Yeah. Schisma is higher. For gunners it's Schisma (Tier7) -> Dreadnaught (T8) -> Lucid (T7) -> Starfall (T9)
Schisma is way better than Idoneal once you enchant it. Schisma is considered the starter gear right now but if you use it properly it can carry you through all the current content. It's relatively easy to Masterwork, Reroll and Enchant.
Dreadnaught is considered mid Tier. It's a step up from Schisma. You should be able to do the upcoming content like Forsaken Inland Hard Mode and Dreadspire 2 if you max it out and have a proper group setup. It is fairly expensive to Masterwork, Reroll and Enchant though.
After that comes Lucid (VisionMaker5) and Starfall (VM6). That gear can be Awakend and thus enchanted to +15. Moreover the Weapon and Chest piece have an additional roll. +15 VM5 gear is considered High Tier. VM6 is the Top Tier right now. But both are very farm intensive and expensive. Lucid weapons go for around 400k on the auction house and Starfall is beyond 1 million gold. Some people skip Dreadnaught for Lucid. Getting Lucid to +12 should be relatively easy. Same goes for the Masterworking and Rerolling because it is considered T7. However Awakening it and Enchanting it to +15 can be literally hell.
I'd recommend getting your Schisma gear to +12 because it is dirt cheap compared to the other sets. Here is an Enchanting and Masterworking guide:
http://www.essentialmana.com/enchanting-masterworking/
After that I'd probably at least try to get a +12 Dreadnaught weapon and Gloves. Then work for a Lucid Weapon or Chest.
What else? Try to do Ghillieglade daily for some steady gold income. Try to finish your Vanguard dailies. The fastest way is joining a TAR group (stands for the That ain't right quest). Other then that have fun with the endgame and learn the dungeons (look for youtube videos)^^
Not sure I'd recommend PvP right now. It is infested with Brawlers. Better wait for the next patch when they are tuned down a bit.
As for Weapon and chest rolls:
Chest: Top Roll: Arcane Barrage Damage +7%. Other rolls: Enrage DMG reduction > Damage from front red. > Damage red. > 8%HP
Weapon: Enrage DMG > DMG from behind > DMG > CDR > ATK Speed (only if top roll)
it's best if you inspect other Gunners and compare with them (try to look for the ones with the shiny titles. they normally know what they are doing^^)