Just got it for $50 digitally on X1. Any tips for the newb/lowbie? My big concern is it taking forever to level in the game.
You mean player level? That means nothing really, don't concern your self with it. Early on you're just gonna want to get renown (the currency). Get your self a decent balance of attack/defence operators and try to avoid Fuse and Kapkan as your early buys, they're good operators but they're popular and picked very quickly and require decent map knowledge to be used well. Good all rounders to get early would be Thermite, Ash, Sledge, Castle, Doc, Jager. Eventually you'll pick up most/all of them and you'll always have a class you like to play available in every round.
In-game, take it slow. To be blunt, it's not Call of Duty or Battlefield. Don't chase kills, that'll get you killed. On attack you ideally want stick with team mates but on attack you will often want to attack from multiple angles if the defenders have boxed the room off completely. On defense a person roaming can work wonders, but it can be a risky strategy. Also be aware of what your weapons strengths are. This mainly applies to whether you're using an SMG, shotgun or assault rifle but you wouldn't hit a barn door from across a building with a shotgun never mind a person, but up close and personal shotguns can be absolutely lethal.
A few things on operators: Thermite is pretty much a staple of any good attack, Ash is a very good all rounder who works well with Glaz. Though Glaz needs good positioning to be used to his full potential, he can score easy kills through open windows, breached walls and doors. Fuze can single handedly win a round but is very risky on hostage, Kapkan traps are easy to spot for experienced players, the Tachanka gun is powerful but has awkward placement, Doc is not that useful in multiplayer currently, IQ is pretty bad, Bandit for walls isn't worth it unless you only have 1-2 walls to do it with, but electrifying barb wire is one of the best ways to kill drones. Mute works wonders on stopping breaching from windows. Jager is under rated, shield classes are very difficult to get kills with but can be a big pain in the arse to kill, a Montagne with 1-2 in support with assault rifles can absolutely dominate. In short, there really isn't a "bad" class in the game except possibly IQ. They all work well together in different ways, and all have counters.