One thing to keep in mind is that it is much, much harder to make a bad character. Do sweat it to much and instead focus on what you think is thematically cool. It'll probably work.
Concerning the ability scores, just take it one step at a time. Start with 10s and then add them as told by each step of the ABC process, with a 4th step of raising 4 of your ability scores.
Just think about what you want your character to be good at and give them those scores. The distance between a good character and a bad one is so much smaller than you can just not worry about optimization too much.
Go with the flow, dude
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Max your attack stat, whatever it is (casting stat for casters, for example). Then up your DEX to the max allowed by the Armor category you are proficient in.
Upping WIS is good for Perception, Initiative, Will save.
That's it for ability scores.
Depending on the class, raising Con a bit is never a bad idea.
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Keep it simple.
Unlike in PF1, you won't be able to tackle all the obstacles with one superhero, yet you also don't need to hunt down esoteric bonuses in order to maximize. Most of the power lies ingrained in one's class and its progression (w/ feats as a bonus rather than critical).
Ex. an 18 Str Fighter will automatically be good at melee fighting, and it'd take effort to screw that up. This of course frees you up to relax when making your PC choices, as does the generous Retraining mechanic.
So choose the class that does what you want your PC to focus on, rather than look for the mythical "best combo". Trying to master spheres outside your class's purview while neglecting what the class does is about the only way to fail at PC building.
(And sidenote: Warpriest is a full caster w/ boosted defense at the cost of some spell offense/counteracting. It's NOT a warrior w/ priestly vibes (though those can be made several other ways). It's a tougher priest. If in doubt about a class, look at the stats options. If it's not giving you the class stat bonus for your PC's main shtick (generally its offense), it's not the class you want. At least not until you're an ex-newb.)
As for other stats, expect to increase Dex, Con, & Wis to 18 eventually.
Less than that will leave you too vulnerable to crit fails which are game-changing. And they have important other roles: AC/h.p./Perception.
And stats can't be Retrained. :)
Expect to have to maneuver around the battlefield. Thankfully, PF2 isn't centered around "full attacks" like PF1 so as long as you can get your 1st attack in or fire off a 2-action spell, you're free to use your other action(s) for alternate tactics. Moving away from enemies can often be much more valuable than taking a long-shot swing.
On the flip side, this also means if a monster can get its first attack on you, that represents much of its offense too. This situation makes for a more mobile game than in previous editions.
And I'd avoid companions & familiars with your first PC.
They're cool & functional, but not the powerhouses they used to be and they need a lot of attention (both from you and your PC).
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This would be easier if we knew what specific PC you wanted to build, but here goes:
1. Put an 18 in the Ability Score your PC uses to attack
2. Choose a class where the Key Ability Score is used for attacks
3. Think about what your PC does on a round-by-round basis
4. Which Ability Score does your PC not need? Leave those at 10 or choose an ancestry that has a penalty to those Ability Scores
5. Never dump CON or WIS, select STR and DEX to maximize AC. CHA and INT are safe dump stats on some PC builds.
One thing to keep in mind is that it is much, much harder to make a bad character.
I think this comes down to perspective. I would phrase it slightly differently: that 2E has some pretty significant guardrails that prevent you from making a character that's too bad, and prevents others from making characters that are too good (and making your character bad by comparison).
I am finding myself having a very hard time getting started.
Start with 2E vs 1E.
2E isn't the system where you can Frankenstein a bunch of feats together and end up with a +35 Perception at Level 5. You're going to cap off just above +4+2+Level for a bunch of skills, and you're going to be a monster with +5+6+Level.
This gives you the freedom to start the way that honestly all RPG characters should start: with your imagination.
- What is your character good at? (Can't be everything!)
- What is your character bad at? (Can't be nothing!)
- What does your character like? (Not necessarily the same as what they're good at.)
- What does your character dislike?
This next part is unconventional, but I find it helpful: decide what you want your final scores to look like before you start. You get 9 boosts total, and you want an 18 in your primary. So, unlike rolling 4d6 or whatever, you're probably going to end up with a distribution like 18/16/12/12/10/10 or 18/16/14/10/10/10 or 18/14/14/12/10/10.
Now, work backwards - take away your four free boosts first, and then take away your class boost. You'll now know where you need your ancestry and background boosts to come from. The only real limitations here are that one of your background boosts has to match one of your two highest scores, and your ancestry can't have a flaw in your primary. I think just about every other combination can work (don't quote me on that, though).
You'll probably have 3-5 ancestries you can choose from, and 5-10 backgrounds that are okay. Choose them to match your character's character.
There are mechanical advantages to being from certain regions and stuff, but I advocate ignoring it all unless you've got perfection-dar and can't stand the idea that you may have an A- character instead of an A+ character.
Pick two skills that are useful. Very often, you'll want a "third action" (three Strikes is not optimal most of the time) - Athletics/Deception/Diplomacy/Intimidation/Medicine/Stealth offer useful trained actions, plus Arcana/Occultism/Nature/Religion can identify. If you have others, fill the rest with fun stuff based on what your character likes. There are no "trash" skills like Appraise in 1E.
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To get any useful advice, you'll really need to provide us with the type of character you are trying to build (Sneaky Rogue? Unstoppable Barbarian? Ranged Wizard?) and your expected group composition (a large party might favor a build with debuffs (like Dirge of Doom) while a smaller group might favor a more direct approach, while a knockdown fighter synergizes best with characters that have Opportunity Attacks).
The more information you provide, the more likely you are to get relevant advice...