Hey! Welcome to FFXIV!

The only effect of starting nation is the main scenario quests from levels 1 to 15. The main scenario quest-lines merge at the level 20 quest. You can join any Grand Company you want, e.g. I started in Gridania, but joined Limsa's Maelstrom. Company gear does vary a little, but there's good stuff for every class there.

Leves are just reusable quests, and they come in two main varieties: local and regional. In your Journal (Quest Log) you can have up to 8 of each active at once. Local leves are crafting leves where NPCs provide you with mats and reward you with gil and mats for your work. They're a great way to level up crafting classes. Regional leves include several varieties. Battlecraft leves require you to kill mobs in the field for gil and items, similar to simple quests in other MMOs. Fieldcraft leves require you to gather materials in the field for gil and items. Faction leves require the use of faction credits earned through completion of other regional leves to accept and vary greatly in content. They include boss fights and non-combat scenarios. There are also Grand Company leves, which are solo battlecraft leves that are accepted from GC officer NPCs in particular locations and reward GC seals instead of gil, items, or faction credits. You earn 4 leve allowances per 12 hours I believe, stackable up to 99.

Masamune has plenty of English speakers. One of my linkshells, Pandemonium, is fairly large and active, with a good split of North American and European players. Our website is pandemoniumls.enjin.com.

Hope to see you in-game!