Getting Started in Ballads of Zimara

This is a guide to things I have learned or wish I had known about when getting started, Solo, in Ballads of Zimara, Hopefully of help to anyone returning or starting this expansion.

This guide isn’t meant to be expansive, and one of the first things I recommend is to read Sigrdrifa’s Excellent Guide to RoR as many of the points remain true now.
Renewal of Ro Guide for Beginners (or Returning Players) | EverQuest 2 Forums (daybreakgames.com)

Spirit Stones, Panda Quests and Kael Drakkel are available to members only.

Suggested Things to do before starting your adventure, these will make your journey to 130 and beyond easier:

· Finish the 2023 Panda, Panda, Panda Quests

· Complete the Legend Hunting achievement on the Kael Drakkel Server

· Obtain a Handcrafted Zimaran Hackamore of Status and a Mastercrafted Zimaran Ring

· Learn to speak Volant

· Complete Imprinting History Lesson in Barren Sky

· Complete the quests:

o Blood of Brood

o Culture of the Aviaks

o The Hatchery

Now, Into the Sky Above

Starting out:
Make your way into Barren Sky (Fast Travel or Wizard Spire)
Pick up the Quest from Baoko, while in the area you may also want to make sure you know how to speak Volant from Turk Whooyip as this will be needed later.
You will be given an Introductory quest on zoning into Splendor Sky Aerie (For the Greater Good!), Completing this should give you Gear, Mount (Level 1), Familiar (Level 10), Unlocked Mercenary (Level 20), Ascension Mastery Primer

Gearing Up:
Swap out all your current gear for the new stuff with purple rune slots (you might need to remove the SpiritStones from the Rings/Necklace if you aren’t a member)
From Tishan’s Lockbox, Take:

· 2 Tishan’s Zimaran Adornment of Augmentation

· A Stack of Tishan’s Zimaran Adornment of Raw Power

· A Stack of Tishan’s Zimaran Adornment of Increased Criticals

· An additional Helm

· An additional Cloak

· 1 each of the resist runes

o Tishan’s Zimeran Rune: Adamant Defiance [Teir 0]

o Tishan’s Zimeran Rune: Adamant Resolve [Teir 0]

o Tishan’s Zimeran Rune: Astral Dominion [Teir 0]

o Tishan’s Zimeran Rune: Blinding Gleam [Teir 0]

· 2x Tishan’s Zimeran Rune: Blissful Thought

· Grab a set of armour for your mercenary as well, equip it.

· Make sure you have the 3 buffs scribed.

o Jubilant Familiar Infusion

o Monolithic Mercenary Infusion

o Tolan’s Darkwood Mount Infusion

· Take and use the Zimaran Consumables Bundle.

Using Adornment Reclamation Remove the Runes from all your new Gear
The Following won’t be used and can be deleted:

· Zimaran Rune: Zeal

· Tishan’s Zimeran Rune: Force Projection

Head to Raj’Dur Plateaus

· Grab a set of accolades for your mercenary from the Tishan’s Lockbox, equip them.

· Check Charifa <Status Merchant> for the Vah Shir Mount Infusion, buy and Scribe if you have this available.

Head to Sundered Frontier, From Pas Yu <Carrier of Things> Ensure you have claimed your Shadowed Ethereal’s and purchase the following:

· Budding Botanist’s Adornment of Health

· A stack of Budding Botanist’s Adornment of Extra Attacks

· A Stack of Budding Botanist’s Adornment of Modified Power

· The 4 Tol’Ren Runes

o Budding Botanist’s Rune: Ascension of Tol’Ren

o Budding Botanist’s Rune: Firmament of Tol’Ren

o Budding Botanist’s Rune: Foundation of Tol’Ren

o Budding Botanist’s Rune: Primus of Tol’Ren

· 2x Budding Botanist’s Rune: Balanced Aggression

· 2x Budding Botanist’s Rune: Blissful Thought

· 10x Budding Botanist’s Rune: Force Projection

· 1 of Each type of Combat Rune (Red or Blue)

