How do you Vets lvl up

[Flintsen]

So my question is how do you vets do it? I started an FVS this weekend and I find myself lvl 4 without even blinking and eye and I haven't even left Korthos yet. Problem is that one stops getting xp when you've skipped a lvl and reached the next one so you have no choice but to lvl.

Do you hit everything n/h/e? Do you go into STK in lvl 3? WW in lvl 2?

[elraido]

I always did the mission right across from the Lobster because it is an insane amount of xp for 3-5 min worth of work. Milk that for all it is worth. After that, WW on normal maybe elite then off to Tangle Root. By that time I am level 5-7 and off to Delaras.

[MrFister]

If you don't know all the quests, run them all at least once on normal. It's good for the soul and lore and fun and whatnot.

Then run quests you like with something like the following progression: n/n/n/n/n/n/n/h/e/s. Run it on normal a bunch of times until you start getting a noticable repeat penalty (6 or so). Then run it once each on hard, elite, and solo if available, for the bonus XP.

Even if you don't like them, doing that with Information is Key, Bonebite's and Stealthy Reposession is suggested for really fast XP.

[karnokvolrath]

Ringleader n/n/n/h/e
Info is Key - same
Durks - same
Butchters - same
Tangleroot - N/H/E

Sould be lvl 6 with a EXP pot going

Deleras n/h/e
Gwelands n/h/e
Stormcleave n/h/e
Sarrowdusk/Co6 n/h/e

This can all be done in about 15-25 hours if you know the quests and have good guildies/friends.

Gianthold, then the Vale, good luck and happy hunting.

[assamite]

So my question is how do you vets do it? I started an FVS this weekend and I find myself lvl 4 without even blinking and eye and I haven't even left Korthos yet. Problem is you that one stops getting xp when you've skipped a lvl and reached the next one so you have no choice but to lvl.

Do you hit everything n/h/e? Do you go into STK in lvl 3? WW in lvl 2?

NNN/h/e
1-4 korthos/butchers/ringleader/info
4-5 Tangleroot/WW
5-7 Gwaylans/tear
7-8 Stormcleave/daleras
8-10 xiorian cipher/desert
10-13/14 Gianthold
14-17 Vale
17-20 Amarath/Refuge

I do most stuff normal 3-4 times then i do hard. I save elite for later LvLs example. At lvl 8 i would run tear and Gwaylans elite, at lvl 10 id run Stormcleave and Daleras elite ect.

[Lorien_the_First_One]

For all by silly high xp quests (delaras, information is key, etc) I skip norm, just running h/e. I then run through the quests, skipping quests I don't like (proof is in the poison, necro 1-3, etc). I usually hold off on levelling until I'm just shy of being able to double level because the low end of the game is extremely xp rich since all the new quests were added.

This is less efficient than the n/n/n/h/e method through only the high xp quests, but frankly I'd rather be a bit slower and have some variety than only grind out six quests again and again. As it is I'm levelling past content too fast sometimes lol

[Juni]

NNN/H/E no optionals, conquest or ransack except on Elite

Info is Key
New Ring Leader
Butchers Path
Durks
WW
Tangle
Deleras
Gwaylans
Tear
Pit (only worth the time doing this if you know the quest very well)
StormCleave
CO6
VONs
Desert
GiantHold
Vale.

Sometimes I toss in doing all rares and explorers in the explore areas I hit except Gianthold

I only use this model if I need or want to lvl a char quickly which isn't often.

[Gunga]

1 - 4 Vet
4 - 6 Harbor/Marketplace
6 - 8 TR/Deleras
8 - 11 Necro/Tear/Storm/XC/Gwylan's
11 - 13 Threnel/Desert
13 - 16 GH/Necro
16 - 17 Vale
17 - 18 RR
18 - 20 Amrath/Raids

EDIT>> This is a good schedule for TRs.

