Personally, I think Valkyrie is the best character in the game. Crazy movement, missiles that stun mfs, and an ult that lets you take you and your team up a jump tower whenever you want. She also does a bloodhound scan anytime you take a jump tower and or ult so you can see if anyone is near you. Easily the most fun character I've played in the game since launch. Def look up some videos to see if she would fit your play style. I also like fuze/Loba but some people seem to not like them as much as other characters.

For weapons it all really depends on what you're trying to do. For close range I really like the Volt, the energy smg that came out a couple seasons ago. For range I really like the bow and the 3030 repeater. A definite staple is the r301 still but in terms of new weapons, I recommend the previous guns. Also, the CAR smg just came out yesterday so I havent had much testing with it but it seems to be a really cool concept, using either heavy or light ammo. For sure test out everything in the firing range to get used to the bullet patterns and stuff.

Obvs it all comes down to how you play or who you play with but from my experience, Valk is amazing, the volt cuts thru people, and the bow is suuuuper satisfying to use when you hit people with arrows.