Okay not to compare the two (but I am), but one thing I like about FFXIV is that there's a clear reason WHY your character is able to fight gods/activate portals/be the big hero. You are told exactly why. WoW you're just a really really lucky dude, I guess. For some reason.

Whether you like to be or not, you are the big damn hero in both stories. Difference is, FFXIV's narrative directly plays into that, while WoW's avoids mentioning it to you ever, leaving you in a weird sort of power fog like an Azerothian cryptid with no beginning or end.