Can the less popular zones get small exp buffs?

I'm saying minor ones - maybe a modification by like 5% to their zem, or whatever. Guk right now is by far the most popular zone along with unrest. Some of this is due to location as well as the dungeons just being easier to navigate with a lot of mobs that die easily.

For example, shouldn't kedge keep and permafrost get a decent buff to their zem? Other zones as well could use this but this is just an example.

I would like to see an overhaul of the bonus xp system to encourage more areas to be viable xp spots.

Originally designed to reward riskier spots, but they have lots of mobs, so now we have areas with plenty of targets also have large xp bonuses versus areas with no xp bonus and few targets. Should be switched now.

Dungeons were much more dangerous when corpse recovery was an issue. It's not anymore and I would bet people are tired of using the same dungeons all the time on these TLPs. My time is best spent where I can level quickly and for now that is only a very small set of zones.

I am NOT saying lower the XP for dungeons, just that I agree with the OP. Boost some other zones or have Hotzones or something. Just make them somewhat comparable to these dungeons so we can enjoy the world without feeling punished.

Small buffs aren't going to get people to run all the way out to those other dungeons. When you have to rely on pugs to level you have to go where the people are. The crowd is always going to flock to a single gathering point because the game encourages through the grouping mechanics. Change the exp too much and all you will do is move the gathering point.

The only reason people spread out when classic was live is because the lack of pickzones meant the good spots filled up and you were forced to go somewhere less viable in order to find any exp at all. The only way to get people to spread out now would be to get rid of /pick. I think all the sane folks among us can agree that would be foolish.

On the next TLP, my preference would be to have the server start with the non-raid content from Kunark and Velious unlocked at the start of the server, so those who started after Kunark/Velious unlocked. This would help spread out the leveling areas, and provide a new experience of leveling 1-50 for TLP vets.

Personally, I didn't start playing EQ until after Kunark was released, and didn't level very fast- which led to being able to use both Kunark and Velious as part of my climb to 60. On past TLP servers, the only ways to level in Kunark/Velious were for 50+, or leveling an alt without many others around, which doesn't really scratch the itch.

But yes, a small, but noticeable, boost to exp in areas to level other than the Guks and Unrest may be effective to some extent.

I think 5% is way too little to make other zones attractive. I would think it has to get somewhere close to the dungeon xp. These dungeons would still be popular because of how centralized the mobs are and named loot. Bringing other zones close to their xp range won't cause them to sit empty.

Going to a place where you can have some space and room to relax would be great if xp wasn't so much slower. Given the choice, I would definitely travel for a camp where I could get close to the same xp but not have groups on top of me, pulling right through me, or training me.

I don't know if I would play on the next TLP if I was looking at another round of Unrest > Guk > Hole/Seb/Velks. Not that I'm tired of the rest of the content the game has to offer, just getting tired of only ever seeing these zones.

I was being conservative when I said 5%. I think something is better than nothing and obviously you want to avoid risking throwing balance out of control. I think you could do a lot more than that safely.

For whatever reason that never really been disclosed directly the player base is being herded.
May be a real good reason for it but since there is really nothing new added in zones like LG it may well be unintentional. Possibly

Loot and mob availability alone would drive guk the xp bonus is just overkill given the risk of the place comes more from other players than any thing designed.

It is obvious in some zones the number of mobs has recently been reduced further herding players to the smuck of guk not to mention pick zone triggering seem wonky. Just bad for play, what it buys DBG is just guess work.

I'd try something different first: A new translocator gnome...

Gnome in commonlands tunnel can send you to east end of Everfrost, Dagnor's Cauldron and maybe one other spot like Paineel past the newbie area.

No gnome return trip though (as we have origin). So a faster, predictable way to get to some alternative places to XP 40+. If it works, add a similar set via a Kunark era translocator (which I would also locate in EC tunnel).

No, dont even go down this line of thought.

The isolation thing was always a point of debate, why make two isolated regions initially involving boring travel. Where was the boat FP-Qey? Meh why use those buggy boats at all in a world with high magic?
Travel is like salt, just enough is grand too much is unpalatable.

WoW pulled it off with the whole us vs them thing and built in travel between, but EQ should not have done so. One side of the world got the elves and dwarves and halflings. The other got the race with little to no fantasy background, Erudinian, pretty well insured wasting half the world to some degree.
And yet still no Qey-FP "boat.

You make a great point. Port cities should have routes to other port cities as well as established ports (i.e., Butcherblock).

I'm all for connecting these parts of the world but they don't address the OP. Players could travel better, but would still cram into the same dungeons.

Boost the rest of the world to like 75% or 80% of dungeon xp and players might choose one of the hundreds of other camps in this game over stepping on each other and being stepped on in the dungeon zones. People will still use dungeons for their better than average camps and the loot that comes with them.

Fatigue of these same zones will kick in, maybe it's just starting to on Agnarr, but I believe it will affect future TLP servers.

Some of the issues were corrected in later xpaks like adding the Warrens in SoV.
Problem is for a TLP this is meaningless, there is no constant influx of new players to even use it as there was at that time. But still Classic(tm) must be served it seems no matter how much damage it may do.
The longer I play these games the more convinced I am there is no guiding philosophy so may as well just make things logical. Like nixing the troublesome boats other issues could and should be addressed in the most rational way possible, easier for DBG as well since if they would perhaps the game would not be so dependent on harmful gimmicks like kronos.

I think a simple solution would be to just remove ZEM all together and level the playing field exp wise. Yes density of mobs and dropped loot will still draw many to the same spots, but at least then people wont be effectively penalized for playing elsewhere. I have been in a few groups now that have attempted to venture off the beaten path and I really think it would happen more with either as the OP requested, an increase to exp or a removal of ZEM over all. Personally I would take a hit to exp in the form of density of mobs to pull, just to not have to step foot into Guk for awhile.

This is true but yet we still have not heard DBG's side to this since well they don't really discuss anything that much that matters and on the rare event they do it seems contrived.
All they would have to do is be open with us, does not take much time and might make things we find troublesome a bit easier to tolerate.
I dunno got a long layoff coming due to IRL problems that must be dealt maybe when we come back things will have changed but would not bet on it.

Ooo.. I actually Like the idea of boats between each port city, rather than across specific oceans as-is.

Was grouped in OoT last night killing Goblin Elites as fast as they could be pulled to camp, there is no reason that camp should not yield as much Exp as LGuk. Seriously need to think about readjusting ZEM or remove them completely.

Are you saying OOT gobbies aren't better than LGuk? I'm not challenging, I'm genuinely curious.

Not from what I was seeing, compared to LGuk Hamlord camp, I was not getting anywhere near the same amount of exp in OoT off of Goblin Elites as I was in LGuk. Didn't even seem close IMHO.