Difference between FFXIV and FFXI, that made FFXI special is indeed what people say. Dangerous open world, Lots of grind and tedium, parties required to even level up on simple enemies. Those aren't all bad things with proper moderation, which frankly FFXI didn't have, but what it did do was forced people to meet people and play with them. In the end this was the only really good factor about FFXI that separated it from XIV. None of those systems would be right to force on a player though. There is also no difficulty involved, just tedium, Taking 6 hours to get to a city you have to go to because you're dying to same level mobs and taking 20 minutes doesn't make the adventure any better. But having to make friends to get there does. Certain things like a vaster world, and more open world content would help 14. Things that just increase the tedium and make your average gamer frustrated would destroy 14 and frankly most games in this day and age.

What FF14 needs is more things that make you socialize with other players but with proper moderation unlike FFXI. The battle system needs slight improvements but it's fine. More actually difficult content would also be nice. Taking months or years to hit max level wont help, taking hours to reach a town because you're dying wont help. Monsters only one single party can fight that they must sit in the same spot for 1 - 2 days to touch it in order to fight it and lock out everyone else camping wont help. Making the battle system less reflexive and more gear based wont help. Making Flash have a bigger radius because you want to trade 80 str for a level 2 item that helps you have to move less wont change anything about gear.

We need variety, we need more reasons to party, we need improvements in a lot of places. But this game is bare bones and was created in a very short amount of time. So being bare bones is expected for now. Aside from more open world content, maybe stronger open world monsters for 50 players(not hunt mobs) that actually give some real kind of reward. Open world dungeons, more stuff like maps, more community related events, less invisible walls, more places to explore that aren't on the map. Those things can be taken from FFXI. But that's it. The battle system, the leveling system, the tedium of the need to party to get past low level creatures the same level as you, the need to be Xjob/Yjob and only X job / Y job or be forced to be that combo to participate in party content which is required. Every quest having no marker, and battle content being basically skill less. Please leave those things in the past where they belong.