There's actually only 1-2 faces per race that I actually like. Luckily you can make them distinct enough using different facial features...though additional options in the future would be pretty neat. Though what I really want is some proper Garlean armour to complete the look.

As for Balmung? It's very active and in my opinion it's quite a bit friendlier than other servers since it has a large population of role-players who typically tend to be more outgoing when it comes to player interaction. High end content, however, can be difficult (but not impossible) to find a group for. Plus the server is active at pretty much any hour. I haven't encountered much lag either despite being in England.