First off, I'm not some god tier mech pilot or some old man from Turkey who can shoot the head off a match at 300 yards. I've died many, many times and watched plenty of players die.
The thing I've come to realize is, most of these deaths can be avoided, I hope these tips help.

Don't be greedy

If you're trudging around at over 90% load constantly, don't be surprised when you can't run away from a bandit that's chasing you down. Over 66% and you can't boost as long. Over 80% you can't boost as long on top of not being as nimble when you dodge (less dodge range). If you're over the 80% mark it's time to start heading to the nearest elevator, maybe pick up some more items on the way back but that just makes things riskier.

Be aware of your surroundings

See that lone gazer in the air? Yeah, there's probably a couple of crawlers behind the rock in front of you waiting to suicide bomb you the moment you start firing. That tempting large crystal cluster? Probably has a PK hiding somewhere with a sniper rifle trained on it. Scout around, the radar won't detect something that's not in your line of sight and even then, only Enders. Be aware of the things around you and remember, cover is your friend.

Listen to your Magus

Yes, they're kind of naggy and it's tempting to blast some mood music while you're out mining/killing. Your magus will warn you if it detects the sound of another cradle. Be alert when you hear this. That cradle could be an anti-social loner, someone looking to co-op, an NPC bandit or a player killer who gets off on making you miserable. Ignore your waifu/husbando at your own peril.

Heroics don't work

You're not in a Gundam, that's Bandai's other game. The thing you're riding is called a cradlecoffin. COFFIN. The thing they bury dead (most of the time) people in. It doesn't take much for it to explode, even if the description says it's durable.

First to see, first to flee

Just like real life, seeing a target before they see you gives you the advantage. You have a choice to engage or retreat. If you're going to engage, refer to everything above.

Insurance is American

Yeah sure you can insure your cradlecoffin and get paid money should you lose it, but that goes out the window once you see parts costing millions, with the cost being 10% of the value, most players aren't able to afford it once you progress far enough and unlock the nicer coffins. Insure the cheap ones, yeah, but don't bother with the higher end stuff, the goal is not to lose it in the first place, treat your gear like it's the most precious thing in the world because it is. Of course, if you're made of money, insurance will lessen the pain of losing EVERYTHING on you.

Running is an art

Running around in circles will get you killed.
Running in a straight line will get you killed.
Running while going left and right will get you killed.
Yes, I'm speaking from personal experience.
Run from cover to cover and should the deities of latency and luck be on your side you might just lose that rabid Drifter on your tail.

Watch your six and stay safe, Drifters.

Now that we've covered the basics of staying alive, let's talk about money. Crafting costs money, ammo costs money, healing kits cost money and unless you like living in an abandoned warehouse with holes in the roof, the higher end base upgrades cost a LOT of money. Those of us with a cosmetics obsession have it worse, magus clothing items are some of the most expensive things to spend on. This game has a heavy emphasis on risk/reward so with that in mind, let's start making money.

The Jackbox is a trap

It might sound like a good idea, but from experience, going on sorties in a Jackbox is a complete waste of time unless you're completing a specific objective in a super dangerous area. It has horrible carry capacity, has tissue paper for armor and can't boost long enough to be useful when you have to run. I've said this before, keep your load light, you might be below 66% when you sortie out in one of those death traps, but it easily hits yellow mobility with just a handful of items. Remember, being slow will get you killed. Use the basic Birdwatcher for association or the Ogre for Black Market. You can carry more ammo and healing kits to deal with potential threats instead of running back to the elevator because you ran out of supplies after 5 mins in the field. You're not going to be lucky all the time and bring back high or super high purity crystals so quantity is the most consistent source of income. Don't bother insuring them either, it cuts into your profits, instead buy spare sets as soon as you can, it's pretty easy to get the 48k needed once you start bringing back 5-10k (low end) worth of crystals per sortie without the insurance cost. If you get lucky and manage to bring back lots of High and Super High purity crystals, that's at least 30k.

Sometimes you just have to fight

Some sorties you won't run into any crystal clusters, this happens. While the ender drops will net you some profit, the value to weight ratio just isn't worth it. NPC bandits and parasite cradles drop cradle parts, which are better value but also heavier. This is why Birdwatcher/Ogre is the better choice for scavenging runs; it's decent enough in combat and unless you recklessly charge into a large group, farming them for parts is pretty easy. Remember to keep fights as short as possible and relocate to a different location as soon as you loot, you never know what kind of player heard those gunshots.

And for those feeling extra adventurous and confident in your combat skills, the bandit boss that spawn occasionally has a bounty of 100k, with a magus that you can loot for an additional 20k bonus (credit to =TMM= FallenKing).

