Story Quests/Returning player

[Enkidoh]

The thing is, the new city accessed in the expansion (Ishgard) is a city that has been sealed off from the outside world for years and the circumstances behind you being allowed in are explained in that storyline. This is a Final Fantasy game first - FF games are always about story, and hence, that sets them apart from most other MMOs. The storyline explains the extreme circumstances why the player is allowed into Ishgard, a city that has been closed off to the outside world for years.

Also, apart from the new Jobs and a few minor things like the Diadem, there isn't really anything else added in the new areas which are any different to what you already have in the existing areas. I'm not trying to be nasty here, but don't treat this game like any other MMO, as it is not. The main story is an important part of the game's content, as pretty much everything in the game is directly connected to the storyline, even FATEs often are explained by lore given in the main scenario.

Really SE already boosted the amount of exp you get for doing the patch storyline quests to make it easier to level and go through that story - hell, it should be noted that even once you get to Ishgard, most if not all of the new content is locked behind the expansion's story completion, or at the very least sidequests, such as flight, the new trials and raids etc.

It's fair enough if you don't like the storyline and just want to play the game as a game. But because the story is a major part of this game, then I'm afraid it might not be the game for you.