General tips and tricks will be to do what you want, so long as you're aware of the consequences behind your actions. Freedom and all. Attribute spread is generally recommended to be evenly split, for maximum versatility. Farming mob monsters gives better EXP than farming bosses, but the latter gives loot and gear in exchange for low EXP gainz. Walkthroughs and recommended builds are all trash due to differences in Nuclei, so literally just follow your heart.

Cosmetic changes are common in the same way that plastic surgery is common, except it's magical rather than just cutting you up.