Iksar bad for a new player?

[Zulzephur - Tarew Marr]

You can always work on faction if you want to enter the cities; banking with them is even harder though, but you could get an illusion with decent enough faction to bank. I usually wait 'til I'm a higher level though to work on factions.

Adventuring out, and leveling in other areas isn't an issue; all you need is a Bind really, or wait until you get that spell (14), which is what I usually do, then I hit up places like Crushbone, Unrest, etc (or whatever zones you have interest in).

Iksars are a great choice as Shamans (regen), so that is also something to factor in as well.