o Budding Botanist’s Rune: Evasion

o Budding Botanist’s Rune: Expedience

o Budding Botanist’s Rune: Rage

o Budding Botanist’s Rune: Reactionary Strike

· 1 of Each of the Charm Runes

o Budding Botanist’s Rune: Critical Thinking

o Budding Botanist’s Rune: Focus Defence

o Budding Botanist’s Rune: Infusion of Qua’ddathul

o Budding Botanist’s Rune: Resurgence

o Budding Botanist’s Rune: Soul Shiver

o Budding Botanist’s Rune: Vampiric Requiem

· Budding Botanist’s Rune: Field Medic

· Budding Botanist’s Rune: Gleeful Ire

· 3x Zealous Rune of the Budding Botanist

Convert your Blue/Red Runes into Purple

· Split Stacked Runes into individual items in your bags

· Examine the Runes (you can stack the examines for unique rune types to save time, you just cannot examine 2 of the same type without claiming one first)

· Claim your purple rune

· Repeat the examine for all your runes

Adorn your Gear:
BB: Gleeful Ire is tagged lore not lore-equip so you need to buy and convert then equip before getting another from Pas-Yu
Purple Runes are shown in my personal order of priority.

· Head

o TZR: Raw Power

o TZR: Practiced Maneuver

· Shoulders

o BB: Tol'Ren

o BB: Gleeful Ire; TZR: Timed Attacks

· Chest

o BB: Tol'Ren

o BB: Force Projection

· Forearms

o BB: Tol'Ren

o BB: Blissful Thought

· Hands

o BB: Extra Attacks

o TZR: Blissful Thought

· Legs

o TZR: Raw Power

o BB: Force Projection

· Feet

o BB: Tol'Ren

o BB: Gleeful Ire

· Primary

o TZR: Increased Criticals

o BB: Reactionary Strike, Expedience, Rage, Evasion, TZR: Weapon Runes

o BB: Zealous Rune

· Secondary

o TZR: Raw Power

o BB: Reactionary Strike, Expedience, Rage, Evasion, TZR: Weapon Runes

o BB: Zealous Rune

· Ranged

o TZR: Increased Criticals

o BB: Reactionary Strike, Expedience, Rage, Evasion, TZR: Weapon Runes

o BB: Zealous Rune

· Cloak

o BB: Modified Power

o TZR: Temporal Preparation

· Neck

o BB: Extra Attacks

o BB: Force Projection

o Spirit of Drakkel

· Belt

o BB: Health

o TZR: Immunity Runes

· Charm's

o BB: Modified Power

o BB: Critical Thinking, Soul Shiver, Focus Defence, Field Medic, Vampiric Requiem, Infusion of Qua'ddathul, Resurgence

· Ear's

o TZR: Adornment of Augmentation

o BB: Balanced Aggression

· Ring's

o TZR: Increased Criticals

o BB: Force Projection

o No Valid BoZ @125

· Wrist's

o BB: Modified Power

o BB: Gleeful Ire; BB: Field Medic; TZR: Timed Attacks

· Accolades

o The only Free Adornments I could find for Accolades were Hua Jubilee - However these only work in the expansions leading up to VoV

Finger Wrigglin/Swishy-Poke (Combat Skills); Health; Increased Criticals (CB/CBOC); Modified Power

Final Check List:
Are your Ascension’s at least Level 20, You can get more primers from the The Tishan’s Lockbox
Cast your infusions
Resummon your mount and familiar
Double check your AA Spec (2b+ Hp and 1m+ Potency)

· Save your Current Spec

· Head to eq2u and the leaderboard (EQ2U Leaderboards: PvE Kills on All Servers (eq2wire.com))

· Choose Max Melee Hit or Max Magic Hit (depending on class)

· Sort by Class and compare your AA Spec with the top level 130 of your class.

· Ignore any specs without 8 Enhanced Vigor and Ready Up on the Prestige (Class) AA

Read up on Green Runes and Solo gear below.

