I don't know why leveling is in the game at all, I don't enjoy it and don't see the need for it. Still, peasant stage is easily bearable when you just change your goals. Don't expect to be topping the scoreboard.
When I started playing I wasn't ever going to be able to compete. I played for an entire month, and believe me, I played a lot when I first started, and I was still at an enormous disadvantage. I just got myself a shield, stuck with the good players, got myself a pike and spent most of my rounds watching for the big tanky plated chargers running around. It was very rewarding to see your team kill the top scorer on the enemy team, because of me stopping the horse.
Now the entire system has changed, it takes about 3-4 hours to reach level 20, which makes you quite able to compete. There is even a below lvl 20 server, where you can fight players who have a similar level and get 1.5x the xp you regularly get. Just focus on supporting your teammates. Most people can have fun without killing, you know. You are not useless at any level.
Hell, you can even skip the fun and be instant lvl 30 if its such a big deal to you.