Shattered Kingdoms

Worst part is, last I checked one of those weapons was flagged no-pickup.

I actually just recently rolled a necro, and aside from the only trainer I could find for cause light only trained it to fair, I found it quite easy. Bought a horse, and just blasted away on imprisoned paladins. Made Novice(2) and didn't even break a sweat. It's definitely not the BEST, but it's not as bad as Uxmal. By far. Only beef I have with the North is that crappy stroll you have to make to get to the new city. Wtf was wrong with Krychire?

Uxmal is my favorite newbie zone. I start 50% of my characters in Uxmal.

Zhenshi is my second favorite newbie zone, where I start the next 40% of my characters.

I dislike the Taslamar newbie zone. I get lost there and can't level for turd. I dislike the Empire newbie zone because I seem to level there slowly too.

The worst is Northern Wastes. Trying to start there is pretty much unbearable.





Well, to clarify why Teron is my favorite newbie zone, it's because I built the area during my time as the Uxmal KD. Enishi's comment really hits what I was seeking in the area, trying to give it a bit more appropriate ambiance to what had existed there before. At the time I rebuilt the Teron newbie zone, EVERY newbie zone in the game consisted essentially of 3 NPCs in a room, each room growing progressively more powerful, with zero roleplay reason why your character would be there. I injected the newbie zone into the arena and began an overhaul of the arena that didn't quite reach completion- I'd say about 1/2 of what I'd originally had planned for the arena was never finished.

What I still love about this newbie zone is that it made ALL of the lowest level, basic skills & spells available and at a reasonable price for every character class who created there- which was unheard of in SK prior. It was the first newbie zone to inject shopkeepers, a tailor, a blacksmith, and readily available food source into the newbie zone, which was also unheard of in SK at the time. It was the first newbie zone that provided the first semi-respectable looking newbie armor/equipment, so giant barbarians didn't have to come out of newbie school wearing "beastie booties". It finally provided a viable RP story behind the newbie zone and for characters who began there.

However, in retrospect, there are two big errors I made in the area that I wish I'd done differently.

First, I wish I had finished building UP the arena. It would have given the newbie zone a much richer atmosphere if the upper areas had been finished.

Second, I wish I had made navigation of the area more easy. It was fully my intention that a newbie had to work at finding his way out, and I didn't want the path handed to him on a map. It made sense to me that the arena in Teron might take some work for the newbie to find his way out of. However, in retrospect, if you eliminate navigability for the sake of "reality" or "authenticity", you're simply replacing one problem with another. A good newbie zone should be easily navigable. The path for advancement, while it shouldn't be as boring as three rooms lined up with 3 different levels of NPCs, it shouldn't be as difficult as Teron's newbie zone is to exit. Especially in consideration of true game newbs.

Teron is the best.

bs the sleeping NPCs, kill the slaves then work on the gladiators until the repop sounds then retart over. You can get to novice 5 quickly.

Kytar as I said teaches every spell and skill of amateur to vgood 1 before superb. I go there on every new character i make to get a weapon and learn skills/spells there.

The biggest problem I have in the North area is the respawn rate/number of NPCs. It's not so bad if you're the only person training, but get two people down there and it turns into a game of 'kill and wait'. I'd like to see better trainers and maybe some eq down there too.

Uxmal I do alright in. Once you leave the lower area with the slaves for the upper area for the gladiators though, you don't get the benefit of the familiarity system not going past familiar. The slaves aren't enough for newbies to train off of. The gladiator area should really be flagged the same for familiarity.

I like the new NW area. Some places for EQ and faster respawn rates would be nice, though.

I have to ask--Dalamar, do you mean old Tas newbie school, or new one? The old one gave my newbie self fits, but the new one seems quite straightforward to me.

A few more thoughts on the Wastes: I do like the flavor of the scripts when new NPCs are loaded, and the area has the right feel for the Wastes. It really shouldn't take much to bring it up to par with the other favored areas.

Faster respawn is in affect. Moar stuff soon.

Ayamao's newbie school is the [REDACTED]. Free EQ and just spawn all the NPCs you want with a nod of the head.

Well Dalamar, navigability (like my word?) can easily be fixed by NPCs who tell you the right thing, and give you some sense of direction. Other than that, I do enjoy authenticity to areas.

I'm not sure what you mean about Taslamar though. The area is incredibly small and simplistic, which is perhaps its downfall. Essentially there are two huge rooms in the furthest NE and furthest NW, that connect to a hallway going S. The hallway has only a few hallways shooting E and W off of it, one of which is essentially a "hall of trainers" built for every class, the others being a newbhealer room, a stable, and an info desk. Go all the way south and you hit Exile's main street, southwest.

Compare this to Sith where the academy is placed in a very bizarre place in a much less intuitively designed city. Or Uxmal, which as you said, is quite extensive and confusing as an area.