Returning player with some questions.

[Kinseykinz]

1. Which server would be best for someone who lives in the U.S and has a good amount of English speaking players? I live on the East Coast but if the server has more Pacific Coast players that is ok.

I know my server Rabanastre has a large NA player base. More important is to find yourself a LS that has people who play around your playtimes. (Again, our server has several and there is a list of some shells in the Rab. server forums) Other Servers have a large NA base as well, I just can't speak to which ones.

2. I feel kind of embarrassed to ask this one since some people look down on it. But is it ok if I choose to make my new character a Miqo'te even though I am a male in real life? I am tired of playing as a Human and an Elf. Also I am not into big hulking races like the Roegadyn and even though the Lalafell are cute I just can't see myself playing a race like them. The Miqote are interesting to me because I have never played something like them before. But since they can only be Female I thought that it might be a problem if I choose it since I am not the same gender.

LOL...okay you should play as whatever character type/race you want. No one else should have a say in the matter. Most people walking around as Miqote's are male, we all know this, and most of us accept it. I could see this maybe being an issue if you were planning on playing the game as a role-player, but if you just like the character and have no plans of passing yourself off as a lady, no harm no foul imo. Also, if you create a female character, you can't get offended if people assume you're a girl and refer to you as such in game.

3. Is Gridania still a bad starting area? Usually I choose Ul'dah since it seems to be a good starting area. I would choose Limsa Lominsa due to it being a cool place, but I can't stand the way the NPC's talk, lol.

Again, while yes, the majority of the player base still hangs out in Uldah, you should choose a starting city YOU like. I'm from Gridania and I chose it because I liked it's look/feel the best (and it's storylines) but I also wanted to be a Conjurer and a Botanist. Gridania has both of those guilds. Also, now that you can set a homepoint, starting city is less important. (you can start in LL but ride the ferry, walk to Uldah and set it up as your 'home'). Lastly, now guildmarks are only awarded from leves issued from the city containing that guild. So if you want to play MRD, LL might be your best 'home' since it has your guild.

4. Is it a pain to gear up a character? Or would it be a bit easier to do something from the Disciples of the Land and Disciples of the Hand to make my own items?

Probably depends a little on the server and your patience, how quickly you make gils, friends etc. But you can buy lower ranked gears on our markets for a reasonable price if you know what/how to look for it. Also, some quests grant gears now (you could do those to get some decent items). Also, you can get fairly good gears for ranks 25-45ish just by killing the smaller NM's (no gils needed, just time and a friend or two.). This being said, ranking a craft and/or gathering will help you make more money and might benefit you in the long haul (you can fix your own gear or farm mats for a friend to craft you a new hat with for example).

5. Last question, can I just stick with the Disciples of Magic? Or should I also go into the other classes from the Disciples of War?

I stuck with Disciples of Magic as my battle class jobs. I currently am rank 50 CON and rank 42 THM. I also started messing around with Archer, but that was just because 'Hey, I have the time and want to hang out with my lower-ranked friends.' I don't ever plan on being a dedicated archer. You can be a dedicated mage in this game just fine, and while some job abilities from other classes can help, they are not necessary to playing your Mage class efficiently (it is advisable to rank both mage classes since having access to both sets of spells/abilities is handy).

I hope this helps you a little