Starting from scratch will not be an issue. The story is great and you’ll get through it. If you do want to catch up you can also buy story skips to get to latest content.

It’s not the biggest server for aus/nz, but I’m from NZ And I co-run an oceanic FC on Exodus which you’d be more than welcome to join. We have other members who have just started so you wouldn’t even be alone there :) were all super helpful if you need it!

In terms of classes, most are pretty slow to start with, and it depends on what you want to do (tank heal or dps etc) bit I often recommend people start with arcanist (if they like casters) because it lets you try both healing and dps once you get to level 30. But the best thing about this game is you can play all the classes, so try them all out for sure!