http://imgur.com/gallery/kOIU2
"In order to access the content added in Stormblood during early access, players will need to complete certain Heavensward quests. However, as long as you have a Disciple of War or Magic class / job that is level 50, you will be able to acquire the new job, red mage, regardless of quest progression as the quest to unlock red mage will be in a 2.0 area."
I think for the vast majority of us posting on the FFXIV forums this is likely a non-issue. However, I think this is getting to be a bit too much for a new player. We have had the luxury of tackling various main story scenario fetch quests over a 4 year period. Don't get me wrong. The story is great. However, you have to imagine the experience is not going to be the same playing it via catch-up. The people who join a new player in duty finder will wipe the floor with everything, effectively lowering all stakes and diminishing the sense of accomplishment for the new player. This is nothing new for old content in an MMO. What is new is gating new content behind the old content. The new player will have to churn through in all liklihood 200+ hours of old content to be able to play the current MMO content (which as I have illustrated above is more preferable to the old content that everyone wipes the floor with).
I agree the old content is an important and necessary part of the new content. However, if it were up to me: Give everyone who purchases the expansion access to the new areas. Give everyone who purchases the expansion access to the new dungeons and raids (upon reaching the appropriate level). Take out all cutscenes in the dungeons / raids for players who have not played through the story. Gate the new players from the trials. Gate the new players from the valuable daily roulettes until they do finish the story (providing some incentive to play through the 200+ hours of old content). In my opinion; that is how it should be. Give the new player the opportunity to play up-to-date content in between the hours they will trudge through the old content.
The story is great. It's worth playing through. But we all have to admit: 200+ hours is a bit much.