Juni's above is a good list, too. Also, just a fun aside, if Juni's guild was named Wayfinders of Kapairian Nanwel (http://www.guildportal.com/Guild.aspx?GuildID=235348&TabID=1981336)'s Information Technology, they'd be WKNIT for short. Just sayin.

[Kawiki]

NNN/h/e
1-4 korthos/butchers/ringleader/info
4-5 Tangleroot/WW
5-7 Gwaylans/tear
7-8 Stormcleave/daleras
8-10 xiorian cipher/desert
10-13/14 Gianthold
14-17 Vale
17-20 Amarath/Refuge

I do most stuff normal 3-4 times then i do hard. I save elite for later LvLs example. At lvl 8 i would run tear and Gwaylans elite, at lvl 10 id run Stormcleave and Daleras elite ect.

This is somewhat the old school approach to leveling, there was a time when you would get bonus XP for being under level compared to the Quest level (i.e. you character level is 6 the quest level is 8, you would get an extra 20% xp) sadly this is no longer true.

I highly recommend to not run quests until you are exactly one level (and only one level) over the Quest level. So, you don't want to do the Gianthold side quests (level 13 quests) until you are level 14.

If you do it that way you tend to run the quests faster which increases your xp to minute ratio.

There are a couple of exceptions to the above rule, Delaras, Tangleroot, only because the quest level of these chains vary quite a bit.

There is absolutly no advantage to running quests over your level.

[Zaodan]

Well, first you start off with a level 4. (Yay Veteran Status).

... :)

[moops]

Instead of grinding the same quests over and over I actually just try to do all the harbor quests on N/h/E and then after that all the other quests on hard and elite. My TR who is 17 actually only did WW and STK one time.

Believe it or not there is enough xp out there to level without grinding the smae quests 8 times, tho it is slower.

Since I tend to play Bards/Cleric/FVS I level as I get them as well, as every new level usually means better cc either through new spell or DC bump.

[QuantumFX]

I agree with Moops. Might as well get all the free stuff that favor offers you. It also keeps you from going nuts due to ransacking the patience chest.

Also, you should try to clear the map of each explorer zone at least once. You’ll get all the explorers, about half your rare encounters and a couple tiers of slayer for a nice chunk of XP.

[Flintsen]

1 - 4 Vet
4 - 6 Harbor/Marketplace
6 - 8 TR/Deleras
8 - 11 Necro/Tear/Storm/XC/Gwylan's
11 - 13 Threnel/Desert
13 - 16 GH/Necro
16 - 17 Vale
17 - 18 RR
18 - 20 Amrath/Raids


I thought about Vet but I want my 4 bag slot so doing Korthos and Market are good for that

[Ghoste]

Biggest hurdle to leveling quickly: players who think the best way to do a quest is to kill everything in there and break every box. Keep your eye on the quest objectives. Any monster who is either a quest objective or is making it absolutely impossible to achieve that objective may be killed. Anything else is just a distraction waving its hands in front of your face trying to pull your attention away from the straightest road to your quick xp.

[Kalari]

I'll add this since I didnt see it mentioned is I will hold off levels till I absolutely have to level up at times to. It allows me to run lower level quests as much as I can and run with more groups before I have to move out of that level range. Besides its banked xp not going anywhere and before you know it your at or near capped.

[Gunga]

Biggest hurdle to leveling quickly: players who think the best way to do a quest is to kill everything in there and break every box. Keep your eye on the quest objectives. Any monster who is either a quest objective or is making it absolutely impossible to achieve that objective may be killed. Anything else is just a distraction waving its hands in front of your face trying to pull your attention away from the straightest road to your quick xp.

Meh. Have you run GH lately? Madstone optionals are worth considerable xp. Wiz King? POP? New Invasion? Man, there's a Poo-ton of XP to be had in optionals.

[Frodo_Lives]

Usually I can run Korthos/Harbor stuff and hit level 4 fairly quickly, n/h/e with a couple of big xp quests per minute a couple extra times. With Vet status I can run everything just hard/elite and be level 5 before I'm through.

