I'm not a newb per say, I may not be vet status but I just didn't care about going ultra prep heavy to prove my build strength. I used axes rarely because axe didn't put out the damage I did with swords. I knew my mistake with my weapons, I adapted to it and continued on finding my best way to fight with my character. I tried something out, stuck with it and in some cases I shined, in others not so much. It happens and we either die, flee, or win and move on to the next time, not del del cause we lost.