If you keep the extreme low level, you just invest some hours more into the game with some funny and some frustrating moments.
EDIT:
If I think about it a second time, maybe I would even miss the lucky level 5 peasant kill and the slapstick of no gear, no hitpoints and not strength...
I don't remember the early levels of my first gen being funny or enjoyable at all, granted it was years ago, but I just remember hiding behind tin cans hoping not to die because xp was based on proximity back then. I feel like for a brand new player after the first couple rounds a lot of them just give up fighting until they've made more money and hit level 20 or so. So they just give higher level players a K/D ratio buffer.
Also, the suggestion where it only applies to the first gen, and after each time you retire it brings you back to level 1 would be more up your alley.
Considering the up hill battle the peasants have as is, I can see this easing their pain, at least some what. I don't know if it's a real fix, though. People who are new and quit so soon after starting probably wouldn't stay around even if they had a 15 level starting bonus.
I can't disagree with this one, people who are gonna stay are most likely gonna stay, and those 15 levels do have a low chance to be the one thing that makes the difference between continuing or not.
No, its fine. Theres eu7 where they can lvl once or twice per wave, there eu2 where the constant dbbl xp will have them wielding death in notime.
What kills most newbs is learning timing and being outranged and that wont change without their practising, that's all it takes.
If it was just about gear.. LSC and Scythe, shortened spear, practise longsword are all useable with 3 strength and can kill a man with some effort.
Don't mollycoddle the peasants or they will grow up weak and unable to defend themselves properly.
We don't have an under 20 server in NA, so that doesn't really help out over here. And the peasants are gonna grow up the same way whether or not they start at 1 or 20. The difference is whether or not they choose to continue, which will be more likely if they don't start unable to hurt anybody in the slightest, even when they're lucky enough to get a hit in. Also it's a lot easier to be outranged when you have only 1 athletics and the person you are fighting has 6 or 7 or more. Footwork is pretty important in cRPG for most players, and it's impossible to use when you have no equipment and are the slowest player on the field.