Well, I try to get Intelligence up quickly, at least enough to be ready for iron tools. However, my first 3 perks are ALWAYS Healing Factor, Sexual Tyrannosaurus, and Rule 1: Cardio to level 1. The edge those perks grant cannot be ignored.
For fighting I almost always go for edged weapons, with Deep Cuts and Skull Crusher as my primary perks for that. The AoE bleed from Deep Cuts is nice, especially on higher difficulties when you spend a lot of time doing "slash and run". A machete with the burning mod is a must as well.
Sticking to Strength for combat in the beginning also means you'll be able to get Pack Mule, TRex, 69'er, and Mother Lode up more easily (since you'll already fulfill the Strength requirements).
IMO, the only significant benefit from Perception and Agility are Lucky Looter and Rule 1: Cardio. Fortitude is more important later on with Pain Tolerance and Living Off The Land, but Healing Factor 1 is enough to start with.
I think it's more important to get some basic combat skills and iron tools before you try to set up a real base. You can always do the first horde night by just sitting on top of a building and plinking them with arrows.