Waterworks I usually solo n/n/h/e for huge xp as the whole chain is solo'd in about 20 -30 mins (depending on class), STK on hard and boom you are at least level 6.

TR solo a few times on normal and hard (whole chain takes less than an hour) and a few house/marketplace quests and I'm 7th or close to 8th.

Outdoor areas are definately good for a run through once or twice each. A ton of xp available for explorer, rares, and slayers. Although the last couple of slayer rewards are far too much of a grind to make it worth it for me.

Then I start grouping doing Delera's and house quests. Easily reach 9th or 10th.

Then it slows down a bit, but leaving Stormcleave, Gwylans, Tear, and a few other high xp quests on elite to do that helps a lot. Co6, VoNs, Tempest, Xorian Cypher, and some other house quests can get you pretty easily to 11th almost 12th.

At that point I start in on GH.

Not the most optimal but fairly quick leveling and up until level 7 you can solo most everything if you are familair with it. I find that levels 9 - 11 aren't tough to find xp for, but rather the timing of getting groups together makes it difficult.

[Ghoste]

Meh. Have you run GH lately? Madstone optionals are worth considerable xp. Wiz King? POP? New Invasion? Man, there's a Poo-ton of XP to be had in optionals.Did you think by quest objectives I meant only the very end objective?

[gorloch]

Get in a group with a couple of guildies/friends and just start doing the quest pretty much how everyone has mentioned. I tend to do the low level explorer areas solo when no one else is around, it gives me something to do when there isn't much else to do.

PIXA

[Quikster]

So my question is how do you vets do it? snip


Very quickly whenever possible.

[xTethx]

20 somethin posts and not one of them includes shadow crypt. This quest happens to be the place where you can get the most xp in 1hour. I

[Ghoste]

20 somethin posts and not one of them includes shadow crypt. This quest happens to be the place where you can get the most xp in 1hour. I
This is very true, so long as you know what you're doing. If not...

[Gunga]

Did you think by quest objectives I meant only the very end objective?

Read your own words.

[Gunga]

20 somethin posts and not one of them includes shadow crypt. This quest happens to be the place where you can get the most xp in 1hour. I

Nice. Why don't you just call the nerf police.

You're the best.

[xTethx]

Nice. Why don't you just call the nerf police.

You're the best.

Oh I know :)

Powerlvlin is too boring, gotta remove all the goodie quests to make it a challenege ;)

[Gunga]

Oh I know :)

Powerlvlin is too boring, gotta remove all the goodie quests to make it a challenege ;)

Check with your boss before sounding the alarms.

I doubt he would agree.

[xTethx]

Check with your boss before sounding the alarms.

I doubt he would agree.

Now you know I dont have a job, thats why I play DDO :)

[darksol23]

Ringleader n/n/n/h/e
Info is Key - same
Durks - same
Butchters - same
Tangleroot - N/H/E

Sould be lvl 6 with a EXP pot going

Deleras n/h/e
Gwelands n/h/e
Stormcleave n/h/e
Sarrowdusk/Co6 n/h/e

This can all be done in about 15-25 hours if you know the quests and have good guildies/friends.

Gianthold, then the Vale, good luck and happy hunting.

What he said...

[Bbrik]

4-5bonebite
5-7deleras,tangleroot
7-9stormcleave, tempist spine, co6
9-10vons
10-13gianthold
13-16vale
16-20inspired qaurters

[karnokvolrath]

Also, you should try to clear the map of each explorer zone at least once. You’ll get all the explorers, about half your rare encounters and a couple tiers of slayer for a nice chunk of XP.

I totally agree here, tangleroot while waiting for the group to fill, sarrowdusk almost but default (you run close to it all anyway, exept maybe the wright layer, and can do this when everyone drops after co6). Anatraxia gives pretty good exp quick and of course the vale.

[Draccus]

Meh. Have you run GH lately? Madstone optionals are worth considerable xp. Wiz King? POP? New Invasion? Man, there's a Poo-ton of XP to be had in optionals.

Exactly! Some of the optional XP is just ridiculous.

