XI vs XIV Lore - similarities and differences

[faris]

City things!

Citystate wise, Gridania shares an uncanny same feel as Windurst from XI, though Windurst's population was Tarutaru (pre-Lalafell Lalafell) and Mithra (Miqo'te)
Bastok isn't similar to anything.
Ul'dah has the feel of Aht Urhgan, mainly because of the refugee thing. It should be noted though that Aht Urhgan was in the middle of a forest, not a desert, and Aht Urhgan's population was all races. Lalafell are the majority in Ul'dah.
Dragonhead / Whitebrim has the feel of a very snowy San d'Oria, with a mainly Elezen population.

Racial things!

Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te seem to have a lot of traits similar to the Mithra. (Matriarchal society, limited males, ancestry as hunters)
Roegadyn have nothing in common with the Galka.
Hyur and Humes have the fact they're pretty much spread out everywhere as similarity - though XIV had a disease which meant their numbers are lower.
Lalafell have absolutely nothing in common with Tarutaru.
Coerthan Elezen are pretty much identical in mannerism and personality to San d'Orian/Tavnazian Elvaan.

Racial interaction things!

XI and XIV both indicate a past hostility between Elezen/Elvaan and Hyur/Humes. In XI, Bastok and San d'Oria's proximity meant a lot of struggles for land, and the Elvaan losing. XIV makes mention of the Elezen and Hyur warring, but coming together to build Gridania.

Tarutaru in XI actually once had the world in their hands in the Age of Magic. No mention of any lalafell superiority (other than player remarks) have been made in XIV. The tarutaru are allied with the Mithra.

Mithra in XI have a lot of lore, (most specifically the bow of light/chieftainesses/shikaree/the matriarchy) which isn't mentioned in XIV. Allied with the Tarutaru, though some in the Gha Naboo Matriarchate (the motherland, p. much) are allied with Aht Urhgan.

Galka in XI were actually a slave race allied (enslaved) by the Humes, which was really sad. The Roegadyn in XIV are nothing of the sort.

Elvaan ...are pretty much identical to Coerthan elezen. Including religion, and a papsque. No allies, in both games.

Other, unplayable races in XI stuff!

Zilart and Kuluu in XI are not in XIV- though interestingly the sch storyline shares some similarity with the kuluu turning into tonberries in XI / nymians turning into tonberries in XIV. The circumstances are different of course, though ancient races turning into tonberries.

Goblins, Mamool Ja, Qiqirn are all in XIV, though share different heritage. (Goblins were from Movapolos, underground, Qiqirn were from Aht Urhgan / Nashmau, and Mamool Ja were from Mamook, close to Aht Urhgan.)

Padjal are not in XI.

Job lore:
(This will be incomplete, I didn't level that many classes in XI)

White Mage: XI's white mage story involves the San d'Orian Templar Knights and the second prince of San d'Oria- head of the Temple Knights.
XIV's revolves around the padjal and elementals.

Black Mage: XI's revolves around Shantotto. Can't remember much of this, apologies.
XIV's revolves around closing the void gate.

Dragoon: XI's revolves around a dark dragon possessing Cyraunce, the last dragoon. Veeeeeery similar to XIV's, but Cyra had a damned good reason for it happening to him, which is explained in the WotG expansion. Anyway! progresses to meeting the last (decent) dragoon, whose ghost is all kinds of pissed about what's been done to his legacy.
XIV: possession!

Monk: No idea, sorry.
Warrior: No idea again, sorry.
Ninja: Not a clue.
Thief: Sorry...

Paladin: XI's revolves around Trion, the prince of San d'Oria, and uncovering a plot by a traitorous paladin, but decided to kill himself after changing his mind. And with Trion, lying to the guy's poor mother (who is worried about him!) that he died bravely, fighting the orcs. (XI beastman race in conflict with the Elvaan.)

Scholar: XI's revolves around the Shultz school of martial mastery, lots and lots of learning, and taking out a particular student that wants to overtake the entire operation for his own ends.
XIV's: Nymian civilization gets sick, transforms. Follows Eos (Lily) and her real owner.

Summoner: Working with Carbuncle (the Terrestrial Avatar in charge of the upkeep of Vana'diel) to take out an evil summoner which is draining the strength of all of the Avatars.
XIV's: Gaining Primal essences to use them against the Primals. Tristan Nightflicker (another summoner) having to kill his brother, who was Tempered while fighting Ifrit, going mad, making a deal with an Ascian to learn to summon Belias-egi in order to use that against the Primals, which eventually is the end of him.

[Lucael_Shikaree]

As someone already said, Vana'diel was a darker place. Some locations of the game were indeed dangerous and in some way creepy. Just for example, you could feel some real evil going on in Xarcabard and Castle Zvhal. Obviously, having deadly enemies around that could kill you (in the first years of the game perhaps), helped to put up some atmosphere. You can say this for the Promyvion areas as well, generated by the Crystal being devoured by Emptiness. And that doesn't apply only to dark (literally) places. I always found some area like "Sky" and "Sea" really unsettling for being "alien" and lonely places.

[Lucael_Shikaree]

Plus the game had a lot more of grey area. You know, FFXIV is always explaining things like good guys VS bad guys. This happens even with the beastribes. I remember this being a lot different in XI. Through the story you understand that beastmen weren't evil per se, but they had their own society and their reasons in the same way the three nations had. Plus, you can say that probably the three nations were in some ways the oppressor of the beast tribes at that point of history. Each nation had to deal with their own betrayals and traitors, as well. About this the meaningful example is what they explain in the end of COP when you found out that the people of Vana'diel have emptiness inside them and they're "sons" of Altana and Promathia. There were all the religious not-so-subtle themes in FFXI about Gates of Paradise, slumbering gods and stuff. In the end, FFXIV:ARR is still new and probably I have some nostalgia googles on but the the story and lore need more courage and complexity.