You actually have tons of benefits now as a FFXIV new player · 6:35am Jul 16th, 2016
They've started the Hall of the Novice, which I wish I had back when I started, it helps you learn the basics of the game and earn really nice items and gear, and you also get a ring that boosts your EXP gain up to level 30!
There's also a mentor system (heavily criticized, but most mentors do their job to help new players).
To be honest I wish I was a new player now, lots of things to really get you started and the story just keeps you going. I am jealous of you, new adventurer!
The only disadvantage you have is from joining between patches. The problem you will have is is that if you are trying to join end game content, the weekly limit on Tomestone farms makes it very hard to do because you can only get 450 Tomestones and 1 piece of equipment drop a week from the high end dungeons. It will take you at least a month to earn a full set of armor and almost two months to get an end game weapon after you hit 60.
Story and casual content? No problem at all.
For endgame-only, u will need to go through like 30-60h of story-related stuff that unfortunately includes pointless filler chores. Additionally, current cutting-edge raids are more difficult than the 2.0 raid and less pug-friendly, meaning getting into static will definitely be harder than close to launch.
I disagree with anyone saying you'll be at disadvantage if considered as a "long term" disadvantage.
This game is specifically designed to make it so anyone can eventually catch up with the old players in terms of exp and gear. Every major patch the equip you have gained so far becomes obsolete and you must start grinding anew, moreover the old equip becomes extremely easy to get, allowing new players to quickly acquire it so to use it as a base to go for the new "best" one.
The exping itself won't really take long, I've seen new players Buy FFXIV Gil getting to level 60 in a mere three weeks, and that's including all the extremely lengthy main mission quests.
Yes. You will be at a "disadvantage" there is a lot in thisbgame and there are a lot of time gates that prevent you from getting to the top of the game.
But dont let that stop you from enjoying the game. As i said there is a lot to do in this game. Raiding. Partying. Chcobo stuff. Crafting. Gardening. There is no short supply of stuff to sink your teeth into as a new player. You may be at a disadvantage in getting into serious savafe raids being far behind on the quests for best in slot gear. But as a new player you have the advantage in actually enjoying the game as you discover all sorts of stuff. If you are anything like me. You may lose all your free time to the gold saucer stuff for at least a couple months.
