I've been playing Vintage Story for a month or two on a LAN server with one other person and consider myself a definite beginner.
But! I wanted to join a multiplayer server anyway and have scoured the server list for (active) options.
I've joined two 'Dirt Hut Architects' (a server with a whitelist you'd get added to after applying) and 'GnomeZone' (a public server).
They both seem like reasonable servers, as far as I can tell.
So I'm putting it out there: if you prefer PVE and friendly players, either or both of these servers is solid.
I'm still settling in on both worlds, so if you do join, let me know and we can help each other out or settle as neighbors.