I feel for you. Keep your attitude positive through all of the dying. Every experience potentially can be a learning one, even if you do sometimes feel like a total lost wimp. It's easy to get upset after you've been killed again and again and again, but the game isn't completely about getting up to level 50 asap. There's fun to be had at every level, fun of the RP variety. As a newbie, virtually every area has secrets to be discovered, quests to be solved, and most players offer a good rp opportunity. Think of your role and how your character is affected by the deaths, or escapes from death, and use those opportunites to refine your role so that in the long run, you'll have a better fleshed-out character than you expected.

It's easy for me to say this because I'm applying it to my own character. I've been created for 38 hours, and I haven't even hit level 20 yet. I hope to reach level 20 in another 12 hours. I can't believe how god-awfully slow this is, and I've already lost 3-4 con points. I lose track because I can't actually see my attributes still. Worse yet, every time I get killed, I've lost all my cash, and the one time I was able to afford to be a recall potion I didn't have a chance to use it. Fortunately, it's easy to make enough cash so that you won't starve to death or die of dehydration because people always leave objects on the ground.

I agree that exploration is really really tough, but when I'm not out ranking (which is most of the time), I'm starting to learn the lay of the land. Most of the times I've died, the players have at least left me my eq so that I could have a chance against mobs. Hopefully you're finding the same thing to be true.

The thing I'm trying to tell you is: don't worry about dying. It's going to happen over and over again. It doesn't matter what class or race you are, because you're a newbie, and you're feeling the growing pains. Invis is useless, because anyone who can kill you is going to be able to see invis. Hide is ... not quite as useless, but again, anyone who can kill you is going to have some way to see you hiding. Accept the temporary setback with good grace, and in the long run you'll be a better player if you decide CF is still your cup of tea. And yes, I'm speaking from personal experience. It ain't fun to die in under 5 hits.... repeatedly, but at least you don't lose xp. (How do these lowbie players explain having access to uber eq if they are indeed supposed to act like they don't have any friends coming into this world?)