SE did a good job of handling the "single-player" component of the game: The main story quest feels appropriately scaled to a Final Fantasy storyline and your class quests make it clear (in most classes, anyway) that you are definitely the Chosen One. This causes some ugly snares for those of us not sticking to that storyline, though. Minor spoilers, I suppose.
The paladin story quests basically entail your character getting swept up in an investigation. The events and folks involved are fairly important but in the telling of the story, your character almost doesn't matter; You are witness to the narrative, and it shows that Free Paladins are just Good People who are given their title. Compare this to the Dragoon storyline, wherein you are definitely The Chosen One: Your armor is special, your role is special, you are special, and you are hinted at at being immensely powerful and a Dragoon like no other.
I haven't done the WHM storyline beyond unlocking it (lazy Paladin looking for Stoneskin powers ACTIVATE) but White Mages use magic beyond your basic Conjury. This is precious, ancient, powerful magic and not something that just anybody can wield. It's a Big Deal that someone who isn't a Padjal becomes one, and while I could see it starting a trend, it's still difficult to explain that the elementals are suddenly just okay with handing out Succor to anyone lining up.
We need some elaboration from Square on the state of adventurers and jobs canonically: Dragoons are only supposed to come form Ishgard, Monks are a low-population brotherhood, Warriors are a forgotten art, etc. It's difficult to explain there being so many more of them now in the greater narrative, especially when Paladins are so easily explained and recruitable.
You can hardly tell what class I paid attention to, huh?
The paladin story quests basically entail your character getting swept up in an investigation. The events and folks involved are fairly important but in the telling of the story, your character almost doesn't matter; You are witness to the narrative, and it shows that Free Paladins are just Good People who are given their title. Compare this to the Dragoon storyline, wherein you are definitely The Chosen One: Your armor is special, your role is special, you are special, and you are hinted at at being immensely powerful and a Dragoon like no other.
I haven't done the WHM storyline beyond unlocking it (lazy Paladin looking for Stoneskin powers ACTIVATE) but White Mages use magic beyond your basic Conjury. This is precious, ancient, powerful magic and not something that just anybody can wield. It's a Big Deal that someone who isn't a Padjal becomes one, and while I could see it starting a trend, it's still difficult to explain that the elementals are suddenly just okay with handing out Succor to anyone lining up.
We need some elaboration from Square on the state of adventurers and jobs canonically: Dragoons are only supposed to come form Ishgard, Monks are a low-population brotherhood, Warriors are a forgotten art, etc. It's difficult to explain there being so many more of them now in the greater narrative, especially when Paladins are so easily explained and recruitable.
You can hardly tell what class I paid attention to, huh?