I decided to see for myself how long it would take to get through the main story in FFXIV by making a new character and recording my progress through the /playtime command and a notepad file. I'm about 1/4 way through 5.0 (Shadowbringers) and I'm clocking about 193 hours, so "300 hours to beat the MSQ" isn't so outlandish.

Bear in mind that I'm also unlocking all the duties available on roulettes and completing the raid, trial, and dungeon questlines associated with them (so that excludes The Coils of Bahamut). Thus far I've finished Crystal Tower, Alexander, Shadows of Mhach, and Return to Ivalice. Currently working through Omega and The Four Lords.

Also included in that time is unlocking flying in all the zones, Hall of the Novice training exercises, unlocking Hunts and Housing, and getting enough Poetics to buy a full set of Augmented end-expansion gear for one job (Black Mage) for each x.0 completion(minus Dawntrail, ofc), and whatever else might assist in going through the MSQ.

It's been fun going through the game again, even though I did this as a side project so I have the greatest possible clarity of what this game would demand of new players. I don't recommend this game lightly. We don't need more WoWfugee shitters in XIV.