it's quite classic i think
i suggest what most ppl do for a good reason
go to one of the neighbouring starting regions, either duelist or templar, or both like i did
basically starting areas have very strong nodes
also drop all the weak dmg-nodes you took and the weak nodes in general - like armour 10%, dmg 8% - that's all crap
for dmg i would mainly stay with butchery and maybe scull cracking
as soon as your defence is good enough (maybe lvl 75-80) you can up your dmg through the skilltree