gearing is very easy in allods,
everyweek you go to a npc and if you cant find a group just diliver your keys for loot.
that way you gear whit 0 effort or gold spent.
Then when you get a lil bit more gear you can start going whit some partys.
some guilds are not new player friendly, actually all of them have minimum requirements, making hard for new players whit no CS or gear to join any of them, yet there are some casual guilds, whit people that may help you.
Also if you have any questions, you can always ask a moderator in game to give you some hints.
I dont wanna rant but... for me i go to the NPC weekly to chance some keys, but the NPC didnt remove my upgrade costs or needs for amalgam or needs for effort in general
So just annoying way to say, even exhangin keys, u need to do something, the refractors u need to exhange the keys wont pop in your bag just like that