Shattered Kingdoms

Which kingdoms newb school is best and why?

While voting is important, WHY is even better.

And thirdly: Which do you find worst and why?

My answers:

Ayamao is my current favorite due to the massive revamp of its training school. I like that how it took the idea of separate rooms for each class and enhanced it by further adding the monster-request. That way you get unlimited amounts of monsters that are all unique, and no worry that some great big giant might come and take all the creatures when you're a weak mage. The fact that equipment is requested and costing no money is also equally appealing since newbies no longer start with much.

My least favorite is the Northern Wastes even though it was given a revamp (from the years before when I first tried it). The experience was terrible to me, personally, and it was incredibly hard to tackle the monsters when I tried a mage.

You forgot the Empire.

No one in their right mind is going to say that one is best.

In any case, the best is without a doubt Zhenshi. While the trainers there might not be amazing, the sheer speed with which you are able to level there is unparalleled no matter what your alignment.

I agree with Ayamao, for the reasons given. Next would be Taslamar's; both have a fresh, unique approach to newbie schools that is easily learned without being boring. My least favorite is the Waste's. I've started two characters there now and still get confused and frustrated.

I could have sworn I put empire in. And for some reason I can't add anything.

I'm kind of torn on which is my favorite. I love the new setup for Ayamao even if priests have to go to the temple for something as simple as cure light. Why that's not in there is beyond me. Otherwise it's done really well. Exile also has a great school, though you can't really compete with requesting things to fight as you need them. As was said, you won't be struggling to train while a giant goes flying through the area.

As far as the worst it's the North hands down. I think the new area is actually worse in a lot of ways than the old one. The only improvement I could see is the location. When ever I start a Northerner the first thing I do is get to another area because it just isn't worth the time or the effort.

Taslamar is the best, imo. Can't make any statements about how easy it is to plevel there, but I think it's still the best one for newbies. Conceptually I think it really stands out, with the trainees who get taken away when they "lose," and do various emotes while they fight. It's got the same class-based rooms Ayamao has as well, and the instructions given for "future mentors" and leveling zones are really good for anybody starting out. I think anybody new to the game would find this zone the most impressive.

Even though for some reason the exps are a little gimp at Taslamar still, it's probably my current favorite. The monster-request of Ayamao is a good concept, but it takes too long to reset if you can handle more than one at a time. At least in Taslamar's school, you can be fighting three or four of the NPCs at once if you're of a race/class to tank that kind of damage.

That's also why I'd rank Zhenshi at second. The other reason I'd put Zhenshi second is the sheer number of NPCs. Even in Taslamar's school, I've managed to clear the entire three by three block of NPCs more than once. In Zhenshi, that would be outright impossible, and that's a really good thing.

I'd rate the Wastes and Uxmal tied for dead last, though for different reasons. I've rolled two characters in Uxmal, and will never, ever do so again unless the school gets a complete overhaul. I just found the entire place unwieldy, slow, and generally unpleasant. The challenge rating is chaotic and unpredictable; there's no clear curve to follow like in the other schools. The new Wastes school has the problems Threnody astutely pointed out. I won't refuse to roll another character there as I do with Uxmal, but I just find absolutely no allure to the thought of doing so.

Empire's school is pretty good, but it's nothing stellar anymore. For a while, it was the best beside Zhenshi. I may be biased though; I've never been a huge fan of the RP of the entire nation, so...I will admit that that will color my judgment of the newb school. I have rolled a couple of characters there, however, and didn't find the newb school to be too unpleasant compared to, say, Uxmal's.

Empire has the best "teachers" they take everything to 1 notch away from superb. Zhenshi is the best for xp though.

Uxmal's newb school is complete garbage, and confusing to navigate. I've only tried 1 character ever there.

I usually go to each school for a little bit, just for fun.