Learn to love the rain

The rain might seem horrible, it erodes your cradle adding more stress to your sorties. But it does make enders and crystal clusters drop higher tier items. Bring along a weather gazer type magus for the their weather forecasting abilities and instead of running for shelter when it starts to pour, carry more sealing kits and mine when it rains. Another reason the Birdwatcher/Ogre is the best option, as these 2 cradles have high weather resistance while being relatively affordable.

Don't multitask

You should have a clear objective for your sortie. Bring back crystals or look for wishlist materials. Trying to do both will just get you overloaded not getting any decent profit while still having to go out again to gather materials. You constantly have to restock on healing/sealing kits and ammo so you want to make sure each run is profitable.

The piggy and the elevator

You can build a piggy bank for your magus. It's passive income. Level it up to max as soon as possible. Same deal with the resource elevator, it's passive resource generation and sometimes it even gives you cold, hard cash. Remember to sell the things you're not going to use and upgrade your warehouse regularly, it starts filling up fast. I hardly use mines and grenades so those get sold off as soon as I get them.

Crafting isn't just Home Improvement

Lastly, there's always crafting for profit. The margins are low, the time investment high. But it's a great way to hoard assets you can liquidate in case of an emergency. Grade A batteries require only 2 materials, have a crafting cost of 8k and sell for 28k. All of the purple crafts sell for 118k, use your own judgement on which is worth the time investment and cost to craft. It's always a good idea to have emergency funds available in case you have a series of bad sorties and end up with issues replacing your gear.

Now that we've covered the basics of making money and staying alive, it's time to actually talk about stealth. It might seem like that clanking tin can death trap you're walking around in is impossible to hide, but it actually isn't.

Boosting into trouble

Boosting is nice, you get to skate around in a giant robot tearing through the countryside going from crystal cluster to crystal cluster. There's just one problem, it's loud. Your magus can pick up the sounds of another cradle from a decent ways off, that means other players get that same warning when you're boosting. Boost sparingly and remember that you're exposing yourself when you do, it's better to start walking once your magus alerts you to a cradle in the distance and get to a secluded spot. If you hear the telltale noise of the a player boosting getting louder, get ready for a fight.

You're actually Mario

You know that sound Mario makes when he jumps? Now imagine a safe falling on the ground. That's the sound you make every time you jump and land. Everyone in the immediate area can hear it. Spamming the jump button trying to get up a cliff face is basically telling whoever is nearby to shoot you in the back because you're facing a wall.

Terrain makes a difference

I shouldn't have to say this, but walking on a metallic or rocky surface is loud. If someone is hiding behind a corner waiting to ambush you, they can pretty much tell exactly where you are just by the sound of the cradle stomping around. Conversely, you can use this to figure out if whoever is hunting you is moving away or getting closer while you're hiding under a bridge or behind cover. On the other hand, soil does lessen the sound of footsteps by a decent amount. Sadly, the impact from a landing or a jump is still the same regardless of the terrain.

Your magus isn't just to scan for crystals

I saved this for last because this is a long section. While EQS it does give you a visual representation of safe areas to path through, it won't make that much of a difference if you're being tracked by ear.

The EQS system (left on your magus skill wheel) doesn't need line of sight or even having scanned a target for it to work. As long as there's a cradle in the area, NPC or otherwise, you can activate it. Blue circles means you're can't be detected visually, yellow triangles means you can be spotted but difficult to get a clean shot on, red X is a big no go, you'll be seen and most likely shot at. Stay in the blue circles and move quietly, just because whoever is hunting you down can't see you doesn't mean they can't hear you. If your magus gives you a cradle detected warning, check to see if you can activate EQS, if you can, there's a cradle quite close by and you should be ready to run or fight. If on the rare occasion you're able to activate EQS and nothing appears, the target is still far enough away that you have a chance to boost to safety.

The best part about this system is that it has *no cooldown* and you can pretty much keep it active as long as there's a cradle nearby.

You are going to lose stuff, that's just the game. It's harsh to the point of being depressing. But if you're a stubborn person like who can find enjoyment in it despite it's flaws, I hope these tips make your experience a little more fun. Remember that even the best laid plans work until they suddenly don't, you're going to have bad runs and good runs. Remember to take a break from all the stress that the game naturally induces.

Remember to give the guide a like and a rating if you found it helpful.
Thanks for reading.

Special thanks to Calsetes, VampireBlood, Hex: Edge Sesh and =TMM= FallenKing for helping out with the money section of this guide.