I was running Devils in the vale last night and with the changes, you can no longer jump the stalagmites to get to the optional devil. I was going to ignore him since it's a long backtrack but the guy I'm running with says "no, it's worth the XP." Sure, whatever, We run down, kill 6 devils, and get 2800 xp for maybe 45 seconds of work. Nice!

The optional mummies in Wiz King are worth 5k xp (if you include the djinni in front of him)! You can EASILY get 30k xp from the quest by doing all three towers. Oh, and you get another 1200 xp or so just for walking into the treasure room.

Picking up 5 gems in Stromvold's mine (that you will run past anyway) is worth 1100 xp.

Picking up the one Tear that's along the way to the boss in Tear of Dakaan is worth 450 xp.

I also STRONGLY agree with not running any quest that's above your level. The most efficient way to run is exactly what's suggested above: Run the quest exactly one level below your current level.

As far as slayers and explorers, I love these areas so I always milk them. The XP can be pretty good but not as efficient as running the top quests over and over. But a single lap around the Vale the first time is worth about 30k XP. I also love Ataraxia's as I can solo a lap there for 14k xp, give or take, depending on rares.

[Lorien_the_First_One]

I thought about Vet but I want my 4 bag slot so doing Korthos and Market are good for that

I did vet, and then did korthos/harbor/market focussing on coin lord stuff (got me all the way to 6 without grinding)

[Ghoste]

Read your own words.
You mean the part where I say quest objectives (plural, not singular)? Or how about the part where I don't say to skip the optionals? Oh! I know! Perhaps it was the part where Gunga put words in my mouth to get a completely different meaning than I was actually communicating! That must be it, because that's the reason I first put him on my ignore list back before he got his account banned from the forums.

Welcome back, you crusty little dorf. And welcome back to my ignore list too.

[Gorstag]

One level at a time.

[Flintsen]

Well, first you start off with a level 4. (Yay Veteran Status).

... :)

I kinda disagree, I loves me my 4th and 5th bag slot.

[hermespan]

So my question is how do you vets do it? I started an FVS this weekend and I find myself lvl 4 without even blinking and eye and I haven't even left Korthos yet. Problem is you that one stops getting xp when you've skipped a lvl and reached the next one so you have no choice but to lvl.

Do you hit everything n/h/e? Do you go into STK in lvl 3? WW in lvl 2?

Open the group window, uncheck the box so you don't see groups you don't qualify for, join one, run quest, XP! If there's nothing going on, start your own group. Pull up the compendium and do stuff at your level that you haven't done yet.

I definitely never PuG elite quests when level appropriate unless I know the guilds that are in the group or it's my own guild.

I'd rather solo them (say a level 3 quest at level 10) and not get xp than run one with a deathfest group, wipe a couple of times, and not get xp anyway. Elite is about favor for me.

[MystDragon]

I kinda disagree, I loves me my 4th and 5th bag slot.

Starting off with vet doesn't stop you from getting them. You can go to Korthos anytime and whip through the quests easily at this point for favor if you want to do a favor run.

[weyoun]

20 somethin posts and not one of them includes shadow crypt. This quest happens to be the place where you can get the most xp in 1hour. I

Ding we have a winner.

[CheapToad1]

So can someone post a definitive list with options?

[Progen]

So can someone post a definitive list with options?

1. Log on to character

2. Hit the "p" key

3. Click on the rightmost tab of the pop up.

4. Read every quest, with reccomended levels, with area to pick it up, with wether or not you have done it, with what level you did it on if you have.

5. ???

6. PROFIT!


EDIT: Or you could you know... read this thread, where every other post is an informative list.

[Anklenibbler]

does the order in which you do the NNN/H/E matter? *say a group is doing TR elite before you are the level suggested and its a way to get it done*

are most of the quests listed above soloable in the level ranges suggested?