You should now be ready to run the signature quest and explore the lands above.
Ballads of Zimara Timeline | EverQuest 2 Wiki | Fandom

Things to Keep in Mind While Leveling:

Green Runes:
Currently there are 3 Green Runes/Spiritstones that are flagged for BoZ:

Spirit of Drakkel– Neck
This is an account unlock after completing the Legend Hunting achievement on the Kael Drakkel Server. (Lore and Legends Server with Level Matching / Combat Buff)Legend Hunting | EverQuest 2 Wiki | Fandom

Spiritstone of Zimaran Achievement– Only Gains Experience while worn.
To Maximise solo gained experience for this Rune:

· Gain Level 126 through overland quests and repeatable’s

o Following the Sig Line and Completing the Felfeather island quests and a few of the repeatable should enable you to reach 126,

o Hold off on zoning into Marshlands Miasma, just do the overland quests

· Do Not Kill any Named or Zone into Instances before Level 126

o Also avoid doing anything that might gain an achievement like fully exploring the overland or marking all objects

· Obtain a level 126 Ring

o Mastercrafted Zimaran Ring of Fortitude

§ 2 Ammolite

§ 130 Jeweller with Advanced Zimaran Jeweler’s Volume II

· Zone into an Instance (fully explore depending on size) or Kill a Named for the first time which will reward experience for this spirit stone and reward it to you if you do not have it already.

· Slot and Wear this on a Ring

This Stone only gains experience while worn, however the amount of experience granted per achievement increases as more achievements are gained, So, even if you miss several achievements due to lack of a level 126 ring/necklace you should still be able to Max Level this rune

Spiritstone of Collected Ballads– Only Gains Experience while worn.
To Maximise experience for this Rune:

· Do Not Complete any level 130 Zimaran Collections, Hold off on even completing them and not turning them in.

o (As above turning in your first collection awards the spiritstone, each successive collection awards experience to this stone, but, ONLY IF WORN.

· Obtain a 2nd level 126 Ring –

o I recommend avoiding swapping between spirit stones if you only have 1 level 126 Ring keep the 1st one for your Achievement stone, as completing certain overland collections also awards achievement experience for that stone.

· Alternatively You can obtain a 126 Necklace from a Jeweller, Complete and Turn-in 1 level 130 Collection, Slot the Awarded Rune in your necklace and forgo the KD Rune Buffs, until you obtain the correct drops/rewards.

· Follow the Signature quest line

· During the Quest: Hard Act to Follow, there is a Mandatory Collection to proceed, this will reward a book that needs to be read for the quest and the Spiritstone of Collected Ballads (if you have avoided turning in any other collections)

· If you are unlucky in your drops while running instances you will gain a double purple, level 126 ring if you complete the Runed Ring POI quests in SSA, available after speaking to the Aviaks in the Aether Wroughtlands Camp.

· Once you have 2 level 126+ Rings (or a 126+ Necklace and Ring) turn in your first completed 130 collection. Slot and wear the previously awarded rune, you are now free to complete and turn in any other 130 collections you have been saving.

As I understand as the time of writing, even if you complete all collections, only turning in 1 for the stone and all the others with the stone slotted, it is impossible to max level the stone, Through Collections alone.
Once you have completed all the collections for BoZ, the Weekly Dungeon Quests do provide additional experience to level this spirit stone

Solo Quested things to Aim for:

Chronoportal PQ currently has 460 Resolve "Temporal" Jewellery/Cloaks/Belts/2H as a possible reward, This is available until 15th March

Band of the Five Maws (460 Resolve, Double Purple)

Splendor Sky Aerie: Dragon Runed Ring | EverQuest 2 Wiki | Fandom – Complete the 5 Runescribed Gem POI Quests

Band of Ballads (460 Resolve, Double Purple)

Ballad of Antiquities | EverQuest 2 Wiki | Fandom – Complete all 15 PoI Quests

Bonds of Bonanza (455 Resolve, Double Purple) - Defeat all unique [Solo] dungeon boss encounters

Triumph: Stanza Bonanza | EverQuest 2 Wiki | Fandom -

The Bottled Wish (460 Resolve, Chance at a Purple Rune)

At level 130, Possible reward from the Daily Signature Mission (Speak to Oonnora in SSA)

Irreplaceable Amulet of the Fractal Chorus (480 Resolve)

Purchasable from Currency Merchant at level 130 after completion of the Sig Line/Achievements

Flawless Zimara Buff

Purchasable from Currency Merchant

High Resolve Gear from Year of Darkpaw Camps (No Minted Masquerade Token or Completion unlocks Required for these, only Minted Celebration Token)

