There are so many topics about Renewal, but it's really hard to get any basic info for newbies out of any of them. I need answers in English, not in l33t speak. And no complicated formulas, either. Simple questions, simple answers.

1. What is that stat / skill reset for? Everyone's talking about how expensive it is, how the prices are unfair because it's really necessary for most characters, but I can't find any post telling exactly why it's necessary. Are the stats modified so drastically that normal pre-Renewal builds are rendered useless? Surely Thieves still need AGI, Archers still need DEX, and so on, right? And where can I find ideal builds for the different jobs, then?

2. What's the deal with Exp gathering? People make loads of posts full of numbers and formulas and all of that detailed stuff, but let's keep it simple: Leveling. Harder? Easier? No difference for low-level 1st-jobbers? No difference at all? There aren't that many possibilities, actually.