gathered in that location would have to defend?

This game is suffering and wants it to be put out of its misery, the sub numbers show that its on a decline. The fact that content has to be extended just to keep the game alive, shows that the content made is only good for a few hours of play.

if 3.5 was any good it would last us until 4.0, but they have to cut it in half and release the other half of it later in march to keep people coming back. Everyone knows just like every patch before, 3.5 will get boring in a few hours, but they have your sub money for that month so its good enough for them.