First, I've never really cared much for Coil. My linkshell drags me into it nearly every chance they get, and, while I'd really love to experience the story, I'd also like to do so when I'm prepared for it.

So if we say that I'm on the casual side of things, where do I go from here?

Not sure if my Lodestone reflects this, but I intend to play SMN to the fullest extent that I can (until I become a load and then I may have to learn BLM a little more). I understand SMN has its limitations (Spell speed is a negative, right?) so what should I look for in gear?

At the moment I have mostly Evenstar gear (with one or two unweathered) from Allied Seals and I've been working on my Animus (5/9 books done). I don't have access to Final Coil (obviously), and need to gear up to meet the requirements for Turn 8 and 9.

I'm not looking to gear up fast necessarily, but I just need a direction to go in gear from here.