This story is really underwhelming - it's opened to mixed reviews.

[Themarvin]

I think you completely missed what I was trying to say.

Yes, the Ascians are always in the background. But EW was (like Stormblood or Heavensward) it's own self-contained story/episode in a bigger narrative arc. That arc is driven by the Ascians. But in ShB itself your main adversary for most of the game time is Vautry, culminating in him becoming Innocence. Only then the Ascians really become relevant in terms of actual gameplay.

And yet, all the way from lvl 70 to 79 the Vautry-centric and lightbringer-centric story is really compelling in its own right.
The premise of "light-themed horror/demons" was fascinating in itself and would not have been any less so if it has been caused by anything else than the Ascians.

71 to 79 all about fixing Ascian problems including face off with Emet Selch, that is one of the worst mass murderes in FFXIV history.