For a completely new Warrior type player to the MUD... learn 'headbutt' ASAP. If you're starting stats are reasonable, you can usual get it up to around 99% at level one if Warrior/Black Knight/Paladin is your primary class, by visiting William in Latvia or the Earl in Makdor. IMHO I usual go for headbutt before focusing on slash/bludgeon, especially if playing a troll. After a trip round newbieville you should be able to get the quality up to the maximum your initial stats allow. Its amazing what you can kill at low levels with your starting weapon and this skill.

Yes, I recommend headbutt asap. It lets you take no damage (while the mob is stunned), letting you fight longer. A second person to hb with you makes for a powerful group. 2 headbutters can level together very well. And high quality hb (such as war/war, bk/bk, or paly/paly) can get by quite well with just one headbutter.