Best place to start for a returning old player?

(Pre-emptive apology if I'm asking something that's been answered. I DID search... =P)

I've returned to Istaria after 3 years, and I'm also teaching my daughter (a MineCraft veteran!) the ropes. Trouble is, New Trismus is NOT what it used to be! Is it still a better area for Tier 1 leveling, or are there better options, especially when I'm also trying to teach a kid? I can see going back to Spirit Isle is a good option for basic crafting, anything else?

She's working on Mage and Scholar levels, I'm working on Warrior/Cleric and Blacksmith. Thanks!

You could take a look at Kion. It was the city to visit after New Trismus.
And although the city is ruined NT is probably still the place for the first 10 levels.
Good luck to the both of you!

I typically stay on the starter island through levels 1-5 and then stay on NT from levels 5-10 or even up to level 15 and then I move on to Kion and Parsinia until level 20 or so.

The quests on NT should cover most of everything you need for leveling up to level 10, though I would advise staying away from the north half of the island now until level 10 (or level 7-ish for just the blighted homestead area with the maggots and ghosts).

For bipeds, I like to gear up quickly if possible. You can easily get a set of mining technique components by killing cedar treant saplings west of New Trismus. A full set of jewelry, tools and clothing will boost mining skill over 50 points (5 levels), which lifts you past the 1..1..1.. stage.

Quarrying tech component drops from Enraged Dim Wisps, which are kind of rare -- the safest place to get them is among the cedar treants in the middle of Lesser Aradoth. Foraging and Essence Harvesting techs are hard, the monsters that drop them are around 18ish.

If you're on Order, Nuthala (near Parsinia) has journeyman shops for stoneworking, spellcrafting, and blacksmith. The sandstone fields are right next door, essence and bronze are a little farther away. (I don't know how it is on Chaos). I don't mind dodging golems, and find it ideal for early craft leveling.

I have to enthusiastically agree with the statement above that Nuthala is a great spot for t1 leveling. Even on Chaos and Blight (believe the plots there are all empty) you can use the world machines to store materials as you would on a plot. And if you can handle the golems, it's actually more efficient to kill a golem then harvest from it to raise both craft and adventure simultaneously. Unnamed golems are equivalent to a rich node when dead and named ones seem to be equivalent to a motherlode or near enough... boulder golems I'm not sure on, though I know they are at least equivalent to a rich node.