Most editions of the game have a very distinct "sweet-spot". This is the point where the PCs aren't too fragile, but they're also not loaded down with huge amounts of complexity. This is also the level range at which most of the best monsters are to be found, enabling the greatest range of adventures. For 1st and 2nd level, that tends to run from about 3rd level up to the low teens, while for 3e it tends to run from a little lower to the same sort of upper limit. For 5e it seems to start around 3rd level, but doesn't really get going until 5th. I'm yet to find the upper limit, as I've not yet run a campaign that has made it to double figures. (4e, as is so often the case, is something of an exception - it seems to run equally badly at all levels I've seen.)
However, it is also the case that characters are always at their most satisfying when run from 1st level. While starting at higher level does work, it never works as well as going through the apprenticeship.
This creates an unfortunate consequence: in order to enjoy the game at its best, you have to put in some early work first. Which is a shame.
(To its credit, 5e does make those first two levels really quick, which is good. It's just a shame that it slows down at 3rd and 4th level, when it is at 5th level that it really starts to shine. But there's an easy enough fix for that, I guess...)
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