It feels like it's been so much longer. A lot has happened in both real life and the game since then.
Shadowbringers was my favorite narrative experience in any game I've ever played. The music, the lore, the characters. I've never cried more in a single day than I did during patch 5.3. It was a really special experience.
Since the portrait addition, having a good-looking character and cool/fun portrait are the best ways to farm commendations. I actually like that, because when playing an MMO expressing myself is more fun to me than the gameplay.
Not that I can talk. I main healer, so I've got nearly twice as many comms as I have instances run.
I think it's a fine way to balance combat. Utility outside of combat should be, I think, considered entirely separately. Even if you can be the most useful, active character in the party in an RP scenario, being ineffective in combat just straight-up sucks. So I don't think out-of-combat utility is something that should be considered when balancing classes.
That's not to say that I think the out-of-combat utility balance should be ignored, just that it should be considered distinct.
I doubt they'll rework MSQ. It was an intentional design decision to make MSQ extremely accessible to people new to MMOs. It's not until level 30 or so that dungeons and trials begin to present challenges, and even then it's generally very easy until max level. FFXIV is a story-driven game, and the MSQ is the vessel for that. Gameplay really only exists in MSQ to teach you the very basics and get you from point A to point B. Any content that's required to progress isn't going to ask much of the player.
The real challenge is in the optional content. Extreme trials and savage raids can be very difficult, especially on release. You'll generally need a preformed group to communicate for these, or all know the strategies beforehand. Extreme Trials tend to take a few hours to learn and clear blind. Savage raids can take anywhere from hours to weeks. Then there's Ultimates, which are some of the most difficult content in all of MMOs. These can take months of dedicated effort to clear.
As you progress, you can unlock side content every 10 levels from 50 onward. If you're looking for a challenge, that's where you'll find it.
I'm hoping for a few more details regarding the lighting update and QoL changes. They said they're working on implementing features from popular 3rd-party add-ons, and I know thousands of console players would absolutely go nuts with hype if they announce that they're even considering implementing chat bubbles.
I've been playing on and off very casually since 2.0. These days I pretty much just log on after new patch releases to do the content. Between them, I ocassionally hop on to mess with glamours, run dailies, and chat with the FC mates who aren't in Discord.
My wife and I actually met through this game back in 2016, so it's got a special place in my heart.