first and foremost, if you are new.

1. do all the quest in the starter area.
2. run around and loot the ship wrecks, unlock as much as gear as you want before moving on. i personally unlocked some armors, light wood base building, backpack, a few weapons, the dingy, and spider.
3. when you leave the starter map, you will only take 1 walker with you. so i wouldnt go crazy building everything because its a waste of time and materials.
4. stock up on materials before leaving. max out all water storage. keep extra water in your fireplace for later use. the quest continue onto the next server, it will ask you to build a dingy and a small base. then itll want you to travel to a trader for a few more quest and then your done.
5. once i left the starter map i never had frames per sec problems again.

now that you are done with the noob stuff.
1. scout the next map. if the hostility is high forget it. find one with low hostility and players. once you join a map, watch the chat, get an idea of whats up.

2. get out of the open desert ASAP if you have a larger walker, in open desert the dingy and up can be spotted from some distance.

3. avoid areas with limited needed resources, such as water areas with cattails, because they are high traffic areas.

4. make a stealthy fall back base. keep it small and hidden. make a bed, a box with some gear, a fire place with water in it, and maybe materials for a small walker. just in case you get zerged, youre not at a complete lose. use stealthy walkers, i personally use a nomad spider because it can climb straight up cliffs and doesnt stand out. also you can pack 3 chest into it. keep a dingy with a storage base in the lobby, now you dont have to worry about losing your best stuff. except for when you need to travel to other maps or need to unpack your base.

5. you should take the time to learn the server regulars, who they are and where they are located. most server regs tend to be nice and just want to play/build. in my experience most trouble comes from when server regs travel to other maps for fighting/raiding. you better believe trouble will follow them back.

6. keep a low foot print. when gathering, keep a watch for walkers or other ninjas coming for the same materials. if you are chopping large trees, stop one chop short of it falling. this way, anyone at a distance wont see falling trees. if no one knows you are there, you cant be zerged. stop short on any material that would bring attention to you.

7. in another stealthy area, make a small craft base. doing this will prevent you from having to pull your dingy out and unpack your base just to craft something simple. i dont think you want your base raided because you need to make 1 rope.

8. dont make trouble for yourself, if you plan to stay on one map for more then a few days. dont go around raiding people. they will do their best to hunt you down and wipe you out, should you be spotted. also avoid the messes other people make, unless your willing to join their cause. because once your known, again people will come looking.

9. practice pvp. ither with people willing to duel or on the rupu. practice blocking against at least 3 to 4 rupu. their are plenty of people that cant actually pvp well. their are many videos of 1vx where the 1 comes out the winner with more gear then they can carry. all because they have skill. dont misunderstand, if you are facing 5 or more players you are done.

10. have fun, if you are so terrified of losing everything. that it actually prevents you from playing the game. whats the point, everything can be replaced with ease.

11. pirates, these players roam around and zerg everything in sight. reasoning, or bargaining with these zergs wont work. if you are spotted and you dont want to fight, run. if you dont have sand in your gears run off map and log out. or head to an oasis, take your spider up a mountain. go somewhere their walker will have trouble moving. even then you might have to watch out for players trying to follow you on foot. good news is, it might only be 1 or 2 players. bad news is, it might be their best pvpers. if you have nothing to lose, go straight for them and fight. it can be fun, good practice, and a learning experience.

12. prepare for a zerg. set up a trap areas, such as, finding a small area between mountains. where you can place barriers (youll have to unlock them) that prevent walkers from passing. drive your spider right between them and watch their large walker get stuck. you make a great escape and they rage. if you really want to troll them, set up that repeater turret before hand as part of the trap. now you can rain down some pain on them. being creative and plan ahead.

i hope this helps people out. have fun and stay in the shadows.