Back when I played live (Bristlebane server) my favorite newbie zone was Hollowshade Moor (omgz a Luclin zone, burn the heathen!). MOST of the reason being the atmosphere of the place, and because once I got to a higher level I spent a lot of time killing Owlbears for their pelts to make Rallic Packs.
On this server however I'd have to say my favorite newbie zone is Field of Bone. I've never played an Iksar before and now I regret it because this zone is amazing. Part of it is because the zone seems to be more in line with what one might expect from a newbie zone in a newer mmo; due to the fact that there are multiple item turn ins for exp, and there are drops that you can use to make armor with quests from NPCs in Cabilis. Makes the initial grind as a newbie much more bearable, because you have very clear cut goals you can aim to achieve that help your character, for both gear and exp.
Furthermore, unlike many of the other newbie areas you can also find a very steady stream of enemies for a good while, instead of having huge dry spells like in ECL, where mobs become either green or red very quickly. The spiderling caves have given me over 200 spiderling silks to sell whenever I finally decide to head to the old world, and the abundance of decaying skeletons has given me more bone chips than I'll need for a long time (I'm an SK). Having Kurn's - which is one of the best low level dungeons in the game - be a stones throw from Cab is also quite nice.
The best part about the zone though is that it actually feels organic and real. Places like Steamfont and the Commonlands come across to me as just large open areas that the devs deposited random trees and the occasional building in. FoB however has so many different terrain types and other features such as ruins, huge skeletal remains, and nice little flavor areas like the aforementioned spiderling caves, that just feel like some long abandoned little nook that had a purpose long ago, but is now only a home for spiders. It just makes the zone feel like it has history, and is lived in, making exploration feel rewarding.
As far as experiences go, since I'm only level 8 I really haven't had a chance to have very many, but today I did have the opportunity to help out another noob. Someone was asking where a good place to get exp at level 5 was in FoB, and people mentioned the spider warrens. The guy didn't know where they were, and I was in them and told him that I would escort him. Even though it was just a short run from the road leading out of Cab, it gave me the opportunity to do what makes this game the most fun mmo I've ever played, since I warned him about the nasty Scaled Wolf Hunter that paths near the caves, and gave him a spare Burynaibane Spider Fang and choker that I had on me, and he seemed very appreciative.
So basically the zone gave even someone as low level as 8 the opportunity to help another player, show them something interesting, and even pass on some gear that was useful. I can't really think off the top of my head any other newbie areas that would have allowed me to do that, and for that reason alone this is my new favorite zone. Afterall the thing that makes this mmo so much better than all of the others since in my opinion, is just how much it encourages, forces, and even rewards helping others.
Anyhow, back to killing sabertooth cubs. lol
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