Your favorite newbie area?

[Kika Maslyaka]

What is your favorite newbie area for starting up from level 1 to say lev 10/15?
Whenever its good XP, good chance at grouping, good newbie loot or nostalgic affinity for specific area - take your pick!
(I did not list typical newbie dungeons like BlackBurrow or CrushBone, since they sort naturally follow some of the areas listed in the poll)

[Edame]

Field of Bone is hands-down the best.

[Estu]

Love Butcherblock, maybe because my first character was a dwarf. Always enjoy stopping by there for a few levels on my new characters.

[gotrocks]

Field of bone for sure.

All the others who are selecting kunark zones got it right.

For the Empire!

[Qubhed]

Innothule Swamp forges the very strongest newbies.

[tankh]

FoB is awesome, just which trooper tear was a bit quicker killing marauders :)

[Zuranthium]

Playing a Barbarian in 1999 is one of the most immersive experiences you could ask for. Everfrost is completely terrifying - it's a maze with close quarters for the most part + trains are very frequent + higher level undead wander the lowest level areas + you don't have night vision here as a Barbarian. Working as a team with fellow players was super important.

Everfrost is massive too. When you eventually level up some and find your way out of the frozen mountain maze and out into the expansive tundra, it's just an amazing sight and feeling. I played a Shaman back then, so it was at Level 5 that I was already fighting out in the Tundra against wayyyy higher level monsters. Teams of Level 7/8 Warriors would take me because you gotta have one healer and it didn't really matter what level you are. A lot of Shaman didn't realize back then that Inner Fire was actually a very efficient heal, so I was able to do great work. Of course I also didn't learn Meditate from the skill trainer until I was level 8...haha. After I figured that out it was such a huge power rush.

----

I'll also always love Steamfont. It's a very, very unique zone and you can easily get into your teens there. The kobold camp nearest to the city was HOTLY contested back in the day...it was the only one near the city (way later they added a bunch more kobold camps in that area and those camps are still here on p1999...and while they shouldn't be, it's a good idea to have at least one more there). I have fond memories of playing there with my Gnome Magician and learning how to hold down that whole kobold camp down by myself with a Water pet, during one of the rare times I had it to myself.

----

Butcherblock is pretty amazing too. Tons of content and the maze-like setup gives you a lot of adventures. It's probably the overall "best" newbie zone in terms of being able to make cash and having plenty of content to support a lot of players. I also really like Misty Thicket a lot; it has a cool setup and its a GREAT starter area. Greater Faydark is obviously a definitive Everquest zone as well, and I'll always appreciate it a ton, although it's a bit lacking in terms of actual content if you take out Kelethin from the equation.

I'd say the worst newbie areas are Nektulos Forest and Toxxulia Forest. Nektulos actually has a well-designed atmosphere, but it just doesn't have enough content. It's not enough to a support a significant lower-level playerbase. Toxxulia is simply shit.

Overall ranking, a mixture between how memorable and how "good" (but mostly the former):

01. Everfrost
02. Butcherblock
03. Steamfont
04. Greater Faydark
05. Misty Thicket
06. Commonlands
07. Qeynos Hills
08. Feerrott
09. Innothule Swamp
10. Nektulos Forest
11. Toxxulia Forest

I never played an Iksar, so I can't really comment on those newbie areas. They seem to have been well designed from everything I hear, though.

[runlvlzero]

Tox is gamebreakingly bad until you can just use it to get level 4 than go to the warrens. It just lacks any content to get you past 6 easily.

[Zuranthium]

Tox is gamebreakingly bad until you can just use it to get level 4 than go to the warrens. It just lacks any content to get you past 6 easily.

You can get to Level 8 doing the Kobold camps. Those are down next to the evil starting area, though. Any people starting out as good-aligned Erudites must have had an absolutely awful time. Actually, I doubt the evil-aligned players felt any better since it was hard for them to even get off the damn continent! The zone is obviously supposed to be pretty "dead" thematically, but it really was too shitty.

[senna]

Steamfont. You can get damn near lvl 20 in that zone and fast too.

[formallydickman]

Innothule Swamp is my favorite followed closely by Steamfont.

[Catatonia]

I voted Everfrost just for the nostalgia factor (I played a barb SHM on live).
I honestly don't have enough experience to tell which zone is the best (in the sense the most efficient) to level in.

