I actually like ARF (HW) a lot. We're in a mad dash for our goal, already knowing we're on the righteous course and we're racing against the Holy See and the Garleans to stop them from obtaining incredibly powerful relics from sinister Allag.

We thwart Hydrus and find even more bizarre Allagan experiments, but it's just stuff we do doing the way and doesn't distract from the ultimate goal.

And then the Ascians show up because they recognize US as a threat, now. We beat them, and the twist is that they actually die.

It's simple, and it's badass. We know everything because it's all been set up already over the story.

Same could be said for Ala Mhigo and Praetorium, though they're just weaker on execution, I think, with Zenos' motivations being much clearer after that dungeon and Praetorium being bogged down with cutscenes in EVERY iteration.