New Toon - Tutorial to Plane of Knowledge
Welcome to the server! Your first priority is to complete the new player tutorial. This will not only teach you the basic mechanics but also provide you with a full set of starter gear and some essential currency. Don't skip it!
Once you exit the tutorial, you'll find yourself in the Plane of Knowledge (PoK). This is the central hub of the game. Take your time to find your class guild master to train your skills, purchase your first few ranks of spells, and get buffs from higher-level players near the main bank. PoK provides portal access to nearly every starting city and many other zones across Norrath.
Levels 1-15 - Kurn's Tower
Located in the Field of Bone, Kurn's Tower is an iconic starting zone filled entirely with undead skeletons. The concentration of mobs is excellent, making it a premier spot for uninterrupted leveling.
Strategy:
- The entry area is relatively safe. You can pull single skeletons to the zone-in point.
- As you level up, move deeper and higher into the tower. The mobs increase in level the further you go.
- Be mindful of roamers. It's easy to get adds if you're not careful.
- This is a great place to farm Bone Chips for early quests or faction grinding.
Notable Mobs:
- Burynai Burrower
- Fingered Skeleton
- Greater Scalebone
- Skeletal Cook (drops the valuable Shield of Kurn)
Levels 15-25 - Echo Caverns
Echo Caverns, accessible from Shadow Haven, is a sprawling cave system offering two distinct progression paths. It's a fantastic place to bridge the gap into your 20s.
Strategy (Levels 15-20):
Stick to the entrance area from Shadow Haven. You will find plenty of Needlites and Boglings. These are great experience and can often be pulled solo. Be wary of the large, static tentacles, as they are powerful traps.
Strategy (Levels 20-25 - Other Side):
As you approach level 20, you can move deeper towards the side of the caverns that connects to The Deep. Here, the mobs become more challenging, including various Underbulks and Fungal Fiends. A group is recommended for this area, but the experience is excellent.
Notable Mobs:
- A Bogling
- A Needlite
- A Stonegrabber
- Underbulk
Levels 25-30 - The Deep
A dark, dangerous, and claustrophobic cavern system on Luclin, The Deep is a significant step up in difficulty. It is almost exclusively a group zone. The zone is filled with Thought Leeches and various mushroom-like creatures.
Strategy:
- Do not enter this zone alone at this level. Find a solid group.
- The primary enemies are Thought Leeches, which are caster-type mobs. Be prepared for interrupts and dispels.
- Move carefully through the tunnels to avoid training your group.
- The experience is fantastic, and the loot starts to become more meaningful here.
Notable Mobs:
- A Thought Leech
- A Fungusbeast
- An Outcast
- The Burrower Beast (Raid Target)
Levels 20-30 - Blightfire Moors
As an alternative or supplement to Echo Caverns and The Deep, Blightfire Moors offers a more open-world experience. It's an expansive zone with several camps and a host of quests that award decent gear.
Strategy:
- Near the Crescent Reach zone line, you can find rats and snakes for lower levels.
- The southern part of the zone is dominated by gnoll camps and mines, which are perfect for group or solo play in the mid-20s.
- Make sure to pick up all the quests at the outpost and from Scout Zerak. They provide a great XP boost and useful rewards.
Notable Mobs:
- A Blightfire Gnoll
- A Mucktail Miner
- Mossback (Named Snake)
- Plaguebringer (Named Rat)
Levels 40-50 - Blackfeather Roost
This is a dangerous, vertical zone populated by griffons, harpies, and other avian creatures. The zone is a series of ledges and cliffs, and falling is a constant danger. Progression involves completing small tasks to use griffon nests as teleporters to higher ledges.
Strategy:
- Always fight with your back to a wall. Mobs here have a strong knockback effect.
- Harpies are enchanters. They can charm, mesmerize, and stun, making them incredibly dangerous. Magic resistance is key.
- Follow the quest line starting with Fenith on the ground floor to unlock access to the upper levels.
- This zone is often a hot zone, offering bonus experience.
Notable Mobs:
- A Griffon
- A Harpy Noble
- Puma, Bear, Spider (for quest components)
- Lady Inthra (Named Harpy)
Levels 50-65 - Monkey Rock (The Hole)
"Monkey Rock" is likely a custom name for a popular camp. On most servers, the premier dungeon for this level range is The Hole. This massive underground city is filled with powerful undead, elementals, and constructs. It's a high-risk, high-reward zone for well-equipped groups.
Strategy:
- A full, balanced group is mandatory. You will need a solid tank, healer, and crowd control.
- The entrance area contains elementals and rock golems. This is the "standard" camp for groups starting out.
- Deeper in, you'll find a sprawling city filled with various undead. These areas are more dangerous but offer better loot and experience.
- Many epic quests require drops from named creatures within The Hole.
