Best Beginning Classes
Warden
The default knight character is a well-balanced fighter with no real weakness and a few nifty perks. This may not be the most exciting class to play, but if you master the Warden, you've half-mastered every other character in the game.
Kensei
Another default hero, the Kensei is both flashier and more fragile than the Warden. You'll need a good sense of timing to make the most of this character, but the Kensei's many chains and powerful feats make it a good introduction to the game's less obvious techniques. The Kensei also supports a wide range of playstyles, making you even more unpredictable to your human opponents. One thing to watch out for in Dominion mode is Kensei's relatively low foot speed, which can make hot pursuit something of a challenge.
Nobushi
While technically marked as an advanced class, the long-reach and quick movements of the Nobushi may be just the thing for beginning players who don't like trading blows toe-to-toe. Between the long reach of the naginata, and the Nobushi's emphasis on quick movements and flurried attacks, you can pick apart many enemies without even entering Guard mode. This is especially handy in Dominion battles- where that extra bit of reach in tagging a fleeing enemy, or impaled a charging one, can make all the difference. If you keep getting bogged down in endless block & parry marathons, maybe give this nimble trickster a try.