There is no hero.
The problem is that the "chosen one" plot most MMOs use, including ARR, cannot be redeemed with a roleplaying enviorement. As you have said, the whole "hero" who "did this things" is tossed out of the window. He cannot coexist logically with a roleplaying enviorement. And I say "logically" because a hero that did all the things our characters do on the main storyline would be pretty damn famous (as evidenced by quest NPCs that recognize us). If the hero existed, he would have a name, a race, a class, a personality. None of these things are possible because the writers decided that each player character is the "chosen one".
There is no other solution but to take out the "hero" as presented by the storyline. The alternative is to stablish a "fanonical" hero, but this comes with a mountain of troubles, the first of them being the coordination and enforcement of the "fanon" to the roleplaying community. It is an impossible task.
So instead the "hero" never exists. All the elements that include him are made generic. And we have a really nice tool to do that: Grand Companies. Who defeated the first Titan summoning since Limsa Lominsa broke their threaty with the kobolds? The Maelstorm did. Not a particular hero, or a band of adventurers, but troops of the Company. Maybe adventurers helped. It doesn't need to be particularly detailed.
Then you do the same with all other events.
There is no hero. There cannot be one.
The problem is that the "chosen one" plot most MMOs use, including ARR, cannot be redeemed with a roleplaying enviorement. As you have said, the whole "hero" who "did this things" is tossed out of the window. He cannot coexist logically with a roleplaying enviorement. And I say "logically" because a hero that did all the things our characters do on the main storyline would be pretty damn famous (as evidenced by quest NPCs that recognize us). If the hero existed, he would have a name, a race, a class, a personality. None of these things are possible because the writers decided that each player character is the "chosen one".
There is no other solution but to take out the "hero" as presented by the storyline. The alternative is to stablish a "fanonical" hero, but this comes with a mountain of troubles, the first of them being the coordination and enforcement of the "fanon" to the roleplaying community. It is an impossible task.
So instead the "hero" never exists. All the elements that include him are made generic. And we have a really nice tool to do that: Grand Companies. Who defeated the first Titan summoning since Limsa Lominsa broke their threaty with the kobolds? The Maelstorm did. Not a particular hero, or a band of adventurers, but troops of the Company. Maybe adventurers helped. It doesn't need to be particularly detailed.
Then you do the same with all other events.
There is no hero. There cannot be one.