[myriverse]

Field of Bone is hands-down the best.

[Taiku]

Paineel, I just love how it's set up, not really the best leveling spot, but I really liked it's placement and the sitting area overlooking it, just a cool newbie yard

[Naena]

The newbie log in Nektulos will always be special to me, EQ was dead to me when they revamped Nektulos and took it out. However overall Field of Bone -> Kurns is my favorite.

[kaev]

I would've voted Commonlands if it weren't overrun by spamsluts, high levels, and buff beggars. Had to settle for GFay.

[Kohedron]

Commonlands and steamfont.. although commonlands is only nice because it's easy to buy newb gear instead of hitting level 16+ in a full suit of cloth and a cracked staff

[Kika Maslyaka]

Playing a Barbarian in 1999 is one of the most immersive experiences you could ask for. Everfrost is completely terrifying - it's a maze with close quarters for the most part + trains are very frequent + higher level undead wander the lowest level areas + you don't have night vision here as a Barbarian. Working as a team with fellow players was super important.

Everfrost is massive too. When you eventually level up some and find your way out of the frozen mountain maze and out into the expansive tundra, it's just an amazing sight and feeling. I played a Shaman back then, so it was at Level 5 that I was already fighting out in the Tundra against wayyyy higher level monsters. Teams of Level 7/8 Warriors would take me because you gotta have one healer and it didn't really matter what level you are. A lot of Shaman didn't realize back then that Inner Fire was actually a very efficient heal, so I was able to do great work. Of course I also didn't learn Meditate from the skill trainer until I was level 8...haha. After I figured that out it was such a huge power rush.

----

got to agree ;) One of my first "mains" was a Barbarian Shaman. I had other "mains" after him, but I always kept returning to Halas/EF on all my chars, as it always felt as going home. I am also particularly fond of Qeynos anf Gfay.

As far as good zones vs bad zones, Tox and Innothule are definitely on the loosing side. Tox area got better with Warrens, but that was far past Classic times.

Kunark starting zones are spoiled IMHO - they have tons of good loot and very high ZEM, I consider them classic era Paludal Caverns in a way :p

[Reapin]

Paineel

[Nads]

There are few who can handle Troll Country.

[Ajkuhuun]

Field of bone and the surrounding zones are awesome for low level, even if you have to be careful. With an added bonus of Kurn's right in your backyard :P

[Brut]

Innothule! Feerrott is just one zone away for the first 1-3 levels (since killing the swarms of lizardman broodlings that drop cloth > large rats at Grobb entrance), then its farmfest of frogloks for netted armor and Upper Guk's right there for the more daring fatties. Only big downside is Verant's usual douchebag behaviour in dropping lvl12 elf druids to roam the newbie area.

[Zeonick]

FoB is great exp with kurns right there when you get higher, but I dont know how anyone can argue with Gfay. Tons of skeletons to turn in bone chips in felwith - great low level exp there. Then there is the plentiful CB belts dropping everywhere which you can either save and turn in for massive exp or sell for 2-3pp EACH! Such a great way to level quickly or make money.

Not to mention crushbone being right there. You can usually get in there about level 5 to start killing entrance mobs, and it's a 160% ZEM, the highest in the game! Everfrost is my 'favorite' starting zone, but gfay seems to be the 'best'.

[Raavak]

Tox is gamebreakingly bad until you can just use it to get level 4 than go to the warrens. It just lacks any content to get you past 6 easily.Its better to just go to the Qeynos newbie area.

[a_desert_madman_01]

As much as I love my midgets, I ran every one of them to West Freeport at level 1 and began grinding from there. Loved the area and there were almost always buffs available at the tunnel, not to mention bank and vendor access. It was perfect for me.

[gotrocks]

it's a 160% ZEM, the highest in the game! .

hhk is 200%, or was on live.

seems pretty close to that here

[Buellen]

Heya


Qeynos newby yard 1 to 5 plus chance at Gnoll fangs from the named gnolls.

Qeynos hills 5 to 10 Gnolls what's not to love 8 spawns all close to blackburoow on 7 min timer. you can farm up fangs easy their.

Blackburrow 7 to 19 more fangs (slows down at 15 or so because you murdering all green gnolls mostly ).


Garue 49th Level Half Elf Warrior Follower of the Great Karana.

