1) you can now attach Armour to you player and you can see you player in a 3D widget on the inventory.
2) Main objectives and secondary objectives have been add you can view the list in the inventory by clicking the Objectives Tab.
2a) You will gain XP from completing any objective.
2b) When you complete an objective a sound will play and text will show up in the top right hand corner of you screen. This will tell you which objective you have completed and how much XP you gained.