I agree with you about the game being too brutal for newbies and I do think the staff has an ongoing goal of trying to make that less true. (And some progress has been made - for example, "outfit" is much more expanded than it used to be, and once upon a time, newbies could starve as early as level 1.

I do hope you'll consider giving it another try. Just in case (or if someone else reads this) a few tips about food. (Which I *don't* think is a silly concern for you to have. I think some who may be dismissive of this, may really not empathize with how confusing the game came be to a new person. Clearly from your articulate post, you are not a buffoon.)

Regarding food - I'm going to share this, because this is the kind of detail I don't think should be kept secret.

- Many players learn a trick of stocking up on super-cheap bread in the Academy before level six.

- Galadon: There is safe food to eat in the Weald just outside Galadon, on the ground (fruit) and some grubs hidden beneath the floor in the Lumberyard.

- There's a soup kitchen in Voralian City, near the recall location. If you enter it as a hungry and impoverished newbie, they will feed you. (Now I'm wondering if we should offer this kind of welfare in the other cities.)

- Careful about Nre's suggestion of eating random steaks on the ground. Sometimes, this can end up poisoning you. However, if you group with a ranger, have them butcher some for you and stock up. Similar with other classes, such as healers, who can provide you with free food.

- Commerce! Make an effort to sell extra items when in town. This will not only net you some commerce experience, but give you a little extra spending money. Lightweight items of type "treasure" are this least cumbersome and often the easiest to sell. When you 'list' items at a shop, there's also an indication of which items a shopkeeper will buy.

- Once you earn a little money, squirrel some away in the bank so you have accessible funds for items like food if you end up losing all your stuff.

- Finally, I often recommend rangers as an ideal newbie class, because they are hearty, can solo a lot, and have a lot of great skills to assure survivability - including being able to access their own food and water, and conceal themselves in a manner as to be unseen by almost everyone.