[Visty]

does the order in which you do the NNN/H/E matter?

yes, the order is important
do norm till you get almsot no more xp, then one time on hard and one time elite. when you do a quest the first time, it doesnt matter how often youve run befor on other difficultys, you still get the full xp bonus

ofc EEEHN would give more xp overall but NNN is just faster to run then EEE

[uhgungawa]

Run in and let the first mob kill you, then take the backpack express to the end :D

[Valakai]

Low levels any quest that can be completed in 1-3 minutes I will run to ground if it gives 1k-2k xp.

Tangleroot there are a few quests that you just have to make it to inner chamber that you can run in 1-2min for good xp gain and repeat over and over...and over.

Quite a few of the lower level quests I dont stop to kill monsters until I get dungeon alerts.

Kobolds new ringleader in 3 minutes is sweet xp at low levels. Sunken sewers completes in 1 minute if you know what you are doing and have pick lock or knock.

Once 4-8.
Gwylans Stand, Stormcleave outpost, Stormvaulds Mine, Redwillows Ruin, Tangleroot, Deleras, Ruined halls

9-12
Gianthold and Desert quests as well as desert explorers. Dragon pre-raid and raid.

Usually solo most quick to complete quests and get groups for the hard quests and elite runs.

Quests like Stormcleave give great amount of xp but usually take very long to complete. Not saying dont run them. They are great fun, good loot and decent xp. But if you are powerleveling you got to look which gives more xp / minute. PUGs can be great fun but quite often its 10 minutes to get group together 5 minutes for some random afk / smoke breaks etc. If you can get 500-1000xp a minute you are pretty much at level where you want to be.

That said that is not always the most fun way to play the game. But sometimes when you have done all lowbie quests 20 times and you just want to level really fast.

[ddoer]

So my question is how do you vets do it? I started an FVS this weekend and I find myself lvl 4 without even blinking and eye and I haven't even left Korthos yet. Problem is you that one stops getting xp when you've skipped a lvl and reached the next one so you have no choice but to lvl.

Do you hit everything n/h/e? Do you go into STK in lvl 3? WW in lvl 2?

if you are not a TR, don't be too serious. Enjoy your questing and you could get to L20 without any special grinding or intensive quest repetition.

My main is a caster who has cap'd in her 2nd TR. IMHO, the key to fast leveling are:

*run quests smoothly - know your quest, use the best gear, bring enough pots/heal scrolls, don't get party wipe, don't let anyone die to screw up the 10% bonus, run with good players, avoid failing a quest (such as allow NPC get killed) etc. this is the most important point. And in general, it means you should not do a quest higher level than your player. And you have to know the quests good enough to assess if they are too difficult for your party.


*focus on xp/m - some quests has big xp number but also take time and they are low in xp/m. I personally like to do fast run even if optional objectives may give more xp. If you are in a full party or have enough manpower, try to split up and send one team for optional and another team for completion. I can't tell if optional or 15% conquest bonus worth it, but from my gut feeling, it normally take more than 15% time to kill enough for the conquest, unless you are in a full party and can split up to kill. I believe the highest xp/m quest in this game is Wiz-king when you have at least 3 casters to split to 3 teams.


repeat the quest if the xp/m is high - whether or not it is n/n/h/e doesn't matter. The key is your party can manage the quest. elite is much harder but not necessarily take a longer time, esp if your party is good enough or when you avoid killing. I believe Gianthold has the best xp in this game. It offers around 550-600xp with 1k+ xp/m. LOTD and Shroud flagging quests also have good xp, but doesn't provide a xp/m as high as GH.


do player level minus 1 quest if possible, as mentioned by someone already. If you are L10, do L9 normal, L8 hard, or L7 elite quest. For elite, if I do solo, I may even do it in minus 2 level, i.e. do a L6 elite quest in L10. -10% is acceptable to me, and in some cases, you can complete the quest in 10% less time so it's not a big deal. I'll avoid -25%, however. So i'll hold my level in some cases.


