take the toxin mead the first trip or two. Use it to learn to fight blobs. The timing on their attack lets you melee kill them without getting bombed but it takes practice. Heal mead won't be a bad plan either first trip or two.

use the hoe to make paths that leeches cannot get onto and ignore leeches for now. Later when you can oneshot them with bow you can farm them.

Skeletons are weak, low priority target.

Find a crypt, mark it .. you will likely need multiple visits. Mark untouched, in progress, and empty with different symbols so you don't get frustrated finding more iron.

wraith chains are 'required' (shield, brazier, forge upgrade), try to find at least 20 of them. Unfortunately this is a pain.

your first run, find turnip seeds if you can. Turnip stew is a staple you will use for a long time.

many swamps have no crypts. Move on if you do not find one relatively quickly.