[webrunner5]

Orc camps in EC have got to be special to a lot of people, including me.

[Kevynne]

Gfay 4lyfe

[Kika Maslyaka]

curious how quiet Qeynos area as popular as Kunark, and have outdone the Commons...

[Weekapaug]

Heya


Qeynos newby yard 1 to 5 plus chance at Gnoll fangs from the named gnolls.

Qeynos hills 5 to 10 Gnolls what's not to love 8 spawns all close to blackburoow on 7 min timer. you can farm up fangs easy their.

Blackburrow 7 to 19 more fangs (slows down at 15 or so because you murdering all green gnolls mostly ).


Garue 49th Level Half Elf Warrior Follower of the Great Karana.

Qeynos, baby. Except, if untwinked, I usually get out of blackburrow around 12 and hit the bandit camps in WK. They will get you into the teens and the sash turnins are mad cash.

[Vohl]

My favorite wasn't on the list -- Qeynos Sewers. Decent XP modifier, merchants, banker, named critters that drop +HP ring and earring, and rarely crowded, even on a new server. Monks can even get a pair of magic gloves there thanks to the frogloks. Tailors can get silk there from the large spiders. The weapons merchant here sells staves, which are decent noob weapons.

[Kika Maslyaka]

I would say that Sewers qualify as part of Qeynos area ;)
yes definitely good place for newbie items

[Buellen]

sorry off tiopic


Qeynos Sewers here is good dependent on when you leveled on it on live.

Prior to the investigator quest line being put in <qeynos badge of nobility final result> xp was great in sewers had a huge xp modifier ( I use to level all my alts their 1 to 16).


Due the investigator badge quest having a easily REPEATABLE triggered mobs that were 30 to 40ish you could sit in a group and abuse this section of quest for very good experience.

Sony went in and NERFED The heck out of the experience modifier.

I don't Believe the xp modifier for qeynos catacombs here on P1999 is like it was on live prior to badge quest but it is better than what it end up after the nerf.

Garue 49th Level Half Elf Warrior Follower of Karana

[a_desert_madman_01]

Gfay? You people are sick and should be ashamed of yourselves.

[mtb tripper]

yeah gfay is most definitley shittiest zone ever, nothing but ruins to kill around until like lvl 6 or 7 to move to cb

[Kushie]

I love steamfont. Easy to stay in the zone till level 13-14ish.

[mtb tripper]

I love steamfont. Easy to stay in the zone till level 13-14ish.

steamfont is a great zone

[baloen]

My favorite wasn't on the list -- Qeynos Sewers. Decent XP modifier, merchants, banker, named critters that drop +HP ring and earring, and rarely crowded, even on a new server. Monks can even get a pair of magic gloves there thanks to the frogloks. Tailors can get silk there from the large spiders. The weapons merchant here sells staves, which are decent noob weapons.

This was the same for me, the smugglers down there, at the right levels, you could break the spawns on the rooms and have them respawn as single pulls practically as fast as you could kill them, and no competition. Other random loot down there too like a necklace and such, later Cuburt had a decent earring added. By the time you left you were master swimmer too =).

For a starting character it was a pretty nice place to be.

[Kika Maslyaka]

So no one likes Feerrott, eh?
Personally I never started char there, but is it THAT BAD? As bad as Tox?
I do not know that Tox is horrible...

[Samoht Farstrider]

gnoll fangs vs CB belts/pads

Which gives more xp?

[kaev]

gnoll fangs vs CB belts/pads

Which gives more xp?

Failpost. Poll is favorite newbie area, not fastest way to skip out of newbie area.

[Samoht Farstrider]

Heh, I am a newbie. Just started not long ago. Just trying to figure out which will get me to 9 faster so I can get spells to help out my very casual playing style since I normally dont play long enough to group.

[Tsenor]

Steamfont hands down. 1-4 is in one area and then going from 4 - 7 you just turn around and you got kobolds. After kobolds you can solo at windmills and guards are right there. Then 9-13 you have quite a few areas to choose from. Its a VERY underrated zone imo

[Borador]

Failpost. Poll is favorite newbie area, not fastest way to skip out of newbie area.90% of the posts are talking about quick leveling...

[Kika Maslyaka]

Common Mr. Feerrott! I know you can make it... to 3... ;)