OP, I've been wanting to reply for a few days; but just haven't taken the time to.

As someone who just came back a couple months ago, I'm having a pretty good time in spite of some struggles in figuring out how I can gear up.

I think you'll have a better time if you think of the game as a harder version of FFXII. Do the stories, try to see if you can get into a new player LS (use the concierge to find one), see if you meet other people.

This game has a pretty good story (even if it's told in a bit of a convoluted way at times); and a very deep world that you won't necessarily find in any of the offline FFs. And now that the stories have wrapped up; you can actually "finish" this game.

If you're a fan of the series, I'd say go for it!