I started playing FFXI like 2 years after NA launch and I never felt in a threadmill trying to catch up to the veteran players back then. I eventually did. I guess it was the horizontal progression that allowed that. The pace was more calm. In FFXIV it's another story though... If I stopped playing for a few months I'd fall behind very fast. lol I mean look at Alex, within the first day there were the "Farm. Know the fight. Not a learning party" already, on party finder...