There's a level cap that requires you to finish the early quests before you can level up to max.
But I had no idea, so I just kept plowing through the story. Didn't realize it until I was 2/3 of the way through the whole story.
Also, I didn't really pay attention to the game's instructions, so I had no clue when I was supposed to deal damage.
Figured that one out when I only had 5% of the story left.
There are skill levels in the game — you're supposed to level up your core skills first, and then the sub-skill stats. I didn't even know core skill leveling was a thing.
Realized that one 2 days ago.
For the record, I'm 5 months in now.