I'm surprisingly engaged with the open world activities... I really thought I would hate most of it but they're all surprisingly fun. I also love how they connect with each other, like the springs that reveal the location of treasure hunts that provide alchemy recipes that are used in a side quest, or a nest of a very strong optional boss that's also part of a sidequest.
Mentioning that boss: it made me very glad that there are proper unique hunts and not just the battle reports which are basically just beefed up normal monsters.
Sidequests proper also range from okay to very good. Still haven't found a dud between those, as even the most bland ones still take you to a cool part of the world you maybe wouldn't have gone to otherwise.
I'm pleasantly surprised so far.