skip those low xp/m quests, and quest that is easy to fail - the following quests are on my blacklist: misery's peak, kobold assault, gladewatch, faithful departed, keeper's sanctuary, tomb of tormented etc. Quests like proof is in the poison could be played in the stealth way and give good xp/m, and u don't kill most of the mobs.


skip all low level slayer - just run pass the mob. it doesn't worth the time. I am personally not a fan of slayer even for high level areas. If you want to get xp quick, do slayer in the professional way such as get 5 arcane casters to kill in vale, or run with one friend and pull as many mobs as possible in a short time to kill with wail of banshee and then restart instance. Look at the kill count / m in this case. I go for explorer only when I know the exact location and it is close.


run with as few party members as possible on normal/hard - make dungeon scaling favorable to you. if you play in solo, you won't bother to kill anything. Just stealth and run pass them, go straight to the boss and complete the quest. Try to get the no-kill bonus. Most low level quests could be completed in a few mins, e.g. Haunted library is a 5 mins quest for me.


reduce the time you spend between quests - if you team with casual players, the time it takes to gather the party up in front of the quest may be longer than the time you'll spend in completing quest. Don't party with them.


I don't always follow my own fast leveling rules as I like to complete every quest in the game on elite for favor. I think the point is you have to enjoy the process. If you have no fun in xp grinding, you'd better not to do so.

[Nott]

I have to strongly disagree with any focus on xp per minute. If xp/m is your concern, listen to general chat in the harbor; soon enough someone will advertise an offer to violate the EULA and level your character to 20 for some fee.

Focus on smart decisions that include having fun. Skipping optionals because the xp/m drops? If they're not fun optionals in the first place, then sure. Skipping them because it takes 30% time to earn 15% xp? Unless the particular optional just sucks, have fun with it. If its an optional that has the potential to drain resources, threatening quest completion, see if it can be done after the quest is completed (or save it until you know if it will matter).

[shores11]

So my question is how do you vets do it? I started an FVS this weekend and I find myself lvl 4 without even blinking and eye and I haven't even left Korthos yet. Problem is you that one stops getting xp when you've skipped a lvl and reached the next one so you have no choice but to lvl.

Do you hit everything n/h/e? Do you go into STK in lvl 3? WW in lvl 2?

We vets level up by running quests and getting XP.

[lord_of_rage]

Im suprised no vets have thrown in threnal west parts 1-2. I tend to hit them at lvl9 grab a 6man group if possible and run n,n,n,n,h,e,. That is enough to get you well over 100k if you have an hour or two to spare. That normally gets me from 9 to almost 11. Then its GH till 13-14.

[barklydog]

Even if you don't like them, doing that with Information is Key, Bonebite's and Stealthy Reposession is suggested for really fast XP.

And Durks' got a Secret of course!!

[broolthebeast]

after watching kawiki and blazer cap a new TR toon in just over 3 days(84 hours), his advice is really really sound. That and well wiz king > anything in necro. :D

[Anklenibbler]

from the previous posts got these instances for levels 8-10
Necropolis
Tear
Stormcleave
Gwylans
XC

which ones are reasonable to solo? *and if have others that make sense to solo in this range would love to hear*

*just noone seems to be running those quests much in the grouping tab
so im kinda stuck at 9

[Lleren]

from the previous posts got these instances for levels 8-10
Necropolis
Tear
Stormcleave
Gwylans
XC

which ones are reasonable to solo? *and if have others that make sense to solo in this range would love to hear*

*just noone seems to be running those quests much in the grouping tab
so im kinda stuck at 9

Out of that list, Gwylans is reasonable to solo normal and possibly hard, elite if you can dodge the traps or disarm them.

Some of do get stopped at various levels for a bit, after a while though that will end.

If yer stuck at a level and learning the game, do any quest in your level range that you have available. Eventually you will break past that level. If you are really stuck, take any pug that will let you in. I think I'll be trying that west threnal farm on one of my characters here shortly.

