Is there anything meaningful/gratifying to do in this game that's not MSQ?

[Iscah]

Heavensward might actually have a good story, and I may even enjoy it when I view the cutscenes later at my leisure, when I'm in the mood to watch a movie, not play a video game.

This isn’t a great way to experience the story if you intend to at any point - a lot of dialogue cannot be revisited. Only the ‘cinematic’ cutscenes (ie. the skippable bits) are available later. All the other dialogue boxes are only given to you “in place” and you can’t see them again - so watching cutscenes later will only get you a very fragmented version of the story.

Following the story as it happens also makes the dungeons more relevant, because you understand why you’re in that place and what you’re trying to achieve.