Thread by @alex_moukala

Endwalker's Trailer, and especially, the community's hype really sparked an interest for many to get into FFXIV.
To all those asking: yes. It is definitely a good idea to catch up with it.
Especially if you want to experience some of the best modern FFs ever (HW & Shadowbringers)

One caveat tho:
The first part of the game (A Realm Reborn) is very heavy compared to all the others.
I recommend to start FFXIV with a friend and playing it together with them, or to stream it on Twitch.
Alternatively, you could also ask a friend to mentor you

I had the luck to play ARR since the early beta days with some amazing friends from an Italian Final Fantasy community.
Even though the game was slow, we had a blast discovering Eorzea together because it's such an amazing world.
There's been lots of funny moments too

I can totally understand people who give up the game before finishing that first difficult step.
Which is why I recommend to arm yourself with companions who can make the journey much more fun.
The rewards beyond A Realm Reborn are INSANE.

I have yet to meet a person who played ShB and didn't come out saying it is one of the best FF ever made.
It has a buildup that starts all the way from the very first game and reaches an unthinkable peak.
The only way FFXIV can get higher than this is by taking us to the moon.

PS. I loved Stormblood s lot too, mostly because of its characters.
I don't think it's one of the best modern FF experiences tho!

As for the monthly fee: if you've never paid one to play a game, it definitely sounds like a weird bargain.
But trust me, once you try FFXIV it'll become very apparent why it's a good thing that it has a fee.
I prefer that over having to pay for Gacha mechanics like on Genshin.

But overall:
It costs like a Netflix membership and, IF you're REALLY obsessed with FF in general, it gives better entertainment.
I think the fee is also an amazing filter for the community.
People aren't interested in paying a monthly fee just to waste it by trolling around

Personally, I only renew when there's new story bits to play.
I don't really do too much of the extra content.
So I believe what I paid to play the four FFXIV games so far (which lasted me about 1000 hours), is less than what I would otherwise pay for 1000 hours of AAA gaming.

The only situation where I'd recommend to NOT play FFXIV, is one where you can't afford to play it at least 1-2 hours per day.
In that case, it's quite hard to make the best of the monthly membership and you'd end up having to renew for quite a long time just to finish the story

PS. as someone wrote in the comments, FFXIV is now also free to play until Heavensward!
So you can dip your feet and see if you dig the first big chunk of the game, completely for free.