A point I wanna make separate from my other point: The quests themselves need a bit more streamlining in ARR. Especially Post-ARR.
IE: In the quest Into the Heart of the Whorl, you speak to Merlwyb. Right next to her is Yugiri. After speaking to Merlwyb, you then have to click and speak to Yugiri. Both of these trigger a cutscene.
I like the story and I dont think it should be cut down. But the quests themselves need a bit of work.