New/returning player, got a few questions

[Valintine000]

So I had to leave ff14 back in January due to life needing to take a front seat, but now that that is over I am returning to ff14. My questions are this.
1) Should I start fresh with a new character? I don't remember much of what was going on or where to progress to next, there is so much going on.
2) I remember hearing that tanks had something changed about them? iirc it was that vit gives damage for tanks now and not str, how does this change stat layout?
3) Has the leveling process gone faster?

[Faeon]

much of the same really. dont need to start a new. just carry on where you left off. I was the same i came back when 2.55 got released, had to play catch up not to much of a issue. Just dont expect people to let you watch cut scenes etc.

[Anova]

1. This one is up to you. You've only leveled 2 classes, so it's not a huge loss for you to erase and make a new main. Alternatively, you can keep your current character and just make an alt. You can also spend 30 min to simply watch the cinematics in your inn room as well. It's not a complete reset, but it may jog your memory enough on what's been happening.

2. Tanks calculate damage based off STR and VIT (i don't know the exact ratio). The basic point however, is that tanks should get more benefit from accessories of Fending with VIT materia than from Strength accessories with STR materia.

3. Considering you've already played Heavensward, no. There has been no universal boost in level speed or exp gain like they did for pre-50s at Heavensward launch. It is however easier to gear up to i240, but considering that you are sitting comfortably at i250, this doesn't apply to you.

[Niwashi]

1) Should I start fresh with a new character? I don't remember much of what was going on or where to progress to next, there is so much going on.

Reviewing what was going on is about the only direct benefit of starting over. If you'd put considerable work into your original character, I wouldn't abandon him, but if you have the subscription type that lets you have several alt characters, it could be worth adding one to go through the story again, depending on how important story continuity is to you.

2) I remember hearing that tanks had something changed about them? iirc it was that vit gives damage for tanks now and not str, how does this change stat layout?

Now both Strength and Vitality increase your damage (and by the same amount), but since it's the only thing Str does, while Vit both increases your damage and boosts your Hit Points, Vitality is the clear winner. You should swap your bonus points to that and switch out any Str accessories for Vit ones as soon as you can acquire the equivalent Vit.