Day 3 player here.
*Am I rolling in 5 star relics and abilities? - Not rolling in 5-star relics, BC flair reasons. I have sentinel's grimoire, healing grimoire, oerba's boon, braver, scoop art. With the many draws I did, I feel like I should be rolling in more (friends have amassed way more, thanks to lucky draws), but RNG will be RNG and I'm pretty lucky I guess.. My 5 star abilities are few, BC they're not that important. Sure, it's good to get the cool summons, but my endgame is decent honing done. So, only full break.
*Am I more casual now? I don't think I'm that casual though but I don't set timers or panic when stamina is being wasted like I used to.
*Max stamina? -I have 150 stamina. Trying to finish the second to last dungeon update. Finding it hard to keep up with all the stuff though. Bonus battles, sundaily, and festive fantasy pushed me back.
*Did I go away and come back? -Never gone and came back. Just the thought freaks me out. All those memory crystals lost and characters gone. And think of all the dungeons I would have to finish. Maybe I'll slow down on dungeons, but only when there is enough where I can sleep well while stamina restores.
Also, I have a lot of advantages (AOE heal and SG), but somehow I still struggle. I must suck if I can't clear the harder dungeons with my relics so enormous respect for people who can do it without. I guess it's BC I don't have a lot of 5 star equipment or synergy over some dungeons. So, I guess my account is pretty good. In fact, new goals are to get every character to 65, get all record materia, and kick off people on my followers list who never logged on again for 100+ days. So, yes starting early is an advantage, but even with the best relics, the game can be hard. Just enjoy the game and play for the nostalgia. Newer and better relics will come your way. :)