Macros
Well you don't really need all of those macro lines until endgame where you have a lot more equipment swapping to do. If you need the space you can use any number of 3rd party macro editors which I know many people do though it is against the rules. However, if SE banned everyone that used Windower (agains the rules) they would lose well over 50% of their current user base.
As for the number you get 200 macros per palette. You have 10 Ctrl and Alt rows from 1-0. Additionally you can save and load 4 separate palettes each containing 200 macros for 800 total. If wish you can actually move some files around in windows if you know what you are doing and have virtually unlimited numbers of macro palettes.
I don't see SE adding extra macro space as they haven't changed it since the beginning of the game and why now? If you don't wanna use a 3rd Party macro program you can always be like me and have multiple equip changes in multiple macros which is a pain in the ass but it works.
Skillchains and Magic Bursts
While several SCs are possbile at those levels I think Liquefaction is the one you'll see the most. Also the newer players and even old players playing through at those levels sometimes feel it's not worth their effort to make SCs even though they really work wonders. As you proceed throughout the game you'll find that nobody does any SC almost ever except Distortion. This is because just about every good XP mob in the game is weak to Ice. Also Distortion is easily made by almost everyone. Sadly this is why MNKs don't get many PT invites at lower levels as they cannot open Distortion and people turn their back on other SCs even though they can work just as well.
Another thing to understand is magic potency in FFXI. I think this is a huge flaw but this is how it works. From strongest to weakest ALWAYS AND FOREVER is Thunder > Ice > Fire > Wind > Water > Stone. This is the reverse order that you will get each spell on your jobs. Sadly elemental resistance isn't what it should be and you can use Thunder on a mob that isn't particularly weak to Thunder and do more damage than using the element it is weak to. I hate this but that's the way it is.
This has also a huge effect on SCs. As I said you will only do Distortion, especially early in the game and Ice is the second strongest spell and bursts on Distortion. Later people will use Fragmentation more which you can burst Thunder on. As for the added damage of the burst I'd say it's between 30 adn 50% more damage and can be even greater depending on elemental affinities and what gear you have. Though it's possible to get 'meh' damage on a MB.
Weapon Skills
You gain points of skill as you use the weapon. Early in the game you get skill ups on your weapons very quickly. Almost every time or every other time you hit you'll get a message "Thephoenix's sword skill rises 0.2 points." Eventually you'll get it leveled up. As I'm sure you've read there is a cap for each level for you to reach. You do not automatically get skill ups to learn a weaponskill but must continue to skill up until you get it. If you are playing a melee job you will generally cap your primary weapon pretty quickly just buy meleeing in XP.
On the plus side there are a lot of skills beyond just weapon skill. As you skill something up on one job you'll find that when you change you already have it. For instance. On my 75 BRD I have capped evasion around 215 and decently high parry skill around 120 or so (Parry is freakin' hard to skill up). Also I have dagger, sword and staff capped at their respective caps for BRD and many other skills as well. When playing another job these will all be capped for a very very long time.
When leveling my NIN I found it very easy because my Evasion and Parry were already capped. When I level jobs that use sword, dagger or staff each of those weapons is already capped for a long time on those jobs whilch makes you much more effective and you'll find that you can XP faster and just be a far more effective all around player. However, if I play a job that has higher 'class' in a weapon I have capped they may not be capped at 75. PLD I believe is A (+ or - I can't recall) in sword. I'm on C- I believe. So my PLDs sword skill would go uncapped around level 72 or 73 most likely and I'd have to continue to skill it up to recap it at 75 on the job that has the highest class in it.
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