I think it is possible to enjoy an expansion in isolation if the premise itself is intriguing enough. Despite my misgivings towards large swathes of World of Warcraft's story beats over the years, I still managed to enjoy Legion in its own isolated bubble.

I just think it'll take another expansion or two before FFXIV truly pulls out all of the stops. Though by that point, I'm hoping there's some more healthy competition to be found where MMO's are concerned. Putting my issues with Endwalker's story to one side, the offerings and tone of the actual content simply hasn't appealed to me at all.