@Pikagreg You're in for a treat! I wasn't too fond of certain aspects of Stormblood in regards to the plot and overall flow, but the ending sequence of events is truly something to experience.

@Swordfish00830 Nice! Just know that you could always get lucky with a roll should the weapon drop before ten totems are acquired.

@GallopingFUPA Usually you're able to create a character between the hours of 5:00 - 9:45 AM EST on Ultros, but I imagine Stormblood's recent release put a full stop to that as the overall active population is much larger and people are abusing in-game methods to make sure they're never logged out due to queues. It'll likely calm down significantly next month or so once the "hardcore" players put aside the game in droves due to burning through all the available content.

@ssandulak Yes, the majority of it is focused on content devised to be accomplished solo. There will be frequent points where you'll be forced to participate in a dungeon or trial, however, you can use the Duty Finder (Matchmaking), Party Finder (Custom Matchmaking), or form your own group through personal means to accomplish that.

It's easy to setup a party in FFXIV, however, going through the Main Scenario Quests (MSQ) together can be an exercise in frustration as it heavily consists of solo instanced content which will call for the party to be broken up to initiate.

If you're deadset on playing with someone or several others while going through the MSQ, I highly recommend setting a tentative schedule solely for the more group oriented activities such as dungeons and trials.

@Inflorescence There's a FFXIV channel now in the Easy Allies Discord server, however, it doesn't seem to be used much by members of the Free Company. I'd comment as to where communication is best handled but the Linkshell is pretty much dead as well which is what I'm currently a part of in lieu of the Free Company.

Swordfish00830 or YamiZetsumei should serve as your contact points as they'll likely be better suited to answer your question(s) as a result of their position.

@ZatVunDoot Did you register the licenses on your account via Mog Station? If not, your account will be limited by the free trial restrictions until you do so.

@Stormcrownn I hear ya and it only lends to my strong recommendation to avoid skipping the content even if the Stormblood hype can be overbearing at times.

As for your initial question? You'll be perfectly fine following along the main scenario quests while fulfilling secondary objectives such as your Hunting & Challenge Log. Should that not prove sufficient in terms of experience, there's a location called The Palace of the Dead that will serve perfectly well as a leveling option. In fact, I highly encourage taking advantage of PotD should you wish to try out various classes/jobs before making a more long-term decision.

In regards to UI, FFXIV actually offers a pretty robust interface that's leagues above that of World of Warcraft. You'll be able to customize a good amount via the in-game tools should the default positions and sizes not meet your needs. As for helpful websites, I don't recall too many with dedicated guides, however, you can't really go wrong with the subreddit or MTQcapture on YouTube.

@Stormcrownn @YamiZetsumei You can unlock Samurai and Red Mage as early as level 50; It's unclear if A Realm Reborn needs to be completed fully to gain access , but it'll definitely call for the initial batch of main scenario quests to have been conquered at the very least.

Your character's race plays a very minor role in statistical progression and gender has zero effect whatsoever, so I wouldn't bother trying to go for an optimal setup. Feel free to pick whatever combination you find most agreeable to your tastes.

As for the jump potions being introduced: the main scenario option will only complete the quests necessary to access Stormblood's content, thus should you be lacking a level 60 Job, it's essentially useless and must be paired with the other potion to properly be utilized. The combined total will be $50 all said and done, however, if you're a new player and in no real rush to play with veterans in the most relevant content, I strongly recommend you avoid both options and engage the game as properly intended.

I'm really curious to try out Red Mage, but I'm absolutely stoked to play Samurai as I've been waiting for a sword-wielding DPS job for quite awhile now with XIV. It's quite funny that these two job additions meet that criteria, but I'm wary as to just how melee compatible Red Mage will be in the long run.

@bbangash Hey, Damiani posted some information just recently regarding the Free Company and overall status of the move over on the Easy Allies Patreon page. You can check out the post here.

@bbangash I don't believe Damiani has opened it up to the public just yet on Ultros. Details regarding the move and Free Company are bound to be shared as we approach the early release period for Stormblood, so keep an eye on the Eorzean Allies streams, Damiani's Twitter, and this thread for updates.