How can I progress (lvl 26)?

I was just wondering how to progress, I'm fairly early game, with some gear that I got from identifying drops. What should I do in general, what gear should I get, and where should I farm combat? (mage class)

 

For the first time player, you really shouldn't need to grind levels much, if at all. As for gear, look into the Adventurer Set, that'll carry you for a while. Also, utilize the trade market's search and filter functions. You can look for items in specific level ranges, rarity, and even specific stats you're looking for (e.g mana regen, elemental damage%)

In regards to actually playing the game and leveling up though, just explore! Find discoveries, secret discoveries, complete dungeons, and do your quests. You'll hardly ever have a downtime where there isn't some type of content (whether that be new quests or a new dungeon) that forces you to halt progress to go grind mobs, which I feel is a much better approach for one's first playthrough especially.