Stats:

- Primary focus VIT (HP, DEF)
- Secondary focus STR/DEX (STR is dmg and also helps with blocks. DEX is ACC which is always important)
- Tertiary focus MND (MP, M DEF)

Some important skills (I put cross-class skills here only, so you know what to lvl to get skills that GLA can't provide):

- Cure/Sacrifice II or III (preferably Sac due to regen effect) (CNJ/THM)
- Stygian Spikes I/II (good for bosses when you will need to self heal a lot) (THM)
- Warmonger (AOE provoke basically) (MRD)
- Defender I/II (DEF up, ATK down for 30 min) (MRD)
- Decoy (absorbs ranged attack or magic attack) (ARC)
- Accomplice (steals hate from PT member) (PGL)
- Taunt (secondary hate for when Provoke is down) (PGL)

These are just some basics, you won't be able to fill your bar up much until much later (and tbh most of it will be with GLA or SEN skills) so I'd start with working towards some of those above.