· 2H – 200 MCT for Rank I (Unlock and Appearance), 400 MCT for Rank II (960 Resolve)

o Tarew-Marr: Crook of the Fathom Lord (Staff)

o E’Ci: Trident of the Wintery Guardian (Spear)

o Bertoxxulous: Plaguebringer's Staff of Bertoxxulous (Staff)

o Innoruuk: Glaive of the Hateful Prince (2H Sword)

o Tunare: Tunare's Gnarlroot Greatstaff (Staff)

· 1H – 100 MCT for Rank I (Unlock and Appearance), 200 MCT for Rank II (480 Resolve)

o Tarew-Marr: Tarew Marr’s Fathomed Cudgel

o E’Ci: Frozen Scepter of E’Ci

o Errolisi-Marr: Blade of the Loving Huntress

o Bertoxxulous: Plaguebringer's Disease-Ridden Shank

o Innoruuk: Innoruuk's Morningstar of Hatred (1H Crush w/Wary Protection)

o Tunare: Crawling Vine Dagger of Growth

· Ranged - 100 MMCT for Rank I (Unlock and Appearance), 200 MCT for Rank II (480 Resolve)

o Errolisi-Marr: Erollisi Marr’s Bow of the Hunt (Bow)

For those who Bought the Collector’s/Premium Editions:
Claiming the Upgraded Advanced Mount(s) from the Status Merchant (depending on the expansion version you bought) grants several tiers of Mount Research
Hold off on Mount Research until you Have finished the Sig Line and Essential Achievements and Claimed these.
The CE Celestial Familiar Looks to be Equivalent to the Researched Celestial Version, It is probably better to Research for the Celestial Mercenary first (In order to Research/Claim the next level of Mercenary you need to Sign the token do Not Sell/Destroy it)

Guide looks great. Too much information to process everything right away but I did want to mention, it has been confirmed by players that you have to sign the merc. contract now in order to claim the next tier.

Former player here who's been gone a while. I was thinking about picking up BoZ and giving it a go, but I can't tell you how bad my brain hurt reading this post. I really appreciate the OP and the time he spent gathering this info, along with Sigrdrifa as well. But good grief Darkpaw - this is what's required for new or returning players to get started with the latest expansion?

"You should now be ready to run the signature quest and explore the lands above."

I put myself in the place of a new player, even when absent.... I flee

Question about the POI and drop quests. Does each quest drop from certain mobs? And if yes is there a list of quests and what mobs drop each quest starter.

https://eq2.fandom.com/wiki/Ballads_of_Zimara_Timeline#Weekly_Missions This page has the information you are looking for on the quests and the quest starters and what mobs drop them.

Thank you for writing this up

Come on now, if that does not invite new players to the game I am not sure what will. I mean who would not want to grind through all of that in addition to monetised gating and other p2w items needed to remain relevant at max level.

Yeah, great guide but it is terrible what the game has become. Remember desert of flames / kingdom of sky expansions? Go to new area, join group, enter contested area or instance. Get gear, level up (Without mandatory quests) and have fun.
I don't even have a sub at the moment, I'll wait 6 months just before next expansion, play through whatever solo instance is the one to play and gear up in about 5 run throughs instead. Not sure who this game is marketed towards anymore.

I got back a little less than a month ago after being Away for about 6 years due to health issues, it's absolutely mond boggling and makes no sense from any perspective, forget about a new player trying all this, the requirements are ridiculous just to get started back up, I mean seriously spirit of drakkel? Correct me if I am wrong but isn't that item acquired from heroic content on another server that would require a group to complete?

Actually, you can solo almost all of that "heroic" instances. It's only one zone where you need a second player due to the script of one named. Just create a character which can output some damage. I had no issues with a Warlock, but other classes work as well.
But of course you can start the expansion without that adornment, and also without the panda items.

Thanks but I think we can all agree that list of items for getting started is fairly ridiculous

A lot of what is listed in this as needed to 'get started' is actually just needed to be at the top of your game. Spirit of Kael Drakkel, for one, only matters because there are currently ONLY three green adorns, so you either have to get it or have an empty slot... but you aren't useless without it.

I'm a returning player and can't seem to find stat caps anywhere. Could target goals for stats be added into this guide? What is suggested for HP, Potency, etc for the Zimara zones?