Hey Everyone,

I've never been an MMO player before, as I usually found them dull fetch-quest-athons, but I picked up FFXIV ARR on a Steam sale and thought I give it a try as a big fan of FF I-X (and IV, VI and X in particular).

So far I'm quite liking the game, but I have a few questions that I'm not too sure on;

1) Quest progression; I started as a Gladiator and would eventually like to go towards Paladin. I just hit GLA level 12 and so far all I've been doing is main quests (the flaming circle ones) and FATEs, Hunting log etc. I've pretty much avoided all the side quests. Should I do them first, or save them until I get to a more advanced job/class?
2) Is buying equipment worth it? I've gotten a few ok pieces from quest rewards, but overall my equipment average is Level 5 and I'm wondering if I should dump money into gear now or if I'll obsolete it before long.

3) What's the best way to level up to Level 30 for the Paladin class? Keep doing main quests and Fates, or should I diversify?
4) When I'm ready to start getting Conjurer/Maurader levels, do I have to go by foot/chocobo to the other city or is there a quest that will let me teleport or something there?

5) Finally; what's the best support/crafting job for Paladins or does it really make no difference? I just got the first mining quest done, but if it's not a substantial benefit, I might not stick with it.

Any tips, suggestions would be great. Thanks for any help you can provide.