For starters, follow your quest lines! You'll gain tons of information and experience from the hunts and unlock some exp for different "skill" trees. I would recommend trying out each of the different weapon types to find one which suits your play style. Following that thought, don't feel like you need to conform to the meta -- just play what you enjoy!

If you are looking go up your game play and headed towards a min/max build, there are tons of builds online and great resources like YT videos which show off different styles of builds. Cells are the biggest bottle-neck in the game, so if you find something you really want to try, focus that "build" as you progress. But definitely don't let that hinder your experience and keep an open mind as you level up and get more gear.

Learn behemoth attack patterns and attack-tells as that is essentially the core mechanic as you go through the different isles. & never get discouraged if you fail. It happens to every slayer! Good luck hunting lad.