So, I made the newb..
If you're like me and haven't made a newb in awhile, it's different. I LOVE the fact that I can fly a t6 at level 10.. I can go an entire level without even getting one new skill on the Ship Mastery tree, and I can't use Starship Masteries until level 50, but, I *luv* the fact that I can fly my has-less-weapons-to-buy-for Event Raider.. and be working my way towards the Cold Hearted Starship Trait....now...instead of just grinding away on Patrols when I'm 50.. Getting Ship Masteries has become a by-product of levelling.. Bra..vo.
The old Mish Ships you get as you Level are Boring to me, now. When I was a newb...? Everything was *wow*. That was then, and now, I'm glad to be doing Pahvo's (1 of 2 TFOs you get to run at level 10) in my Raider who is in Flank Heaven - instead of something that I might not be in the mood to pilot. I don't need Newb progression to teach me that there are different ships and how to fly them, anymore. Now, I want to fly what I want to fly.
Choice, is a good thing, especially if you've made many newbs and flown the same ships over and over already.. Now, I can fly my Current Main Ships (that are happily Account Bound).. The ships I Have Fun In. And, it's great.
I hit up allll the Reclaim buttons with allll my Account Bound Goodies... and started gearing up, too. I'm using Phasers for the first time, due to, I have phaser gear that...levels with me. I don't need the grind of levelling gear. Boring. It's ok as a new-newb, but, there's tons other timesinks I know about, now, and am fine with skipping this one. When I get to 65 I'm gonna dump almost all of that gear anyway..
Anyway, yeah. It's been a good experience so far up to level 20. Way better than my last newb. If I could get SRO as a Jem-Hadar, I probably would have just done that. Man, they start out nice. Set Gear for both Space and Ground.. They have points in the Intelligence Tree already... They're set to start rep and endgame which, for me, is kinda the cherry spot to be.
Being a Rom newb hasn't been as... smooth as a Jem, but, the levelling experience, so far, has been more fun and less tedium than it was the last times, except, the first time. I was already running Advance Space Queues (the only one you can) at level <20 (OK... immediately after dinging 10...) and making a... barely passable showing. I've done way better and seen way worse.
You can run an Elite TFO at level 10 now, too, btw... lol. For the really advanced kids.