What's changed between the first version and ARR?

[Rowyne]

Now, more recently, alot of my friends over in GW2 were talking about how excited they were for ARR, how they played the beta, and how awsome it was. This, along with the fact that I presumably get to keep my old characters pretty much solidified my decision to get FFXIV ARR and I ended up pre-ordering it

I hope you realize that as a 1.0 player, you get a free download of ARR. You bought it once, don't need to buy it a second time (unless you want the pre-order goodies or want the PS3 version).

And I have to agree with others that said jump in, you won't regret it. Every beta weekend, I couldn't put it down! Welcome back!

[Zetsumei_Tsunarashi]

This is a good place to start if you want to know how the game has changed.

[Gwaiyn]

Well, I suppose I did already pay for it and early access is nice to have

Was there anything I needed to get into the beta? or could I just jump straight into it?