Completely new, what banner should I wait for?

save all to Babylon release and Merlin. will be the best unit to the game. consider reroll if u not getting him (probly around december iirc)

The really big one that everybody is freaking out waiting for is Merlin (aka Memelin) because he is frankly OP and game-breaking with his skills. Another one to watch out for would be the 7 mil download banner which will have Jeanne D'Arc (Alter) (aka Jalter) because she is probably the best offensive servant in the game. As for the timing of these banners, I have no idea when their banners will come out.

Next is Halloween 2017 rerun: - Tamamo best art support servant
7m download campaign - Jeanne D'arc Alter - single target Avenger
Halloween 2018: - Cleopatra(AOE assassin) Vlad 3(Lancer)
Knights of round tables pickup - Altria(both saber and lancer) and both her alter form, Gawain, Lancelot (both form) and Tristan
Christmas 2017 rerun - Jack the Ripper (best single target assassin for a very-very long time)
Amakusa Shiro pick up - AOE ruler with buff cleaning NP
Attila pickup
Christmas 2018 - Ishtar(Tohsaka Rin) - AOE archer
Babylon chapter release 1 - Enkidu(lancer), Medusa(lily Lancer) Gilgamesh (caster - one of good art offensive support caster)
Babylon pickup 2 - Quetzalcoatl (rider - she has the highest atk value of all rider so far inc JP version), Gorgon(Avenger), Jaguar man(Lancer 3 star)
Solomon chapter release feature Merlin.
New Year got guarantee SSR. Also had several this year limited event servant pick up such as Shiki saber, Gilgamesh, Iskandar, Illyasviel, Scathach, kintoki, Ishtar and new servant Miyamoto Mushashi.

A week or two after that is king Hassan pickup followed by Orion event rerun and Edmond Dantes rerun.

These are Events that will be or might be implemented (since NA hold 7m DW campaign) in this year and January 19

For gacha, try to get Tamamo in first Halloween gacha (she's 5*, 0,7% chance, but theres Assassin Carmilla and Zerc Tamamocat AOE as well), and Jack in the first Christmass gacha (there's also Marie Rider, who is very tanky). If you got with enough quarts by december, try Enkidu, Lolidusa and Caster Gil banner, some good CEs on rate up, alongside them,

Not qurts/gacha related, but do try to focus on fully completing the events this year to get wellfares, free 4*s (and don't forget to buy their copies for NP5 and also their ascension items in the event shop).

First Halloween and first Christmass events are rerun, so this will be your last chance of getting Caster Elizabeth and Rider Artoria Alter, both AOE, Liz has good skills, Santa Alter has immense damage in her AOE NP+1 turn dmg steroid to make it even better. Well, halloween 1 is easy event, so dont worry.

If out of time (and quarts...) you CAN skip the second halloween and the second christmass, as they will repeat in next year, but try if you want. Saber Elizabeth is a good ST buster saber, Lancer Jeanne Alter Lily is a AOE Lancer.

Today's Okeanos singularity banner has Drake on solo rate up together with Medea Lily. That's a must-have character. No one is upset when she appears while they are rolling for someone else. I have other farmers, but I spent a few tickets failing to get her. In addition to Drake, Medea Lily is an amazing healer.

However, if you intend to be F2P completely, just save for Merlin. You will need every single Quartz. :) While rolling for Merlin, you will likely get other random gold characters.