The faults of just starting

[Leep]

It's not impossible to find newcomer friends. But as others have pointed out already, a lot of the people and Linkshells that have been around for a long time are really focused on getting relic weapons and soon-to-be-unobtainable achievements done before v1.0 shuts down (this goes for Japanese players as well).

Best advice I can give is to be friendly, stay positive, keep your chin up, keep trying... and eventually you should be able to build your circle of friends.

It also helps to show some dedication to building your character, and be present in places where people congregate (i.e. Ul'dah). I think a lot of established Linkshells are wary of inviting too many new players who may just quit after a short while and clog up their roster.

I see where your coming from. I understood the difficulty of the game, was severely unprepared for the difficulty of the social aspects of the game. I like it.