New player here.

[Jarfaro]

Never played a Final Fantasy game. On the 14 day free trial now. Made a Pug. Having fun with him. Just wondering if i decide to buy the game should i just get Realm Reborn first and then get to level 50 before i buy the xpack. About me it will take me awhile to get to 50 as i like to explore the game world and grab all the quest and read them. Read all the lore i come across also. I like to take my time as i hate getting to max level.

[Atoli]

You basically answered your question yourself already
You have to finish A Realm Reborn before you can access any Heavensward content/areas, so if you like to take your time, you won't need the expansion for quite a while.
On the other hand, if you plan to hit max level at some point, even if it's far off in the future, you'll have to buy it eventually, so you might as well do it now if the bundle comes cheaper than buying them seperately.

[Enkidoh]

Welcome to Eorzea!

As Atoli said you can get by without getting the expansion for now unless you want to level ahead of your progression in the game, in which case Heavensward is needed to be installed and registered first before you can level beyond the default level cap of 50 (to level 60). Otherwise you can get by perfectly fine with just the base game for now, until you reach the end of the 2.55 storyline which leads into the expansion story. The bundled version definitely saves money in the long run than buying both base game and expansion separately, but it's entirely up to you which you do.

Also, changing the subject slightly, if you've never played a FF game before so as to get up to speed on all the references, fanservice injokes and homages to past FF games that FFXIV is filled with (as well as getting to know the reoccurring elements that define the series, such as chocobos, moogles, crystals, Cid, summon monsters, magic and items etc), it might be well worth to check out the FF Wiki (although if you want to be surprised about the FFXIV story, it would be best to steer clear of the FFXIV section, as it's full of spoilers). )

[Jarfaro]

Thanks for the replies guys. Yeah i book marked the wiki and Reddit sites to start reading up on things. But i do like to take leveling slow. I always hate end game stuff in mmo's.

[Zenji]

End game in this game is decent too, so you'll have something to look forward to as you level up

[Belhi]

As the others have said, unless you want to play an Au Ra, you don't really need anything from the expac till you at least hit 50.

This is a good game to savour. There is a lot to it and a lot of stuff to do and explore, particularly if you are into lore and story. Everything in this game has story and I mean everything. Its got a very expansive lore. There is a lot to discover.

[Cyric]

That's what I did. I bought Heavensward when I got close to 50 and decided I really liked the game.

[Niwashi]

The only thing Heavensward gives you prior to level 50 is the ability to make an Au Ra character, so if you're planning on sticking with your Hyur (or any of the other original races), then you've got a while before you'll need the expansion. (And then the only additional thing HW gives you after reaching 50 but before completing the rest of the 2.x storyline is the ability to continue getting XP rather than being level capped at 50. Everything else from the expansion comes after completing the 2.55 patch content.)

There's basically only two reasons for getting the expansion early:
1) If you want to play as an Au Ra.
2) If you get a good deal on it that makes it cheaper to buy the expansion + game together or to get the expansion when it's on sale. (And this only if you're confident that you'll want it eventually.)

[Bourne_Endeavor]

If you opt to buy the bundle (ARR + Heavensward) from Steam, you can save yourself a little bit in the long run. Personally, I feel it's worth getting them both now if you're already enjoying the game. I bought the bundle only two months ago and have only just finished 2.0.

[Alisi]

You basically have no choice in doing the MSQ so, as others have said, unless you want the new race, you might want to wait.