I'm a former FFXI and FFXIV player. Thanks to the WoW Forever beta I've been able to play WoW pretty regularly, and I have to say that, even though WoW is a great game, FFXIV is on a whole other level. Leaving graphics aside for obvious reasons (the deliberate choice to stay faithful to the original style), here's what I think:
1) WoW has basically no cutscenes, while FFXIV offers a completely different level of immersion;
2) FFXIV's job system is way more varied and extensive than WoW's (and if we throw FFXI into the mix, you could get lost in it);
3) FFXIV fights are full of mechanics designed to keep every role in the party engaged. There are DPS checks, heal checks, tank checks, etc.;
4) FFXIV fights have a huge positional component. Almost every boss ability can be dodged by moving your character to the right spot at the right time. There are also tons of mechanics where you have to run to one spot or another during the fight.
Obviously there are plenty of downsides too, like the complete lack of a structured economy like WoW's, but yeah.
I'd love to hear from players more experienced with WoW than me: what are WoW's strengths compared to FFXIV?

I think a lot of this comes down to the fact that you're comparing two games that, despite both being MMORPGs, have pretty different design philosophies. And honestly, I think it's a bit unfair to judge WoW based on WoW Forever, especially when it's still in beta and we're not even sure what the final product is going to look like.

WoW Forever is trying to recreate and expand on a version of WoW that came out over 20 years ago. FFXIV, on the other hand, is a game that's been continuously developed and expanded for years, with a completely different vision of what an MMORPG should be. They're not really trying to achieve the same thing.

I agree with you on the cutscenes. FFXIV is much more cinematic and puts a lot more emphasis on telling a cohesive story. But I don't think that necessarily makes it more immersive. FFXIV makes you feel like the protagonist of a story, whereas WoW (and specially the older ones, like what Forever is trying to recreate) often makes you feel like an adventurer in a world that exists beyond your character. There's something special about discovering a hidden quest, stumbling across some obscure piece of lore, or simply exploring a zone without being constantly directed toward the next story beat. They're just different approaches to immersion.

The job system is another one where I think it comes down to preference. FFXIV absolutely wins in terms of convenience if you want to play every job on a single character. But WoW puts a lot more emphasis on class identity. A Druid isn't just a different loadout from a Warrior. They have completely different class fantasies, abilities, resources and ways of approaching combat. Neither approach is inherently better, but I personally enjoy having that distinct identity tied to my character.

As for combat, I think you're underselling WoW a little. FFXIV has excellent encounter design, and its choreographed mechanics are a big part of what makes its raids so satisfying. But WoW has plenty of mechanical depth of its own, particularly at higher levels of play. Managing interrupts, defensive cooldowns, dispels, crowd control, positioning, class utility and damage windows can make encounters incredibly engaging. And Mythic+ (this we don't know if they'll eventually add to Forever or not, but it exists in retail) adds an entirely different dimension to the game, where you're constantly optimizing routes, pulls, cooldown usage and execution under time pressure. The challenge isn't always about learning a sequence of mechanics. Sometimes it's about adapting to a situation that's going sideways and figuring out how to recover.

I also think WoW's world, class design and overall gameplay loop deserve more credit. Its economy, professions, exploration and the sheer variety of things you can pursue give it a different kind of longevity. You can spend an evening doing dungeons, another raiding, another exploring lower level content or collecting things, and another just messing around with friends. FFXIV has plenty of content too, of course, but the way these activities fit together feels different.

Ultimately, I don't think one game is objectively on a whole other level than the other. FFXIV does some things better, and WoW does others. If what you want is a heavily cinematic experience with a central narrative and a flexible job system, FFXIV is fantastic. If you enjoy exploring a persistent world, developing a distinct class identity, and engaging with systems that reward optimization and repeated mastery, WoW has a lot going for it.

And I'd be much more interested in comparing modern FFXIV with modern retail WoW if we're talking about what each game has to offer today. Comparing FFXIV to a beta that's trying to build on 2004 WoW is a different conversation entirely.

Just as a closure, I am a MMORPG player that jumps around FFXIV, GW2, and WOW. And have been one of those for a while now. For what it's worth.