Short answer: pick Lunara if you want an easier first 10 hours (ranged auto-target, self-sustain), Helion if you want melee feel. For the free Prismana, Glacy is the default safe pick - her Glimmer Shot is a ~15% team damage buff with no element requirement. Pick Grizbo if you want a damage carry instead.

1Starter: Helion vs Lunara

Helion
Melee lion · Light
Dive in, stack buffs off basics, burst with the ult. Teaches you to fight up close early. Downsides: you chase targets, whiff if they walk out of animations, and self-sustain is weaker until skills are upgraded.
Lunara
Ranged moon fox · Light
Auto-target ranged hits, marks, self-sustain on basics, easier kiting. Community consensus: safer for new players and stronger early when you have no team yet.
What you are actually locking: both are Light with identical base stats, and their evolution (Soleon / Fennelun) is an ultimate transformation that drops when combat ends - not a permanent form. You are choosing early combat feel and a cutscene companion, not a late-game carry. Neither stays best DPS forever; both get replaced by specialty Aniimo. Pick the playstyle, not a spreadsheet.

2Twine - The Button That Is the Whole Game

There is no mount. Twine merges you with a caught Aniimo - you become it for combat and traversal.

C  PC R2  PS5 RT  Xbox Press again to untwine

3Free Prismana: How to Claim + Who to Take

PickWhy players take it
GlacyDefaultHeal / Holy + Water. Glimmer Shot: ~15% team damage buff for ~20s, no element requirement - slots into any team. Swim 2 traversal. Healers are rarer in the free list than DPS.
GrizboDamageDPS / Earth + Dark. Dual element covers a huge range of offensive matchups, high ATK. The "I want a carry, not a healer" pick.
HexxinRegen / curse / anti-heal utility.
Blazen / MagmarexBreak pressure - one player picked Blazen at 42 and felt the Break difference immediately.
StellarysRanged Dark/Ice DPS if you already have sustain.
PawneyIf you are building around Break windows.
ScorchhowlSkip unless you love the design - Fire DPS is easy to find (Emberpup line + eggs).
A starter team people actually run: Helion or Lunara + Prismana Glacy + Somniwing + Turbo/Rookey. Buffs go out, then the starter bursts. Holy has few hard walls.

4First Hours Order

Mistakes That Stall New Players

See the Prismana Grid Before You Claim

Walkthrough of the free level-40 Prismana selector - shows the actual grid and argues you cannot really brick the account with this pick.