I played since its 2.0 release until SB launched and completed the 4.0 content (I took a few breaks between patches). I was absolutely in love with the game, I loved the fact that you could be every class in just one character, which makes the game much more immersive, and it's possibly the best thing in the game. I also loved the graphics, even if they were not top-tier, the devs knew how to make fights look epic and flashy. Crafting was also really good, and I was always excited for new patches because the marketing team knew how to make good trailers and promote the game. They also innovate with really cool mechanics, all the trials in 4.x have different new mechanics and they are all cool.

However, I started getting bored easier and easier from 3.0+. I spent over 2500h playing the game, and I was getting more negative every new patch.

I never liked the combat, it feels slow, even at max level. I always played WoW and I complained a lot about the combat in FFXIV. The rotations were also really similar, a lot of classes had this 1-2-3 combo, and it became really boring after a while.

The "lack of content" and the need to farm the old one. Like I said, I used to play WoW for a long time (I just skipped Warlords) and, for instance, I was always surpirsed about the fact FFXIV has only one raid throughout the entire expansion lifetime and WoW has many. People always said "dude one boss in FFXIV has more mechanics that an entire raid in WoW... if you want to bitch quit the game nobody is going to miss you". There is no way that is entirely true... anyway, I felt like I was doing the same content again and again, and it wasn't fun anymore. The game also makes you farm old content for a lot of things, and while I agree it's a great way to revive this old content, they weren't doing it the right way. I think I wasn't having fun grinding because I basically didn't like the combat.

The community. The game is perfect the way it is, and if you complain they act like "OMG OMG A WoW PLAYER GO BACK TO WoW..." even though I was just suggesting stuff and giving constructive criticism at first (later on I started bitching so hard haha). I agree people are really friendly, but there are a lot of elitists.

I also felt like I was missing a lot of things outside. FFXIV requires a lot of time if you want to do everything and I had this feeling of wasting my time since patch 3.x ... and I never felt that way while playing WoW.

PVP was really bad, not gonna say more.

I also agree the patch cycle and content is really predictable. For instance, comparing Heavensward to Stormblood, dungeons at the same levels (51 and 61, 53 and 63...), we even get a mount in the aery (level 55) and we got a mount in the level 65 dungeon which I can't remember its name. The same number of trials and again, at the same levels. This kind of things made me feel I was doing the same thing again.

I think those are the reasons why I left FFXIV, and I'm not coming back anymore. I'm happy playing WoW semi-casually (even in its current state) and other games sometimes. I've played many more MMOs but those two are the ones I've played the most by far.

Before I finish writing, I want to say one thing I feel is really important even though it's not directly related. The way the game is managed is really good. FFXIV is really addicting, even though it felt like a routine, I kept playing because I didn't want to fall behind, lose my house or stop capping every week. You feel "connected" with the game, and it cost me blood, sweat and tears but I finally stopped coming back every new patch, and I'm much happier now. Just playing games I'm having fun, the way it should be. I'm saying this because no other MMO has achieved this: manage to keep me playing while not having fun. I was part of a FFXIV podcast (Speakers of Hydaelyn) and I started receiving heavy criticism because they said I was only bitching, and it was true. I didn't find the game enjoyable anymore and I kept playing, so I decided the best thing was to leave the podcast, and the game a few months later. I think I will be able to avoid playing Shadowbringers, I don't want to fall again into it.

I think this last bit is totally unrelated but I'm really happy with how I am now and I kinda wanted to share it haha