First, welcome to the game. Second, there is a Warden forum where you will get many more responses that know what they are doing, than you will here. Third, if you are going to PVP, Ward/S is great. If you are going to PVE, Ward/S is great. If you plan on doing instances with a group, get used to being... not so great. Many Ward/S switch to Scout later in game because of the difficulty in getting instance runs as a Warden. That pet, Chiron, is great, hits like a truck, but in instances, RoM needs to get their pet control a bit better. Pets tend to wander around a bit, and that can aggro things not wanted. So many Ward/S players are told to keep their pet put away. But for questing and having fun, it's awesome.
The long range you will do will be with Chiron when you get him. Your personal attacking skills, bow and a 2H weapon.
Yes, you do have to switch classes to level your Scout. It should be at least taken to level 50, if not higher. And you can only level your primary class. As far as what you should know, check the new player guides on this forum. LOTS of great info.
