How will you spend your initial hours playing MEA?

This

During EA access:

Watch my dad play some of the opening, watching him curse at the keyboard controls, go in and remap them, watch him curse some more, Nomad, then profit.

I can't speak for other long CCers, but for me it's not an issue of perfect or pretty. I just make a character I think is interesting - pretty, handsome, whatever have nothing to do with it. I've made a few characters some have told me are good looking, but most of my characters tend to end up looking nothing like what's typically considered perfect/handsome/etc in any general Western standard. They just look like every day people, with a distinctive feature or two - like my Shepard's crazy thick eyebrows or my dwarf Inquisitor's broken, scarred nose. I'm not actively trying to make them good or bad looking, just whatever seems to feel right, for lack of a better phrase. I'm fine if they seem handsome or pretty, I'm fine if they don't.

I love drawing and designing characters, so I like to take my time with the CC and see what sorts of things I can create. It's just as much about looking at all my options and trying things as it is getting things "right."

I realize. I did not feel personally attacked so much as offering one example based on my own experience on why some of us would be very in-depth in the character creator.

CC for a long while - either deciding to go with default Scott or my own - then messing with the Nomad considerably to see how the exploration side of the game works for me.

Here's how I imagine it'll go:

Open up the game and listen to the main theme.

Bounce up and down because I can't handle it.

Get to the character creator and start customizing. Become impatient and pick the default.

Rush through the tutorial until I unlock the skills menu.

Pore over each and every ability and all their permutations and bonuses.

Marvel at all the build options. Pick charge and nova anyway.

Charge ALL the things! Probably die. Restart.

I'll probably spend 10 hours mucking about in the MP for the early access. After that? Considering I have all the game files at that point

I'm not saying it's datamining, but...

Sign up for Early Access with Origin and blow all ten hours in the CC. I wish I was kidding but alas, I spent seven tweaking everything about my Shepard in ME2. The only time I've been lazy about CCs is through mods with ME3.

I'm playing on early access, so... Like most here, I'm going spend a lot of time in CC customizing my Sara (probably more than an hour to make sure she's perfect). Scott looks cute as he is.
Then I think I'll just continue with the story, taking my time to enjoy everything. I think there'll be a lock preventing us to progress through a certain point, so I'm not worried I'll spoil anything for myself.
Gosh, the 16th can't come soon enough.

Right? All I ask for the love of god, please put decent lighting in the CC. And no lengthily cut scenes after it. I'm certain I won't be satisfied with my first Ryder attempt. I don't want to spend ten minutes before I can redo it all. 

We must always follow the Vanguard ABCs

Always
Be
Charging