I was the same way. I quit WoW after WotLK, and started looking into it again about two years ago. Then I saw the bad reviews and how the story tanked. So I looked around at the other big ones, and FFXIV looked interesting. The story is kind of average until you get past level 50 stuff, but it gets really good. Shadowbringers is just a masterpiece. Easily as good as any other FF title you’ve played. I came for the graphics, and stayed for the lore. Compared to WoW, the graphics are great, that is.
The PvE is good, especially when you consider that you don’t need an alt. If you make it to level 60 and find you don’t like the class you picked, you can just start with a new job on your same character and continue. So you can pay all classes without going back to the newbie tutorial zones. Plus, you will “level sync” to old content. Making the level 20 dungeon worth running as a level 89. It’s not instantly forgotten, dead content.
PvP isn’t as good as WoW. It’s fun, and I do it daily, but there’s no rock paper scissors mechanics or supreme balance like back in the day in WoW.
I don’t feel like I’m on a treadmill, and I’m not pressured to log in every day or fall behind. I can play casually, take a break, and not feel like I’ve lost out. Some people are hardcore raiders, but those days are behind me.
I would never go back to WoW now. I like it better overall than I ever did running Molten Core, or Burning Crusade even. Which was pretty peak WoW, imo.