As I understand it, joining a server that others have played on extensively while you are starting with the basic start game Viking exposes one to all sorts of hazards missing from an unexplored world.

I would want to know what help other players on the server would be willing to provide.

This situation reminds me of a piece of dialogue early in the Cohen brothers' movie, Blood Simple. "In Russia, every one helps everyone else at least in theory. In Texas, you are on your own."