RIFT Questions: Newbie Here!?

[Satyasya]

PLEASE READ ALL OF THE FOLLOWING!

I just finished the RIFT trial and I actually really enjoyed myself more than I ever did on W.O.W.
So in anticipation of getting the game I have a few questions for people who have played and are p-laying the game…

In your well-reasoned opinion:

1 – FACTION.
Which faction (Guardians versus Defiants) do you think is ‘the best?’
Which faction has the ‘better’ story/plot (that we know of)?
Which faction do you think has the upper-hand ‘morally?’
Which faction has ‘nicer’ areas or maybe easier to play?

2 – RACE.
What should I consider when making my race choices?
Is it all aesthetic?
Are there any (hidden) racial stat differences to be taken account?
The racial abilities are pretty neutral but the descriptions of each race imply some races are better at being a Mage or Warrior etc. - does this hint at one race having higher innate Spell Power or Attack Power etc. that makes it a more appropriate choice?

3 – CLASS & SOULS.
What main class do you think is best for mainly PvE soloing (Mage/Cleric/Warrior/Rogue)?
Which soul build do you think is best for PvE soloing that combines damage with survivability and/or self-healing?
I’m new to the whole MMORPG thing and can’t manage characters/classes awfully well yet so is there a good choice/cookie cutter combination for newbies that allows for mistakes?

4 – PROFESSIONS/CRAFTS.
I actually find professions/crafts really annoying and they tend to get in the way for me, so are they REALLY necessary?
Which is ‘better’ for new players: gathering professions/crafts to make money on the Auction House or production professions/crafts to make things for my character?
Which professions/crafts are well suited for each main Class?

5 – GAMEPLAY.
Because I play alone I often find it impossible to do Rifts or I stumble across one and get killed in seconds and keep dying, what should I do?
Can Rifts be avoided at all?
Is there a class/soul combination that can solo rifts better than others?
I just can’t keep up when there is an invasion (or whatever it is called) because the map shows half a dozen sites that I am supposed to go and defeat all over the place (on my own) but then I get “FAILED†over and over because an invasion is halfway across the map and I can’t get there, what is up with that? – Then I lose all the NPCs!
How is this game supposed to work when eventually you have few or no new players in the early areas and you have to do rifts alone etc.? – There is never anyone around when I play!

Thanks for reading, reasonable answers please and no hate speeches because I left W.O.W. thank you very much.