If you don't mind the look of Trolls or Iksars, I wouldn't discount them because of the XP penalty. Being able to regen 2x faster is effectively doubling your kill speed solo. This is going to net you more xp even after the penalty.
For weapons you want
https://wiki.project1999.com/Embalmers_Skinning_Knife for infinite bandages. Will reduce your downtime and is much cheaper than the regen chest items. Getting both the dagger and a regen chest would be better, but more expensive.
For DPS weapons Mace of the Shadowed Soul, Noctavigant Blade, or Ebon Mace will work well for a while. Atrementous Shield is indeed great if you can get it, otherwise Sarnak Battle Shield is a good, cheaper alternative.