Character customization is paramount to me.
I want to feel pleased when I look at my own characters. I want to experience moments where I just stand around and turn the camera to check my character out for a bit.

The glamour system is way too restrictive. It needs to be available before 50, it needs to allow more variety in armours/clothing articles, and it needs to be less of a gil sink that makes you feel guilty for using up a prism on one piece of gear. Also, gender-restrictions need to go, we're not in the 1950s anymore.

I don't have one single favourite NPC... this game has too many awesome ones. (I'm lying there is no such thing as 'too many'.) Voice can play an important role in how well I receive an NPC (Y'shtola is a prime example of a somewhat bland character greatly enhanced by great voice acting), but there are also unvoiced NPCs I am very fond... for example Ratata, the Miniature Marauder. What most of them have in common is that they have their own stories, completely independent from my character or the current plot point, presented or at least hinted at. They have a life beyond the main plot.