Man I did the Qeynos -> Freeport run as a true 1999 newbie and really got that legit experience. Here's a fun nostalgic story:
I was a human ranger named Onusin, I rolled to begin in Surefall glade. Over my first month I spent my time grinding decaying skeletons, skeletons, gnoll pups and getting destroyed at the entrance to Blackburrow.
One day a level 40 something bard zoned into Qeynos Hills and shouted "free noobie gear to the first response!". I couldn't believe it when he responded to me, "you're first, meet me at Surefall entrance". He handed me 2 full backpacks of Small Brass equipment that I couldn't wear, but was able to sell immediately for a couple hundred platinum.
I was level 6 flush with ~500 plat, and made my first purchase - a Polished Granite Tomahawk. The seller was a female erudite magician who was very excited to hand off the weapon to a noobie. So excited in fact that she mentioned that her and her friend could help me pair it with a weapon they heard of - Short Sword of Morin -
https://wiki.project1999.com/Morin%27s_Sword.
I wasn't aware of the weapon, or that it was a mini-introductory epic quest for rangers. Suddenly at level 6 I was being escorted outside the safety of Qeynos Hills and into the dangerous lands of West Karana. We ran across the zone, trying to keep me safe and invisible til eventually we found what we were looking for, the Ghoul Messenger.
My comrades dispatched the Ghoul Messenger, I looted the contents and was told "the rest is on you. Head to Kithicor Forest and hand Morin the map you looted." Well, "what is and where is Kithicor forest" I asked, and they hinted "its on the way to Freeport". They could have escorted me, but gifted me the opportunity
They departed West Karana and left me where I stood over the Ghoul's corpse. I shouted "which way to Kithicor?" and was given brief compass-based directions from the players in zone.
Over the next few hours I methodically worked my through the Karanas, soliciting help from every passerby in form of SOW and invis. Eventually I made my way up the aggrocrag of Eastern Karana and zoned into Highpass. Again I shouted "which way to kithicor" and again was met with nothing but help from other players.
I zoned into Kithicor at night to find a paladin and cleric duoing at the entrance to Highpass. Upon observing I was a cloth-clad level 6 ranger, they stopped me, invited me to their group and cast invis versus undead on me. My target, Morin, was on track and I set foot out of the entrance only to again be stopped and told to hug the left wall.
Eventually I made my way to Morin, turned in my map and was awarded the Short Sword of Morin. I immediately tried to equip the sword in my offhand to pair with my PGT, only to discover the level 13 dual wield requirement for the first time.
So here I was in a dangerous high-level zone, far away from my home and bind point. "Should I head back?" I thought. I decided instead to shout for directions to Freeport to see this massive city I had heard about. I followed the Kith wall all the way to Western Commonlands.
I zoned into WC and following the directions I had received from a player earlier began running straight across the zone.
"a nightfall giant crushes YOU for 116 points of damage"
"You have died."
I woke up naked in Qeynos Hills.