I love exploration in open world games and I've noticed it's an area where FFXIV is weak. We don't have much in the way of content that encourages players to wander around just to see if they find, for example, a small loot cache, an npc with a quest, or a bit of lore. Things minor enough to have well randomized locations without inciting too much ire, but fun to find. Everything available currently is very streamlined and specific. For me the fun isn't necessarily in finding something that was extremely difficult to locate, but in checking all the books and crannies for a "surprise" find.

Personally, I don't think Final Fantasy designers are fans of exploration type content because FFXI (during the time I played) was also weak in that regard. Only it went in the opposite direction, with things players absolutely needed to find hidden so well that the only way to accomplish anything was with a guide. I've had a lot of fun in both worlds but they do encourage more goal oriented play as opposed to unguided.