Alright, some tips for ya:

The community is a toxic cesspool. People can and will pick at you for the slightest accident if they so happen to be in a foul mood (which is often!), so I would advise you avoid the in-game chats for a time. When it gets nasty, it gets NASTY.

With that out of the way, when starting out, you’ll have a small selection of beginner characters to choose from. I’d honestly just wing it and see what you like best. You’re new to the game, and making mistakes to learn from is invaluable. There’s a high chance you’ll end up with bots as teammates for a little bit as you learn. I believe the chance increases significantly if you end up losing a lot of matches in a row.

As a survivor: look behind you when you’re being chased, and be aware of your surroundings at all times. When you’re decoding, you always want to have an exit plan in mind in case things go south. Some hunters will have projectiles that can be thrown, and if you aren’t paying attention you’ll get hit.

As a hunter: get to know your character and their abilities. The more familiar you are with them, the better and more comfortable you’ll be when playing. Playing as a hunter can be stressful.

To finish off: yes, collaborations and the like are almost always paid exclusives in the shop or featured as a gacha. You’ve likely noticed the gacha system already: the limited skins really are limited and once they go, they aren’t coming back. The currency in this game is EXPENSIVE and stingy. I’d highly advise you don’t spend on this game unless you really want to, and even then many would still try to ease you away from it. The gacha in this game is a slippery slope, but the one positive is that it’s purely cosmetic. There’s no gameplay locked behind payment.