the class and job quests in this game

[Miiu]

I found the pugilist storyline to be a delight.

[Duelle]

in 1.0 the GLA class quests had the player actually fighting against NPC challengers in the Colosseum in Ul'dah, as well as showing the contempt between Ul'dah and the Ala Mhigan refugee community - in ARR however it tried to paint GLAs as an ad hoc police force and had the player chasing around some supposedly legendary fighter from the past (who of course had unresolved sexual tension with the Guildmistress) and his shady dealings with a criminal gang.

You forget that even 1.0 explained that when there was trouble abrewing you had members of the Gladiator and Pugilist guilds sent to deal with things, and the GLA storyline played off this quite well, IMO. If they had done the thing with the Ala Mighan's then your treks to southern Thanalan would not have had the kind of weight needed from a story perspective, as that part of the story was written to introduce you to the refugees and their plight.

The Job quests on the other hand, are pretty much the same as they were in 1.0, with some slight variations to compensate for the changed setting. But they're basically the same.

Given your criteria, I'm surprised you're not complaining about the job quests, as those are truly disjointed from the setting, and this is so evident with the PLD qeustline its not even funny.

Unfortunately it seems that the class quests were more for show and to help instruct the player in the actual use of that class rather than provide a relevant connection to the game's storyline, to it's detriment. And especially so when compared with 1.0's class quests.

If you mean content-wise, the majority of the turns from 1.0 are irrelevant at this point, as are the majority of the characters (some of which simply never existed as far as ARR is concerned).

As for the echo:

Going off the GLA storyline, the only thing you could use the Echo for would be to see the fight that ruined Leanold and Aldis' careers in the guild. Something that was easily explained in a couple of sentences. In that regard, not much was lost.

I do hope to see the characters from the class storylines at some other point down the line. I keep getting the idea that Aldis would be voiced by the guy that played Akagami no Shanks in One Piece, and would love to be proven right.

[AlexNiculaie]

Meh, have to disagree. I have found the Class and Job quests more entertaining than XI's. I also disagree about them not being interwoven with the lore. They do, but on a local level rather than a world wide one.

[Mezolitik]

in ARR however it tried to paint GLAs as an ad hoc police force and had the player chasing around some supposedly legendary fighter from the past (who of course had unresolved sexual tension with the Guildmistress) and his shady dealings with a criminal gang.

So, arena battles with political undertones...or legendary sexy violent police force. You made 2.0 sound awesome.

I've done all the GLA quests, and I thought they were great. They were also incredibly hard, which was refreshing. I have a newfound respect for black mages after that battle in Vesper Bay (and the one in Highbridge). On the flip side, I thought the first PLD quest was pretty dull.

The worst thing I could say about the DoH/DoL quests is that some of them don't stand out - Carpenter and Botany, for example - but that's only because e.g. Fisher and Goldsmith have memorable NPCs.

[Ryans]

Because even in the main quests, the echo is anecdotal. :s
Only v1 players know it's supposed to be fundamental.

I wouldn't say the echo was anecdotal in any way. It was definitely a key factor in why your character was successful in the storyline. Being gifted with the echo is what let you resist the primals' influences and, with the aid of Hydalen or whatever her name is, beat Ultima Weapon. Without the echo, or at least being protected by Hydalen, you'd be dead a few times over.

[Tooth]

Maybe when they come out with other classes and jobs they'll keep this in mind.