[Anklenibbler]

my current problem is my PuGs really suck....stormcleave die on last boss, Caverns of K die before we have really done anything *first cave* and so on

i keep starting over with new toons and such and just cant seem to get past 9, new player *well October* but i dont know quests my level of what i can do and what i cant and groups are few and far between and ones i get are totally hit or miss *did have a nice GS group did NHE*

[wolfy42]

Great info in this thread already!!

I pretty much do what everyone has said when leveling up, although I often repeat quests like ringleader on hard instead of normal because it's a bit more exp per run, and you can do them at a higher level for full exp as well. I generally at least get explorer for every area as well and I use Vet status for the initial 4 levels then run back and get my bag slots.

As far as miserys peak you can get another end reward for re-running it....and snagging an archivists necklace if your a ranger for instance is very worth the time spent.

If you use VET status and run the same quests mentioned above you'll end up being a bit ahead in levels most of the time, even just running many of those with n/h/e (or even just H/E)...up till level 7 or 8.

Soling now is almost faster all the way to level 10 or so at least with a TR character...and since pugs can be.....painful...early on right now, unless you have a nice guild or set party it's probably easier to just skip partying on the early quests (plus I really don't have the patience to wait anyone on them for new players.

With VET status you can fly through the first 6 levels pretty much...if you wait on leveling to optimize low lvl exp you basically get level 6 for doing the same quests that would give you level 4. I don't waste time with slayer anymore or even the rare encounters (I used to max out every explorer area with each character). I don't bother with favor anymore either...so at least early on it's mostly a pure run for exp.

The quest "recovering the lost tome" is also very fast and easy experience especially with any rogue levels (or at least a 10 int and fox's). It's not as insane as ringleader (which gives something like 2.4k on average once you factor in rare's every 3 minutes or so) but it's better in my opinion then info is key and faster as well.

I suggest doing all level 2 quests that you plan on doing...on hard initially (as many times as you plan on doing them) then on normal and finally elite (solo is less exp so generally not worth it but you can toss that in too if you want).

For elite you can level up first since it's 1 level higher then hard...meaning you can be level 5 and still get full experience.

So I suggest doing something like this.

Vet status to 4

Run Korthos island quests on H/E (or just elite if you can get a party going with someone who has elite opened already) Snag the extra misery's item while your at it.

In harbor run Tome on hard till it drops below 1k (think thats about 4 times) then on elite, then on normal. Try and get an elite Harbor party going and run the quests you need for backpack slots. Then hit Ringleader (should have enough exp for 5 already and be on the way to 6). Run Ringleader on hard till you max out exp, or the base experience you get drops below 1k (you probably get another 500 or so from rare encounters and it takes 3 minutes so it's very worth it). Then run it on normal and if you want solo. If you have not maxed out exp yet run WW on normal.

Level up and run Ringleader on elite, WW on hard (solo) and then elite (party helps although solo isn't that bad still if you have the saves, WF immunity or good skills). Hit STK next and blast through it on normal and go get your explorers in TR. Snag any normal diff lvl 4 quests now that you plan on doing..then run through spliterskull on normal solo. Level up after that to 6 (earlier if you max out or are coming close to maxing out of course...you can actually level up halfway through if you want to teleport back since you won't lose any exp on the second half of the quest chain).

After leveling up repeat it on hard (solo) and zoom through STK on hard as well. Then get a nice group together if you can for quick STK and Spliter elite runs (much easier to do them on elite as a group...solo is possible but dangerous for both).

It's also a good time to do the ironstone inlet runs if you are going to bother and have a good group. It's fairly fast even on elite at this point with a good group, so if they are sticking around after doing STK/Splinter....you might want to do Ironstone on H/E or if someone has it opened just elite.

Your always able to level up if you need to, and are just getting that tiny bit of extra exp. Do whatever favor quests you need now (any lvl 3 quests on elite basically) and then do any level 5 quests you plan on doing on normal) and level up to 7. If you can double level hold off a bit until you finish any level 4 quests on elite you havn't done yet but want for favor (if your for house D favor doing the depths quests on elite now is a good idea) and any level 5 quests you plan on doing on normal. Might as well run Deleras on normal at this point at least the first few quests, and then level up to 8.

