Just hit my first 100 confirmed entities and ready to apply for basic DXCC! I have about 60 confirmations via LoTW and another 50+ paper QSL cards. Since I understand the applications are separate now and all get combined in your personal DXCC account, should I submit my LoTW confirmations first or send in the paper cards? I keep hearing LoTW is faster but want to make sure I'm doing this right for my first application.

You'll need to go into LoTW and prepare the application yourself - select the QSOs you want and make payment there. I'd suggest starting with LoTW since it's faster and cheaper. The online fee is about half of the traditional paper application, plus you'll get your certificate sooner!

Thanks for asking this - I'm in almost the same situation with 70 LoTW and 40 cards! One thing I learned is your DXCC and LoTW accounts must be linked to access the credit matrix. The ARRL will do the linking when you request it after your first application.

There are no more "Mixed" applications combining cards and LoTW, so submit them separately. I always do LoTW first since you can check your new award status in LoTW the day after processing, even before getting anything in the mail. Congrats on the milestone - DXCC is addictive!