wrist guards and butt pads are very underrated. you'll be spending a lot of time falling on your ass and instinctively reaching your arms out to cushion the fall. saved me a few sprained wrists and sore cheeks when i was learning
Lots of people hurt their wrists, but lots of others can hear the instruction "don't try to catch yourself with your hands, just fall on your butt or shoulder" and then follow that instruction. Personally, as a beginner the helmet was the real lifesaver. As soon as catching my heels didn't cause me to see stars, I learned how not to catch my heels...