So I just finished the tutorial and I'm currently level 10.I'm wondering where do I go to get to level 20? I asked people in-game and they all said "Level 11!" so haha very funny, but I'm actually wondering what zone to go to to get to level 20. Thanks!
#1 Make sure you did all the quests for Gloomingdeep, even the little known bag one http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=73635 since that is the only zone you can get the thread. Did you get the totem and merc and charm and staff for haste?These are good items and once again only available in Gloomingdeep. #2 Its up to you, most folks go to Cresent Reach and continue quests there. Personally if I were not in a guild yet I would go to POK (say to Arias "I am ready to leave" and that will port you straight there) and do more tutorial quests (these are faster) from Secalna Galnor who is right by the loyalty merchant and is on "find" This will get you an option to join a blank guild that can be used for porting around with guild hall port. There are some more guys over to the left of her that give weapon quests in low zones also. But there are tons to do even in Cresent Reach. And slightly easier as if your killing right outside the steps you can run to the guards.
As CatsPaws suggested, make sure you complete all the quests in the tutorial as that will give you a full set of Gloomingdeep armor which is decent for its level. I would then stick around Cresent Reach. Check out this website for its leveling guides they maybe a little out of date, but they are still a good place to start... http://almarsguides.com/eq/leveling/
Crescent Reach itself has plenty of mobs to take you to 20. Look at your "Hero's Journey" book, it will give you some pointers. Look at the finder (Ctrl+F) and check for NPCs offering Quests 10-15 and Quests 10+. Once you pass the main quest/tradeskill area, across the river there are plenty of lvl 9-10 animals : bears gators etc. There are also some Mucktail gnolls in lvl 15-16 range. In the palace area itself, if you take elevator to 3rd level, there is an area with lvl 16-18 undead. Took my paladin about 20 min to go 12-17 in that room alone. Though gotta admit he had some nice chanter buffs and pretty decent velium weaponry from Dragon Necropolis... If yours is paid account and you got a Journeyman merc, you can easily solo reds 4-5 levels above yours at this stage.
Once you get to level15 or 16 (doing CR Trash and the cats/bears), you should be able to move over to Blightfire Moors where you want to kill the snakes and rats. Note that the snakes are NOT social, but the rats are KOS and social. If they see you, they will attack you. With a J1 tank merc, this isn't too hard as long as you can keep your mob count down to 1 or 2 until you get to level 20. Stay close to either the CR Zone line, or the POK book for quick exits unless you are a druid or wizzie with evac spells. From 20 to 25 keep in BM doing the quests from the camp area, or follow the Hero's Journey doing the quests it suggests. After 25 or 26 move to the white rats to the north of the crater area (close to the undead circle). These mobs are not social, not "real" tough, but yield great experience to level 35 or higher, and yield some good loots that sell for up to around 14-15pp each to a vendor. After 35 to 40, move to gorku'mesa and start the "pilgrims" quests (killing wolfs and bears). The bears drop shiny teeth that sell for 25 pp each, along with the full assortment of pelts. Note that the HQ bear pelts dropp much more often here than on old world zones. Get ready to work on tailoring up to around 88!
Don't forget to do thew Vivian the True familiarization quests in the pok library. Do it after you get the kobold skull charm and you can go up about a level, maybe a small amount more. Then go back to Gloomingdeep. Since you all ready did most of Gloomingdeep, it can still be useful. Once you reach 10th or 11th level, check with the Vah Shir in pok, part of the quests Vivian the True gives out, you can get some armor that way.
Crescent Reach. Do all quests you can do. Grab all the items for the exploration and item quests from Hemfar or however you spell his name, and the guy on the second level with the explorer's guild. Do your best to complete the minor quests in the city before going out to do the quests in the lands beyond. I know you can reach L35ish in a very short time and never leave the city and it's nearby zones. You can get to 50ish just in Gorukar Mesa, and you can get to 70ish in the zones beyond there. And you can do it solo, since groups will be far and few between. Good Luck.
If you're brand new to the game, and molo'ing your first toon, just follow the Hero's Journey quest line all the way through, that's what it's there for. It should take you to 85. Upgrade your armor as you go with whatever drops. Crude Defiant = the Gloomingdeep set, Simple Defiant is the next tier up, and etc. Also, make a hotkey for the /open command and use it on the barrels scattered all over Gloomingdeep, you'll get an occasional 8-slot Backpack drop (free) and should be able to fill your inventory slots before heading to Crescent Reach for good. Get any extra bags? Stash them in the bank. That's why I never bother with the 6-slot crafted bag task mentioned above, and you can skill up tailoring to 54 for free in Crescent Reach, but it's whatever you prefer. You'll also get armor drops from barrels you can sell to the merchant for some plat. Any toon I've run through the Mines always leaves with at least 100-150 plat in the bank.
The Hero's Journey is surely great, but any player that wants into, "the club," needs to visit Crushbone (save those belts!) and Blackburrow (save those teeth!). They nerfed the CB for XP, but you still get faction and good sellable armor. The Gnoll teeth is a bit better, but certainly not a source for massive XP. You can turn the lightstones in to McNeal Jocub (SP?) at the docks for more faction. You also get some serious ale per turn in.