Notable Mobs:
- An Elemental Warrior
- A Rock Golem
- A Ghost of Paineel
- Various Epic Quest mobs (e.g., Keeper of the Tombs)
Levels 65-75 - House of Thule, The Grounds
The Grounds (often called "housegarden") is the entry zone for the House of Thule expansion. It's a beautiful but deadly garden area filled with plant monsters, undead, and constructs. The zone has a great layout for group grinding.
Strategy:
- The area around the zone-in and up the main steps is a good place to start.
- There are several safe spots to pull to, allowing groups to set up camp and grind for hours.
- Mobs here have significantly more hit points and damage output than in previous expansions. Good gear becomes very important.
- This is a great place to start earning Alternate Advancement (AA) points while still getting good conventional experience.
Notable Mobs:
- A Garden Guardian
- A Decrepit Guard
- A Dream Leech
- Bonehew the Vicious (Named)
Levels 80-90 - Bixie Warfront, Ethernere, Deadhills
This level range is dominated by the Call of the Forsaken expansion and its focus on Heroic Adventures (HAs). While you can grind in these zones, the most efficient path is to run the instanced missions given by NPCs like Gribble Grobblenob in Deadhills.
Zone Overviews:
- Bixie Warfront: An open-field war between Bixies and other creatures. Great for outdoor pulling.
- Ethernere Tainted West Karana: A corrupted version of a classic zone, filled with powerful, tainted wildlife and undead.
- Deadhills: A bleak landscape serving as the main hub for CotF. This is where you will get most of your HAs.
Strategy:
Form a group and start running Gribble's three HAs: "Into the Hills", "Scouting Ahead", and "Disrupting the Ritual". They are repeatable, scale with your level, and provide excellent experience and Marks of Valor for purchasing gear.
Levels 90-100 - Kurn's Tower (oldkurn)
This is a high-level, revamped version of the classic Kurn's Tower. The layout is familiar, but the skeletons are vastly more powerful. It's an excellent zone for nostalgia and straightforward grinding in a dungeon setting.
Strategy:
- Treat this like any other high-level dungeon. A full group with a tank, healer, and support is required.
- The mob density is still fantastic, allowing for chain pulling with very little downtime.
- Named mobs spawn in their classic locations but are much tougher and drop relevant loot for this level range.
Levels 90-100 - High-End Group Zones
This bracket offers a wide variety of excellent group zones from the Rain of Fear and Veil of Alaris expansions. These are all challenging, high-tier zones requiring a competent group.
Zone Options:
- Heart of Fear: Themed around Cazic-Thule, this zone is filled with fear creatures, golems, and phoboplasms.
- Plane of Shadow: Luclin's realm, featuring shadow creatures, shades, and powerful vampires. A very dark and atmospheric zone.
- Valley of King Xorbb (Revamp): A high-level version of the classic Beholder's Maze, with powerful evil eyes and minotaurs.
- Tempest Temple: The plane of Karana. Battle storm giants and other storm-related creatures in a beautiful open temple.
- Brother Island: Part of The Darkened Sea expansion, this island is home to pirates, sirens, and sea creatures.
Levels 100-126 - Modern Expansions
Welcome to the endgame. From level 100 onwards, your progression will be tied to the most current expansions on the server. Leveling slows down considerably, and the focus shifts to completing quests, missions, and earning AA points in the latest, most challenging zones.
Claws of Veeshan (CoV) - Levels 110-115:
Explore the frozen north of Velious and battle the minions of the awakened Sleeper, Kerafyrm.
- Stratos: Zephyr's Flight: A plane of air ruled by dragons.
- The Western Wastes: A revamped, high-level version of the classic dragon graveyard.
- Kael Drakkal: The capital of the Storm Giants, now embroiled in civil war.
- The Eastern Wastes: Another icy expanse filled with Coldain, giants, and dangerous wildlife.
Terror of Luclin (ToL) - Levels 115-120:
Return to the moon of Luclin to confront the remnants of the Akheva and the insidious forces of the shadows.
- Maiden's Eye / Umbral Plains: Revamped classic zones now populated with far deadlier foes.
- Ka Vethan / Vex Thal: High-end group and raid zones deep within the Akhevan territories.
- Shadow Valley / Basilica of Adumbration / Bloodfalls: Explore the dark side of Luclin, culminating in the heart of shadow itself.
Night of Shadows (NoS) - Levels 120-125:
Delve into the shadowed history of Antonica, confronting familiar enemies twisted into new, powerful forms.
- Deepshade / Ruins of Shadow Haven: Familiar locales from Luclin, now corrupted and more dangerous.
- Shar Vahl, Divided: The Vah Shir capital, now torn by internal conflict.
- Shadeweaver's Tangle / Paludal Caverns: Classic zones remade for high-level adventurers.
- Firefall Pass / Darklight Caverns: Deep, dangerous caverns that hold new threats.
Laurion's Inn (LS) - Levels 125+:
The current endgame. Spend your time in zones like Ankexfen Keep, working on quests, missions, and raids to acquire the best gear and push your character to the absolute limit.
At this stage, joining a guild is highly recommended for tackling group and raid content. Good luck, hero!