I found that the best way to start was to play a few runs as the Marsh Taur preset. They have pretty good survivability, and you can explore the world and try to learn the basics. You'll die a lot, but you'll also learn what kills you. After a few times of doing that (and trying a few different presets), I did a little bit of cheating to revert my save by closing after I died before returning to the menu. I got to about level 25 that way, and I learned a whole lot. I could continue, but I think it's more interesting as a traditional roguelike. Now I'm back to starting new characters when I die, but with a lot more context.

Some people play on RPG mode and that's a perfectly valid way to go too. I believe you revert to the last village you were in if you die.

It's a really deep simulation so it does take a while to learn, but once it clicks you're in for a great time.