The best starting class is

These are powerful. They are correct on paper. But they lie to you.

Let me explain. Most guides will tell you the meta: Sylvan Sorcerer (for the pet that tanks while you learn the rules), Vivisectionist (for sneak attack damage that trivializes act 1), or Monk (Scaled Fist) into Paladin for unholy touch AC.

You’ve just crested the hill overlooking the Stolen Lands. The wind carries the scent of pine, promise, and the faint, metallic tang of impending doom. You open the character creator. And suddenly, you’re not a baron. You’re a deer in the headlights of a 25-class, 150-archetype freight train.