Why do you like this game?

[VirusOnline]

I'll be honest, I can be a half naked elf-man with thigh high stilettos.
Also the graphics, the boss fights, the story. But mainly the stilettos ;P

[Mahoukenshi]

Story, characters and OST. Yes, I'm easy to please in regards of the first two aspects, but I don't mind at all.
I have also finally gotten more used to instanced group content, but I'm only doing the required ones for MSQ and aether current. I still haven't even unlocked, for example, any of the ARR hard-mode dungeons or any other optional dungeons/trials, nor any raids.

[RoseyDevlin]

I love the graphic style, glamour system, main quests and able to play all classes on one character. Main reason of me playing this is that I love FF franchise and japanese game styles. Its not so grindy and lvling is fast compared to other mmorpg I have played.

[Ryaz]

I enjoy the aesthetics, story and gameplay. Plus, I've got a cool FC with people I enjoy chatting with while I do the daily grind.

[Omymy]

Its my little Animal Crossing online.

Daily rouls, tend my crops, get some gil and i see Limsa's neighbors talking to each other like they're an AI.

Could be better?, yeah, but i dont want something super special at this rate, mostly for 10 euros at month.

[Reinha]

the overall lack of skills to use sometimes amazes me and this is the number 1 thing that makes me question how this game has such a large playerbase

The what now? Some jobs have over 30 skills to use, so where exactly are you finding these games with more skills? Tanks and healers are a bit too similar to each other but the game as a whole has a good range of interesting rotations.

I stay for the stories, pve and collections. And because I like my character.

[Tlamila]

The what now? Some jobs have over 30 skills to use, so where exactly are you finding these games with more skills?

I can think of for example Aion, where you have like 5-6 bars of skills. I'm sure many similar ones are around.

But yeah I wouldn't say this game lacks skills, it was true in ARR but surely not now. Especially in a "all in one bar" age.

[Lersayil]

I can think of for example Aion, where you have like 5-6 bars of skills. I'm sure many similar ones are around.

But yeah I wouldn't say this game lacks skills, it was true in ARR but surely not now. Especially in a "all in one bar" age.

Its less common as one would think or hope. MMOs nowadays go more for an action style combat with less buttons.

I mildly miss Aion, even though my memories are mostly spoiled by Gameforge. I liked that skill system, as much as I disliked its obsession with pvp.

[sexythaumaturge]

The good:
- Graphics. I can't believe how good this looks for a game this old. Some of the environments are breathtaking.
- Story . Once you get past ARR and into Heavensward (and this is quite a chore, I hear they are working on fixing it), things improve and get that soothing, nostalgic vibe Final Fantasy is known for. At the end of Shadowbringers, they really capture that sense of wonder good RPGs have.
- No microtransactions. What's there in the shop is entirely optional, doesn't affect gameplay at all, and is in many cases recycled event content or tacky-looking mounts. Other than buying a couple Fantasias, I never had a reason to go there.
- You can catch up quickly. The game respects your time and you are, at worst, just a step behind even savage raiders with obtainable gear.
- Housing. It's fun to design your home, and exploiting the glitches can result in some stunning-looking interiors.

The bad:
- Battle/gameplay. It's so... inconsequential. The feedback and satisfying feel of combat is not there. You might as well be hitting air with that giant sword. And the accompanying visual effects are gnarly, tacky overkill that MMOs are famous for. Do I really need to set off fireworks when I swing my weapon? No, I don't. Recently, I've been replaying FFXII: Zodiac Age, which also has an MMO vibe to its combat, but it feels so good in the way your skills and enemies sound, etc. It was classy and satisfying. Why couldn't they just copy that sort of gameplay? It would allow people to chat while fighting, and then they could design compelling content around it. In FFXIV, they try to distract you with having to press three buttons per second so that you forget it's all very, very boring. It's the main reason why the game feels so empty in the end - running a dungeon or a trial feels like a chore rather than something you're looking forward to.
- Outfits/glamor. Most of it is very tacky, something I've complained about here repeatedly. Lots of colorful robes and cloaks you can't dye well. Everyone looks gaudy due to lack of real choice. It's a sad thing when collaboration events result in better looking outfits than the base game - as of today, almost everyone out there is running around in a Nier: Automata outfit.
Character customization. There are a lot of choices, but almost everyone from the same race/gender combo looks interchangeable - all catgirls look the same, all Midlanders, all Au Ra. It takes real effort to make a character that stands out. Some of the less popular character choices, like Elezen and male Au Ra, have bafflingly bad running animation that the dev team refuses to acknowledge for some reason.

[AnimaAnimus]

Why are you even on here then?
I hate MMOs like xi. That's why I probably enjoy xiv. You aren't a fanboy if you enjoy this game. Same with any game, really. I don't particularly enjoy Pokemon SwSh but some of my friends enjoy it to bits, so who am I to call them "fanboys" for it?

All of the reasons I stated and you focused on fanboy being just one of them....and taken out of context at that.

Yep that's this forum in a nutshell lol