I know this is not something themepark MMOs really do; but FFXIV relies so heavily on teleports, it rarely incentivizes exploring zones after visiting them once for the main storyline. In turn, this gives devs no reason to put interesting points of interest.
I know GW2, ESO and FFXI do a better job. It just seems like such a wasted opportunity when it comes to deliver a better immersive experience.
You do have a point, there are things to do. But they’ve been the same four/five activities since ARR. Those activities don’t really require you to actually explore either, you only need to drop inside of the map (thanks to teleporting) and go straight to point xy. That’s it! The only thing requiring you to explore is the sightseeing log - an activity which very few players partake in without looking up a wiki.
It’s still my favorite mmo, don’t get me wrong! I just wish there was more unique content to each map in order to make worlds feel more alive in general, force more player to hop around instead of lingering around Limsa’s crystal while waiting for queue to pop.