What most turns new players off from FFXIV?

[Kosmos992k]

The things I have heard from my friends who won't play.

1. Combat is slow and unexciting.
2. Fetch and deliver quests everywhere.
3. Artistic differences

Then it's entirely possible this is not their kind of game. Halo is not my kind of game, but you won't find me posting (on it's official forums) proposals to fundamentzlly change it because I am free to do something else. By the same token if this is not someone's kind of game then they are free to do something else.