Not sure I buy the whole QoL thing since GW2 is the counter example and is also quite high on QoL. Particularly if you include the teleports you can get from the cash shop. Id normally say it's unfair to include them BUT GW2 is a one time purchase unlike the sub to play FFXIV.

Which we already have those teleports in a way, and goes back around to my point that I don't buy that you can either have QoL or an interesting living world BECAUSE GW2 did both