Tips for a new 50?

[Elexia]

Stuffed Cabbage+1 (or Salt Cod Balls), Accuracy (you can cap off Piety very easily/quickly), and when you can reliably hit end-game bosses and connect combos, then start getting attack/str set going. But the general idea of DRG is being able to actually landing your combos then trying to boost the power of it. Explorer's tabbard is definitely a good choice to have since the only benefit your AF body has is a slightly boosted TP regain on invigorate (which is good, but a melded cobalt hauby or explorer's tabard is still honestly the best choice.)

If you can't get a the Garuda Spear or Ifrit's, yeah your GC choice is probably a good choice, otherwise you'd want to get your hands on Garuda's.

(Currently have the NQ as a hold me over, what should I throw into it as a meld - knowing that this is a temporary weapon?)

I personally melded 2 heaven's eye IV and a heaven's fist IV materia on my +1 Guisarmes which is probably one of the best non U/U lances you can make. This is purely based around whatever your full setup is since you can have multiple weapons for different situations.