I was lucky in that the ffxi US beta was my first dive into an MMO. And I think it’s one of the best games ever, but the harsh reality is that it’s hard and tedious, especially for folks who only have experience with super hand holdy MMOs like they mostly are today. If you can get into it, it can be like crack, but I really feel like most people won’t have the patience for it these days.
This isn’t me saying don’t try it. Try it for sure. Just be ready for a huge time sink. It doesn’t help you at all.