Fumanstu definitely have found that it’s worth running away from conflict until you have at least something fully upgraded. I upgraded my heal hack and it helped me stay alive and outlast the other guys twice in one of my matches.
I’ve also discovered that the Gatling gun is the OP gun of choice even without upgrading. There’s just no downside to it. Next to no kick on it, and it’s accurate at short medium and longish range. I got mowed down constantly by it tonight, so I decided to use it for one match and ended up with three kills. People were complaining about it in the beta over a month ago, from looking at the forums. It’s definitely an issue still.
I’ve discovered I can still hold my own with upgraded weapons though. Started to come away with one or two kills most games by focussing on upgrading and just got into the top ten for the first time just now.