Wind_Drift and i are enemies in this game, yet i will back what he said.
When i started, i started solo. I did invite one RL friend to the game, but everyone else i met in-game. And though i find this community to be mostly hateful (it's not just Wind_Drift's faction), i do find some friendly people.
One key to finding friends in here is...to be a friend in here first. Rather than search for someone offering their friendship to you, be a friend to them instead. Some won't care. Some will. A few of those will become friends to you in this game and even the ones who don't might remember you were friendly and you helped them.