Shattered Kingdoms

All I can say is go to the 'other' inn (other as in not the standard inn). If you know teron well enough, you will know which one that is.

So, there is supposedly a scout trainer somewhere in the city. I already knew about the thief trainer but I thought he was only an advanced trainer. It still doesn't solve the warlock/shaman question. If I can't find the scout trainer, good luck at a newbie finding him.

Isn't there a messload of quests that you can do from there that is definitely not good for an amateur to do?

I just wanted to add two comments to this.

First is that the trainers within the academy have amateur -and- novice abilities on their lists. This gives the impression that you will be able to actually go in there as a novice and train. Alas, that is not the case.

Second is that there is at least once quest which can be done above amateur level that requires you to enter the academy to complete it. Once you're past amateur that can simply never happen.

This area really needs to be reopened or changed in a way that makes it clear that you will be tossed out as soon as you hit novice with zero chance of ever getting back inside. Oh, and please for the love of all that is newbie, put a sign at the stones! If I were a new player getting chucked out of the city with the road going in two directions there's a 50% chance I would go the wrong way and die.

So lets see... You can't access your money to buy your armor until novice at which point you're locked out of the academy where you're supposed to buy said armor. You can't access your novice abilities which you have seen available in a place that bans you once you hit novice. You get chucked out of the city to a place where you have no clue where you're going unless you have a decent understanding of the world map (assuming as a newbie you know where it is). You may or may not have a quest that you can't even complete because you're locked out of the academy. Uh huh, this was a great change! Why not block off Rond Path and the Pens while we're at it? Oh, and lets not forget to shut down Kytar.

Keep in mind that some Amateur abilities for one class are Novice abilities for another and vice-versa.

For the rest of your comments, I'd recommend making sure that Algorab gets your feedback by sending her an email.

You can still go into the Taslamaran academy if you have your mentor tag on.

But you don't have one if you are novice through expert.

I am in the process of addressing and fixing almost everything listed here. I was not expecting to have to close the area off to everyone, but when people go and kill mentors and harass newbies then I am forced to change my original design. When it was completely open, it was a great set up. Things had to change so I will change the area a little so that nothing is lost for 6+. I was designing my area to be open like Nerina, but I was wrong to do so.

I expect all changes to be done by next week. This includes having the armor/weapons/newb trainers at hand (even though the same exact trainers can be found in the city). I shall also modify a quest or two. You have six quests to choose from, not all of them lead you into the wild and you get more than just the experience bonus. Most areas only give you one to work with (with no additional bonuses), that is why they are called “jobs“. If you want to get paid, you better work hard for it. If you don’t want the reward then do not do the job. That’s how I see it anyway. With the horses at hand and with the generous payouts in the sewers (amongst many other things... if you look). I don’t see any real issue with two quests that require you to walk a long distance when four others do not.

Btw Muktar, I set up every single mentor to direct a newbie to his or her next trainer. Each mentor gives exact directions and locations to their next trainer. That has never changed they did that from day one. Just because you can not find it does not mean that they are not there. If you start in Taslamar and you listen to your mentors then you will know where to find the next guy. Each mentor gives off several bits of helpful information every time you enter the room. There are mentors in the city for every class except hellions and necros. I will also add this special directional information to the additional trainers that are being added.

Am I missing anything?

You weren't wrong to do so, and newbies weren't being harrassed. The newb trainers/shopkeeps in Nerina get killed for exp regularly, but that area stays open. This time, some whiny -self edited- decided that he was going to cry over being inconvenienced for all of about two seconds.

As to the quests that send you way the hell out to hell's half acre, the latter of the two (the one that causes even mounted people severe difficulty given the winds of Taslamar) is actually probably the only problem, since it requires you to travel out to hell's half acre twice. The exp reward and coin reward are not even close to enough to compensate a level 1-(generously)10 for that kind of time investment. Not to mention, one bad random encounter check (read: fadelion) and they're ground meat with no mount or coin or gear.

After walking into her mentors room in Taslamar...

POV: Newbie scout in Taslamar:

The Scout's Menagerie
The definitions of this room are obscured by plant life as far as the eye
can see. A bed of soft moss blankets the ground. Various plants of
different heights and origins border the hem of this sanctuary. The walls
are a teeming mass of plant life. Trees seem to rise up out of the ground
and head through the ceiling. Vines and branches mask the ceiling overhead,
creating a roof of living greenery. Large toadstools stick up out of the
ground in a neatly arranged semi-circle and are surrounded by an assortment
of flowers and herbs that seem to grow naturally here. The sweet scent of
earth and foliage wafts on the air, giving this place the feel of a serene
forest.
Obvious exits: n
Lorinda Vogt, the scout mentor, stands here amongst the foliage.

[HP: 38%] [ME:150%] [PE: 61%]
>
The scout mentor climbs down from a mossy vine as you enter the room.
Lorinda Vogt says to you '*removed IC info* is another mentor that may be able to help you. '
Lorinda Vogt says to you 'He resides in the city of Exile, in "*removed IC info*". '

You ask 'Really? *removed IC info* can teach me more?'
[HP: 68%] [ME:100%] [PE:100%]
>
Lorinda Vogt says to you '*removed IC info* lives in the city of Exile and is a very knowledgeable scout.'
Lorinda Vogt says to you 'He is the local *removed IC info* of Exile. His shop can be found off of *removed IC info*.'
Lorinda Vogt says to you 'From the center of Exile, otherwise called "Exile Cross", you would head *removed* on *removed* until you see *removed* to the east. Follow *removed* east a few steps until you see *removed* to your north. *Removed* will be to the west.'


------
Even with the "removes", one can see that these are pretty detailed directions. All mentors in the Academy offer the same information about the next trainer. So... if I follow the directions to my next mentor I see that my next trainer teaches...

XXX will teach the following:
Level for 1 gold
Self defense for 2 gold, 4 silver
Skin for 2 gold, 4 silver
Rescue for 2 gold, 4 silver
Parry for 2 gold, 4 silver
Herbalism for 1 gold, 6 silver, 5 copper
Camouflage for 1 gold, 6 silver, 5 copper
Second attack for 1 gold, 6 silver, 5 copper
Shield block for 1 gold, 6 silver, 5 copper
Dodge for 9 silver
Dirt kicking for 9 silver
Sneak for 9 silver
Fletch for 9 silver
Bow for 9 silver
Butcher for 9 silver
Endurance for 9 silver
Tame for 9 silver

---Correct me if I am wrong, but all of my class specific Amature, Novice and Initiate skills are here... All except weapons which are at another trainer (one that my mentor also told me about, along with very specific directions).