I've recently started playing Final Fantasy XIV for the first time. I'm playing the free version of the game so there's a few restrictions (not being able to use Map chat, not being able to hire a retainer, not being able to use the player market), but aside from that, the free version gets you the entire base game and the first expansion (soon to include the second expansion as well, I've been told, which is cool).
The more I play of it, the more I I find myself enjoying it. The beginning is a bit slow, but considering the size of the game and the various aspects/mechanics of the game's systems, it's to be expected, and once I got past those slight tutorial humps, the game has done a good job of keeping me interested. The story so far is pretty neat, and I like the fact that you only really need one character, as every class/job is available for you to unlock once you reach level 10, and you can swap between them at any time, which is really nice. I've started out as a Marauder, which is a tank class, and I'm really liking it. I'm excited to see what the other classes have to offer.