When I first came to Toribash in 2010, I did not know even 5% of what this game really was. I was rambling on it several months because I have always liked the simple and different games. But since all I knew about the game was the in-game part, then got bored because I did not see anything new that impressed me. (Actually I was a noob: level god) So I went in and came out several times, until my last account created in 2013, which I am now. Then I discovered better all this about the forum and stuff (spar, parkour, events, etc) through the videos of Mocucha and the popularity of sparring rooms.
So in my experience, at the beginning I did not have any clear and strong guidance I could have discovered all that has Toribash. Chances are that most new users begin testing the game before entering the forum, as in the game there is almost nothing who tells you even that there is a forum, then they will see mostly what they find inside the game. And, if they found it or someone told them to go to forum, then they might not know how to use it. The player must find everything to know how the hell this runs. And THAT is one of the problems in which Toribash might seem stuck or going down.
Something inside the game should welcome the new users and show them all the most interesting things Toribash has(including the forum, seasonal events, tourneys, community, etc). As some people said before about the tutorial in the game, it should improve how the introduction is done, so the players will know at first what they are dealing with.