Just sharing some thoughts on this as I procrastinate weekend working.
I am a relatively new player to FFXIV. I started earnestly about a year ago, after getting to around level 35 in the MSQ way back in 2015. Before FFXIV, my main MMO was Guild Wars 2 for around 9 years and prior to that WoW for around a similar amount of time.
As I progressed through the earlier expansions I was assured that the story was fantastic, even if major leaps in logic
spoiler
such as the construction of the huge Talos to reach Mount Gulg or Varis suddenly believing in the need for rejoining or Zenos turning up at the conclusion of Endwalker
were prevalent in all expansions.
I was also lead to believe that Dawntrail was going to be absolutely awful with terrible writing and a slog on the level of post-ARR. But, honestly, that hasn't been my experience so far. I have just finished the level 91 journal and I am finding the story of Dawntrail quite refreshing after how WoL-centric the previous expansions were and I am enjoying the world building being a bit more subtle and delivered via small character interactions rather than being beaten over the head with exposition for cutscene after cutscene.
I have been warned that there are moments where the narrative tension is sapped, but that was also really prevalent in Shadowbringers (as a Viera player, Rak'tika Greatwood was beyond disappointing) and Endwalker
spoiler
(much of Elpis and Ultima Thule)
I've also heard so many complaints about the balance and game design that I am just not really understanding. Perhaps I really need to dip my toes into Savage to understand this, but looking at the concerns it seems very quaint compared with the balance issues in other MMOs (looking at you Guild Wars 2)!
Maybe things really will get monumentally worse and I won't enjoy DT by the end of it, but I am enjoying DT considerably more at this stage than the other expansions aside from Shadowbringers.
I will try to remember to come back and share thoughts when I am done!
Honestly, it's just kinda how things go. Long-running games typically hit a 'hate point' where the fan base becomes more whiny, hyperbolic, and entitled. It happens with all media, in fact. Not just games.
I always joke with friends that game specific communities are where you go when you hate a game. FFXIV has faired quite well. Poor Destiny didn't stand a chance, though. Destiny fans fucking hate Destiny.
That's not to discount criticism. Obviously, everyone has their own tastes and whatnot. I thought the Dawntrail story was fine, if a little disappointing. Interesting and timely philosophical themes, though. Loved all the FF9 references and look forward to more! Battle content is great. Class changes are becoming a bit meh. In saying that, I mainly play PLD and love it.
I think you have a point about game communities being somewhere to vent. I know I did that so much with Guild Wars 2. There isn't really anything I feel the need to get super annoyed about with FFXIV yet - the balance is nowhere near as glaringly bad as GW2 or at points when I played WoW and really the biggest sin it has is a lot of boring (but very good for an MMO) story.
I can't wait for the FF9 references to hit. I loved Eden so much for the callbacks to 8!