I am about to hit 60 WHM (either today or tomorrow hopefully), and am completely new to the game otherwise. My item level is currently 142. What are peoples' suggestions on what I should focus on next, as a player who enjoys tackling the harder PvE content?
As an aside, my secondary classes (THM and ARC) are at the suggested levels already for cross-class abilities, and my relic weapon is up to Zenith, with 2 Animus from FATEs already (because I read that that quest line is going to be continued). I also have no crafting skills leveled; doesn't really interest me. How important are they?
Finish the story (obviously ), at which point you'll presumably have a high enough item level to do Neverreap and Fractal, which are the level 60 dungeons you'll be running alongside your roulettes for law tomestones, to get ilevel 170 gear. Do your daily and weekly hunts (hopefully as you've already been doing) so you can upgrade the 170 gear to 180. Beyond that..find a linkshell/free company/static group to do hard 8-man stuff like extreme primals and very soon Alexander with.
The relic's not important anymore at 60 since there'll be a new one, but it's still nice to finish for vanity's sake. Crafting's not important for PvE either, as far as I know, since PvE gear generally doesn't have materia slots in it, and the crafted gear doesn't reach PvE item levels I think.
Get to ilv 145 for Neverreap and Fractal.
If you have enough tomes grab some gear already if not run your daily roulette (low,high and trial) pretty much.