The problem with writing Fantasy is there are certain things that are expected, certain things that are so ingrained into the Genre that they have become fnords. We see them, we expect them, we complain when they are not there, but they have dictated our writing and expectation of writing down to the very core of the genre.

1. The Map
Every fantasy book worth the paper it's printed on has a map in it. Craggy mountains, fluffy forests, rivers running around. The interesting thing is that many of these maps pay no attention to basic tenets of geography (mountain effect rainfall and prevailing winds indicate that there are not going to be dense forests on both sides of those soaring mountains).

2. Billy's Trip to School
You can totally expect the characters to visit almost every location on the map, often in a horrible meandering fashion. If a location isn't visited directly, there will be something from that place, or a story will touch it. We need to go to Mordor, but first we are going to travel to Planet X, time travel back to the 1920s, then steal a boat in Leningrad, then we will walk through the Outer Zone and then catch the red eye flight to Mount Doom.
The expression goes that it's the voyage and not the destination. Except that this is fantasy literature and while there is certainly self discovery along the way, the ultimate objective of the Lord of the Rings is getting rid of a magic ring, not a walking tour of Mordor while exploring their feelings and growing not only as a person, but as a healthy loving couple. At the end of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Repair, the main characters weren't on a mission to destroy a demonic motorcycle hellbent on causing the Zombie Apocalypse.

3. I'm a Farm Boy and That's Okay
The main character is invariably a farmer. Luke Skywalker was a moisture farmer, Rand al'Thor was a shepherd, Richard Cypher was a woodland's guide, etc. Everyone starts as a poor, humble agriculturist. Which while from a historical perspective makes sense (95%+ of the population was engaged in agriculturalism) it doesn't make sense from a modern perspective (2-5% currently involved in agriculturalism). The disconnect from farming today is so profound in the Industrialized First World that things like petting zoos and field trips to farms are novel experiences.

4. The Evil Rich Bad Guy
While it is hard to be a villain and be dirt poor, most of your villains are either going to be filthy stinking rich, nobility, or on a different economic level, aka Sauron. If there is a rich merchant, he will be evil, an untrustworthy side swapping mercenary. The barons and counts are going to be corrupt and dukes and kings are either themselves evil, incompetent, or apathetic. There is an underlying feeling that wealth is like power, corrupting.
The Following Elements MUST be present in some form or fashion:








And that is the existential crisis.