Ok, I'm new to the game, just bought it today, and thought I'd give it a go. Not too bad, was quite good. Got out of the game to do other things, just now got back into the game. Now, why is it saying I need to create a new character? Where did my old one go, and why can't I get it back? Anyone?
Have you by any chance logged into a different server than the one you started on? I made that mistake the first time i played. Made a human fighter, played solidly up to level 10, logged out. I logged back in to a different server without thinking, and for about 3 minutes got really panicky id not saved or something lol.
If you can't remember which server you were playing on, log onto each server one after the other until you find your character.
Your old character is there, if you are going back to the same server. Just make sure you go back to the same server. If you can't remember which server, don't worry too much, as you can easily start a new character and you won't have lost much time yet.
You can create characters on different servers. If you have questions or doubts about which server you want to play on, now is the time to do research, as the first few levels go by fast. By the time you get into upper teens or level 20, you will probably want to settle down on one server.
One more thing. I see a lot of posts from brand new players wanting to know where everybody is. Do know, they are mostly not in the starter villages, simply because the game has been out a while, and the first few levels go quick. On my server, you really never see too many people until you get to Dion, which should be in the mid-20s for most players. I think this is more or less the situation on all servers. Until then, the game is going to feel like a ghost town.