I'm very appreciative of all the responses so far. Ephirith, to address the claims about erudite necro, I will explain my logic in a section at the bottom of the original post. I will recognize that erudite is non-negligibly weaker than iksar but defend the choice.
As for monk vs ranger, I agree that monks are significantly more powerful than rangers in terms of raw dps, and at mid to high levels mend and FD are extremely powerful. For new players, however, I think it makes a big difference that monks need to be weight conscious in order to keep their AC up. Rangers would definitely be at the bottom of the list, but their gear is just so cheap. You can get to some really solid dps for the kind of money any newb can scrounge up. I imagine that track also helps new players a lot more than experienced ones.
The argument you've made for shaman is pretty compelling, but i find the stretch from 14-24 to be particularly important for new players. You've moved out of the newbie zone and the adjacent lowbie zone and into the real world. That's not a good time to be poor AND underpowered. I made it through by purchasing a goblin parrying spear for 100pp (6/19, compare that to the similarly priced 16/24 ranger weapon I mentioned earlier) and killing tons of green gnolls for their fangs. Seriously, I did it until 24.
Poor soloer seems a bad argument against a class, considering how easy it is to find a duo partner, and considering how much more effective duoing is, often even for competetent soloists.
Tecmos, I think many people end up abandoning their first character. This guide is really to help people start classes that will best let them gain knowledge about the game in general. It's hard enough learning how to play some classes when you've got the gear, know the leveling spots, and have friends that can assist you when you need it.
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