I'm ambivalent about the story. Sure, there are some parts that are absolutely riveting - and parts that shocked and saddened me (I won't post those because of spoilers)

But what I love most about this game is the character growth. One of the weirdest things I enjoy about FFXIV is giving your character a first and last name. You're not just "PlayerBob"'s character, you're "Bob Playerslayer" or whatever.