questions from an old noob (update/ch2)

I logged on today after a long absence to find drastic changes... and I'm only getting bits and pieces of answers here and there... could someone please explain some things to me?

1-is this similar to the BWE's? ie. it's kind of a teaser to prepare us for the expansion?
2-I thought I read somewhere that people wouldn't have to buy the Faction's update... what's that mean? That I don't have to buy the expansion or that I get access to the weekend events without buying the expansion? I don't get it. Something of this magnitude can't simply be an update.
3-Are the new characters available? I've seen people talking about them as though they were but I deleted a character and I still only have 6 classes to choose from.
4-What's the purpose of the Canthan ship I now find myself in? It seems just a training area, but does it hold any real purpose other than just getting my mouth watering? (ie. if I do the training will I then be able to take a ritualist/assassin secondary... or even make the character as primary?)
5-After the actual release of Ch. 2, do those of us who have the original but don't buy the next installment (it's quite a burden to have it imported to me) get anything else?

Is there any other information which I should know? All the information I've seen so far seems to be aimed at someone who has been following it already. I look at some of the pages and it seems I'm just dropped into the deep end of a brand new game and I can't really make sense of it...

Again, forgive my noobishness... could someone give me the lowdown?

EDIT: the Canthan ship seems to be a training zone... for... brand new players o.0 Can anyone go here or do they have to reach LA first? Seems LA is quite far along to be telling people about how area effect works and how to make a team...

first

it is a full price second chapter and the *its free* people have no idea of whwt is going on.

it is the first tease of many for this weekend only.

next event should be for PVE me.

see GW site for event info

[QUOTE=DrSLUGFly]I
1-is this similar to the BWE's? ie. it's kind of a teaser to prepare us for the expansion?
Yup

2-I thought I read somewhere that people wouldn't have to buy the Faction's update... what's that mean? That I don't have to buy the expansion or that I get access to the weekend events without buying the expansion? I don't get it. Something of this magnitude can't simply be an update.
This teaser is free, the expansion will need to be bought when it officially comes out

3-Are the new characters available? I've seen people talking about them as though they were but I deleted a character and I still only have 6 classes to choose from.
They aer only available as PvP characters for now

4-What's the purpose of the Canthan ship I now find myself in? It seems just a training area, but does it hold any real purpose other than just getting my mouth watering? (ie. if I do the training will I then be able to take a ritualist/assassin secondary... or even make the character as primary?)
Its a training zone indeed, PvP-only characters start here. Its part of the Battle Islands; which is where all PvP stuff is now located.

5-After the actual release of Ch. 2, do those of us who have the original but don't buy the next installment (it's quite a burden to have it imported to me) get anything else?
I cant answer that, and I doubt anyone really can at this point. Who knows what the future may or may not hold?

Hope that helped, a lot of people are confused about whats going on.

you can only make as/ri's when making pvp characters...

thanks for the groovy answers explains much.

The fact that this is a starting area for PvP explains most, since the "training" seems aimed at such low level (ie. pre-sear)