I heard that the game is very brutal, I.e. Nobody gives a crap about new players and shoots them on sight. Is this true? Or would someone be able to buddy up with me? Are there companions in the game (NPC)?
Well, it's partially true. Depends on the factions you run into. For instance, if you run into the Khans (of whom I'm a part), you're almost certainly going to be killed. But that's okay, because you avoid the consistent slaughter by joining us. And since the Khans are actually pretty awesome guys to hang around with (not to mention the most powerful group in the game), that isn't a bad thing to do.
With that said, I'm sure you can find someone to tag along with, but I should warn you that unless you have a band of people around with you everywhere, it's still not very good security. Though, yes, you can hire NPC companions if you desire and can, if I'm not mistaken, outfit them with whatever you want them to have.