Latvian's reputation for being grammatically complex mostly comes from its seven-case noun system — but a beginner doesn't need to master all seven cases before making real progress.
Because Latvian spelling is close to phonetic, time spent early on learning the alphabet and its diacritics (macrons and carons) pays off immediately in reading and pronunciation accuracy — see Latvian Alphabet.
Vocabulary is easiest to build starting from each word's dictionary (nominative) form, together with its gender, before worrying about how it changes across all seven cases. Case endings become far easier to absorb once you already recognize the base words they're attached to.
You don't need all seven cases to form basic sentences — the nominative and accusative alone cover a large share of early beginner communication. Treat the remaining cases as something to layer in as your sentences grow more complex, not a prerequisite to clear before you can say anything.
Latvian has fewer learners and fewer resources than major world languages, but that also means fluent non-native speakers stand out — the language itself isn't inherently harder to learn well, just less commonly taught.
The alphabet and its pronunciation, since Latvian's phonetic spelling makes early time spent here pay off quickly in reading and speaking accuracy.
No — the nominative and accusative cases alone cover a large share of early beginner communication; the remaining cases are worth adding gradually as sentences grow more complex.
Base (dictionary) form first, together with gender — case endings are easier to absorb once you already recognize the underlying word.
Not inherently — it has fewer learners and fewer available resources, which is a different obstacle than the language itself being unusually difficult.
See also: The Tarc Latvian Course · Latvian Study Tips · Latvian Alphabet