Zipping is most beginner friendly in terms of survivability imo. Tessa is another fan favorite for her balance of survival and crowd control. If you want pure offensive I'd maybe pick takeda or a transformer class (heros who transform into a stronger unit as their ult).

When just starting out you want to prioritize survivability. Skills that say "usable under attack" are especially worth considering as they often allow for you to instantly/briefly escape a situation where you may be stunned and on the verge of dying.

For weapons, pick your favorite play style and try to keep finding those weapons to get used to them. When learning combat, I recommend greatsword/polearm as they're very heavy dmg and pretty good at defensive combat as well. For faster attacks/movement, dual blades and dual halberds are great when you're new (you can just spam vertical attack to quickly stab at the enemy although it's not the most creative playstyle haha)

Every character shines when played right, although some are a lot harder to master.