1: yes, lower level missions will give you crap
2: yes, side missions are not required for anything
3: yes and yes
i would suggest just playing through the game, it's quite great. if you really want to be OP your first playthrough i think it'll ruin some of the fun, but to each their own. 50 is cap, btw, so 20 isnt too big of a deal. true vault hunter mode ends at like level 50 i think, so be careful if you rush through it. side missions are great ways to level and get new guns/shields
This post was edited by MeteorKing on Jan 9 2013 08:55pm