Heroes of the Fallen Lands clarification wanted

To those that actually have the book:

I have been reading numerous posts across various forums and I am still confused about what is actually in this book.

Specifically:

Are the classes new and complete (similar to PH1) or just new builds (similar to PH2/3)?

Do they have completely new powers or just updated powers from core rules?

Do they follow the level progression table in PH1?

I've heard they get abilities at certain levels, are these powers or simply features (and does this make them more powerful than current classes/builds)?

Are they truly 100% compatible with existing characters - are other players going to notice (for better or worse) an Essentials character in their group?

Tricky110974 said:

Are the classes new and complete (similar to PH1) or just new builds (similar to PH2/3)?

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They are completely playable and self-contained. With that said, they can take appropriate powers and feats from other sources, and "regular" 4e characters can take appropriate Essentials powers and feats. It's more or less exactly what WotC said it'd be.

Do they have completely new powers or just updated powers from core rules?

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Most are new, but some are updated, and some are identical to core powers. The updated ones are all in the recent Rules Update.

Do they follow the level progression table in PH1?

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There's no difference in XP progression. Wizard (Mage) and Cleric (Warpriest) use the same power advancement, with a few off-level features thrown in. The Martial classes do their own new thing, but the XP progression is unchanged.

I've heard they get abilities at certain levels, are these powers or simply features (and does this make them more powerful than current classes/builds)?

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Questionable. I don't think the new Fighter and Rogue builds are as versatile as PHB Fighters and Rogues. The new Cleric build is ... kinda boring, IMO. About the only possible power-up is the Mage build for the Wizard - and that's questionable, because they can only use their features with a limited list of spells. (Whereas for Staff and Tome wizards, the sky's the limit.) About the only serious perk they get is a third at-will.

Are they truly 100% compatible with existing characters - are other players going to notice (for better or worse) an Essentials character in their group?

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100% compatible. You'll notice some differences in play, particularly with the Martial classes, but I see zero problem in playing Essentials characters alongside PHB characters.

WotC wasn't joking around when they promised that these are simply new builds, and that the fundamental game is still the same 4e.

-O

Thanks for the quick reply.