#dahlia fields

I figure a good place to begin is with the three Starter Zones, since that's one of the first big decisions a new player has to make!

After your account has been approved and you've selected a class from the offered list, you'll be asked to choose which of Palette Quest's three Starter Zones you'd like to begin your adventure in:

From left to right, they're called the Dahlia Fields, the Emerald Marsh, and the Vermilion Jungle. Each zone has a set Starter Town where you'll spawn the first time you log into the game. They all have distinct environments with unique benefits and drawbacks, and the "best" choice will depend entirely on what you're wanting to get out of your time in Thisland.

Here's a little three-part guide so you can choose the best Starter Zone for your goals:

Dahlia Fields

Emerald Marsh

Vermilion Jungle

The sun never truly sets on the Dahlia Fields, nor does it ever truly rise. They are stuck forever in the golden hour and set alight by millions of fireflies. Long, golden grasses melt into the rich sky, where the over-abundant fireflies complement the stars. The eternal almost-night makes the opening and closing of shops a bit hectic, which may require some skill to master. It also means cities will sometimes put out mega-quests for lamp oil, or other sources of fuel.

As beautiful as it is, most come to the Fields not for the sky, but for MOTHS!! The Dahlia Wild Moths are by far the most popular MOB in the game, and the player base is dedicated to taming them. Wild moths are large enough to ride, docile, and very fluffy. I got to pet one at the Ranch outside of Goldenlock and rode it for a whole minute before falling to my death. Best minute. Despite their mild-mannered nature, they seem impossible to domesticate. Some Beast players have managed to figure out that they love honey and bright lights, but still are only able to keep their attention for short amounts of time. For now, they’re happy to bumble after fireflies...

Why start here?

The most popular starting area, the Fields are home to a few more towns than usual. Goldenlock is the most popular town for players, partly because it’s the starting town, but mostly because of the rather large Wild Moth population nearby. Many people also find it the most visually interesting of the Starter Zones because of the whole always-dusk thing.

If you want a bustling town scene, this is probably the best place. Quests are abundant and there are lots of fellow players to party up with. Just be aware that you'll have to dedicate lots of time to learning shop schedules because the local NPCs don't follow a 9-5 like we do. Goldenlock is also where you'll find Brink Crosswick, the highest-level player and first Champion. He guards Goldenlock and is pretty much always around. I met him once and he was really nice, so if you plan to stay in Goldenlock it's worth saying hi! (I might make a post about him if people are interested, the internet has lots of thoughts about him)

The Fields are also very central, so they're a decent place to start if you want to travel around Thisland. Having at least one central location locked into your map as a fast-travel point can be essential for questing later on. Its central location and popular status do mean that most people have explored all the big areas nearby. If you want discovery, you're much better off starting in the Jungle.

Biggest downsides? The nighttime gets liminal pretty quick and the fireflies only help so much. There's also a vampire problem. Kind of a big vampire problem.

Full disclosure, this is where I started - I wanted to pet the moths!