kiladian, im in the same boat as you. new to the game and found myself getting annihilated towards the end of the beginner area (lvl 15ish). then when i finally got a chance to play with my friend he noticed i was getting killed way too often.
the solution was simple and everyone has already mentioned it. go to the trading post, filter out every armor category for your level and just buy gear. doesn’t have to be expensive… i think i spent like 2 silver total at level 15 for a whole new set of armor, all of which had the + toughness stat. once i did this, i found myself VASTLY more sturdy and i can even take on enemies quite a few levels above me.
guardian is getting slowly more enjoyable. although im really hoping it continues taking off from here.