What are the largest issues plaguing XIV currently?

[KageTokage]

Lack of lasting combat content and poor moderation/enforcement of cheaters/RMT are the only major gripes I have personally.

[StriderShinryu]

FFXIV income going to other projects, technical limitations

For the game overall, these are my top two issues as well. By all accounts, FF14 is doing extremely well right now and yet it feels like it's essentially being used to bankroll everything at SE but more FF14 (or, at the least, a successor to FF14). And this ties into the technical limitations issue. Because of the work that FF14 seems to require to make even what seem like basic changes/improvements, it does require a bigger investment in time, money and talent than it's currently getting. For all of the excellent work the devs we have do, it still feels like we're constantly running into "we can't do this because tech" as the reason behind the "no." Frankly, I don't really see the game being able to truly grow much beyond where we are now without much bigger (and earned) investment.

The other major issue the game seems to be having, at least if you pay attention to the more vocal bits of the user base, is the constantly growing divide between casual and hardcore play. The game feels more and more designed for a more casual audience but keeps making overtures to it's hardcore base but the developer response to the issue feels mostly like a big shrug. I really don't know what the solution for this is but the developers basically ignoring it and/or playing dumb isn't helping.

[HeyMcFly]

Lack of long hairstyles with bangs
Lack of chest hair & beards for males

[SenorPatty]

Tech limitations has leaked into so many other aspects of the game that it might has well flooded it. All the minimal expected things that you see in other mmos that should be in this game are absent and the longer the game goes on, the more noticeable it becomes. I know new and ongoing msq slaps an extremely shiny paint of coat long enough to blind everyone very effectively for a while but it does eventually dries up and you can see all the ugly parts coming out, bit by bit.

[Sauteed]

Housing for me is a massive issue that needs to be addressed, but that is what I primarily find entertainment in in the game, as the story is just not my cup of tea at the moment and ShB was completely bad in almost all regards in my opinion. (Which I'm aware this unpopular opinion #4820007 probably but is still my honest opinion).

Basic things like "floating" shouldn't even be a thing in this game. Like that should not have to be done at all in order for me to place a chair on a loft. I shouldn't have to compete with 30 or so players over a small plot in the back woods of some abandoned district to have a shot at getting a plot. I'd say that for me is massive on the list of things that cause me and maybe many others a lot of grief.

The gameplay balancing also has kind of made everything so samey I don't feel like going back and leveling other jobs/classes because it's basically coming to the same end point. There are a few jobs which are noticeably different from the pack, black mage being one, Astro is a little different seemingly being able to slap a buff on people here and there. Other than that, basically just the same kind of gameplay. I don't dislike the game, I still find entertainment in it, but the core of the few things I do like is just needing some help.

TL;DR = Housing and "job identity" are the biggest issues in XIV rn, imo.

[Amnmaat]

Missing genders.
No matter how many years pass, they will never be able to get away from the colossal mistake that was the decision to add incomplete races (where people can't select the opposite gender).

Next biggest issue for me would be this

FFXIV income going to other projects.

I get it, it's their company and they run it how they want, but the game can't run without the money we pay into it monthly. They can only get away with running the most barebones operation for so long until the game starts to show cracks; pressure eventually leads to cracks. And let me tell you, when the competition smacks them right across the face, that's when they're gonna learn that you can't take your consumers for granted. I'm putting this out there because Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis is the closest thing I've seen to a FFXIV killer. I never saw GW2, Elders Scrolls, or even World of warcraft as a direct danger to XIV, but PSO2 New Genesis? Square Enix better wake the hell up. That's the kind of game which won't have hair styles issues, character creator issues, glamour issues, open world issues, an abudance of casual content issues, etc.

Lastly, yes, relics.
FFXIV prides itself on being the casual gamer's paradise. That's all true and dandy when all your jobs are not capped at 80, but once you've finished capping everything, the game loses that charm very quickly. I can't tell you how many FC friends I've seen quit when they get tired finishing rouletes and having nothing else to do. I know there's maps but let's be honest, that's more a mini game type deal you can only do every other/few days than a long term casual grind like relics are supposed to be. By the time relics come out we're a month away from a new patch; only the hardcore wait 2 months to get to the relics. You already lost the casuals that first month of the patch. It's really time they rethink content cycles and who should be fed first. Why not push extreme trials to the 2 months later cycle that relics occupy now? Usually the raiders have their normal raid savage raids or ultimates, or their shiva unreal like they do now.

[Amnmaat]

For the game overall, these are my top two issues as well. By all accounts, FF14 is doing extremely well right now and yet it feels like it's essentially being used to bankroll everything at SE but more FF14 (or, at the least, a successor to FF14). And this ties into the technical limitations issue. Because of the work that FF14 seems to require to make even what seem like basic changes/improvements, it does require a bigger investment in time, money and talent than it's currently getting. For all of the excellent work the devs we have do, it still feels like we're constantly running into "we can't do this because tech" as the reason behind the "no." Frankly, I don't really see the game being able to truly grow much beyond where we are now without much bigger (and earned) investment.

The other major issue the game seems to be having, at least if you pay attention to the more vocal bits of the user base, is the constantly growing divide between casual and hardcore play. The game feels more and more designed for a more casual audience but keeps making overtures to it's hardcore base but the developer response to the issue feels mostly like a big shrug. I really don't know what the solution for this is but the developers basically ignoring it and/or playing dumb isn't helping.

That Morbol mount at synced Alexander 12 savage with Blue mages.
They're losing touch with the direction of the game and who really is their life blood. I can say without question it's the casual base. Normally you would introduce this kind of content to both; the casual one taking many many months to get with easy grind, while the savage Alexander 12 fight would just have a chance to drop the mount.

[SakiKojiro]

Extremely simple design. Fights being overly scripted, Making balance king before fun, Homogenization of multiple jobs for the sole purpose of suiting that need for balance.

...uh...A crap engine that makes PVP a nightmare, and makes movement abilities impossible to use in the air.

[Laphicet]

I'm putting this out there because Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis is the closest thing I've seen to a FFXIV killer. I never saw GW2, Elders Scrolls, or even World of warcraft as a direct danger to XIV, but PSO2 New Genesis? Square Enix better wake the hell up. That's the kind of game which won't have hair styles issues, character creator issues, glamour issues, open world issues, an abudance of casual content issues, etc.

It may be a better game, but it's going to come with shitty keyloggers and bloatware that you have to do registry edits just to get off of your system, if it's predecessor is anything to go by at the moment, and I'd rather not deal with spyware disguised as anticheat infesting my computer.

[Mansion]

Stale cycle of patch content, less and less proper gameplay traded to cosmetics (pretty, cinematic dungeons) or things that don't have a mmo rplay value (see solo instances for Bozja and Werlyt). No real challenge outside of last tiers of Savage and Ultimate, some jobs always have the short end of the stick, healing design is flawed, gear system is uninteresting. And also the lack of communication from the dev's side on some major points (healing for instance).
Since 5.X, it feels like they are doing the bare minimum for FFXIV, and moving resources elsewhere.

My main point would be: the game caters to FAR too many styles of players, but it can't be great at any of these elements while trying to please everyone. Not enough dungeons, not enough raids, not enough glamour / cosmetic systems, not enough open world content...
And a little something controversial yet brave: a MMORPG can't rely on MSQ. FFXIV has a great MSQ, but when it's done it's done, it's not MMORPG replayable content so this is not an excuse for lackluster patches for me.