[JaydedOne]

I actually found it very forgiving for a newbie, at least in single-player. The AI responds poorly to enemies in the water (it takes it a while to figure out how to launch amphibious assaults), which gives you plenty of time to turtle up, gather resources, and figure out where the best strike point on land is. The paralyze ability offered by masses of illithids tears big holes in an enemy's offensive, allowing you to tear through them with your generally low-armored creatures. And Astral magic is great all-purpose stuff.

Granted, in multiplayer, it's different as players tend to recognize R'lyeh's weaknesses more readily.