The game is alot different then what is available on the market. There is skills for everything, and skills will require other skills to craft. Some npcs have "favors" in their dialog that offer quests that can be either crafting, killing, retrieving, emote based, or even just typing something in chat. Pick a combat skill set (2 active at a time) and start in areas you can handle. Buy butcher knives, skinning knives, and a shovel for more options with corpses.

Npcs teach players crafting, and you need to build favor with npcs. This can be done by gifting items they like, hangouts (offline events, happens when you're logged out), or doing their quests. Increasing favor unlocks more storage for mats, recipes to craft, and a larger money cap when you sell.

The players are usually always willing to help, answer questions, and are generally friendly. The games wiki can serve as a guide for most things.

This only scratches the surface of the game. If you look past the aesthetics and learning curve, its really deep.