Like quite a few people have already pointed out the combat is flawed for most classes/jobs till you hit level 50, but believe me it does get way better as you progress from 50 to 70. Is this a bad design choice? Yes I believe so, I think you should get most of your kit by 50 so that your not just bashing the same 10 abilies all the time. As for action versus tab targeting, it's a matter for your own personal preference, I don't mind either way as long as the combat system is satisfying when using your abilities. But if you think that the devs will change to an action combat system don't hold your breath, making a change like that would require changing the very fundamentals of the game engine.

I had a huge problem with the 2.x story and it's pacing that I unsubbed for a few months after I finished it, if I were you I'd just buy a jump potion to heavensward and save yourself the frustration. The story in heavensward is way better paced and it's actually really good.

This is not wow, gw2 or eso, or any other western developed mmo, ffxiv was developed in Japan and the influence of that is everywhere in this game from the way its systems work to its story and art and its pacing. My advice is stop looking at this game like it's your new wow replacement and look at it like it's a final fantasy main line game and enjoy it for what it is, and not what you want it to be.

But in the end it's up to you if you can enjoy playing this game or not, but in my opinion it's something special