Run through Deleras on normal and Sorrowdusk on normal (both solo) along with Gwylands stand and the pit on normal if you have it down (need a decent party member to do the pit with though...a good 2 person team can rush through it though). Doing deleras more then once for the rewards is common and with those quest chains you can make level 9. At 9 you want to run Stormcleave solo quickly a bunch (nice fast exp if you know the quest), deleras on hard either solo (if you can handle it) or get a party together and run it on hard and then elite (also run Stormcleave on hard and elite at that point..after already panning it out on normal). You should be heading to Gainthold at that point and starting to party more often.

As far as why solo so much, you don't have to solo but if your party is not full of fast players it will take way more time. A good party can speed things up, but depending on your class you can often move WAY faster by yourself...which lets you FLY through quests like Stormcleave in less then half the time of a party. There is no comparison between most PUGS and soling. It's worth partying with guild members though just for the company/fun.....even if it usually does still take twice as long over all. It's nice if you have other guild members who are just zooming through early content to run with, but timing when you are going to play etc can often be hard to set up and with soloing going so fast you can easily end up at different levels etc.

Anyway lvl 1-10 is very fast now with Vet status etc. Post 10 I still take my time a bit and enjoy leveling up my characters.

[Captain_Wizbang]

Are we talking about power leveling?
Are we talking about balanced leveling with favor & xp?:confused:

[MrCow]

So my question is how do you vets do it?

I'll let my threads (http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=226992) speak (http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=237895) for themselves. :p

[stormarcher]

You mean the part where I say quest objectives (plural, not singular)? Or how about the part where I don't say to skip the optionals? Oh! I know! Perhaps it was the part where Gunga put words in my mouth to get a completely different meaning than I was actually communicating! That must be it, because that's the reason I first put him on my ignore list back before he got his account banned from the forums.

Welcome back, you crusty little dorf. And welcome back to my ignore list too.

This makes me happy :D

[stormarcher]

my current problem is my PuGs really suck....stormcleave die on last boss, Caverns of K die before we have really done anything *first cave* and so on

i keep starting over with new toons and such and just cant seem to get past 9, new player *well October* but i dont know quests my level of what i can do and what i cant and groups are few and far between and ones i get are totally hit or miss *did have a nice GS group did NHE*

Find a person in a quest that you really like and seems nice. See if he is in a guild if so keep partying with him and get into his/her guild. Then run with the guild.

[Dragonhyde]

What you will notice when you find good leveling groups is the theme of normal till its gone then hard, elite and casual. The only difference can be the quests people use outside of the main pack like delaras.

[Anklenibbler]

Thank you Wolfy42 that was what i was looking for.

due to my playing in middle of the night and groups being hard to come by any suggestions of what to do once you reach 10? *did get a character to 10 using Wolfy42s way*

[DartanTR]

I'll let my threads (http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=226992) speak (http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=237895) for themselves. :p

1. Follow MrCow's diaries of the true reinc arcane for which quests to do/not do. It doesn't matter if you're arcane or not. I did it as a warchanter and now a solo battle cleric and the results scale by your class, meaning some quests are still high xp/min no matter what you do.
2. If you are lvl 4+, wear a robe of invulnerability for a couple of levels. 5 DR/Magic works wonders at low levels. I cleared Delera's tomb on normal with a 4 other people and the scaling still barely broke through the DR.
3. When you hit level 8, learn how to use a hireling named Flare. If you're playing a non-arcane, his firewalls will help you get through many quests, especially the undead House J ones that are very good xp.
4. Run with a partner who has the same goals as you (xp/min).
5. If you have cash to spare (and I'm talking about 50k plat) buy a ton of potions. Haste potions, resist potions, rage potions, bark/shield of faith. These bonuses all help you destroy the low level instances until you can get access to longer duration buffs from players and stronger hirelings.

[Anklenibbler]

ok lets try again, the groups i get into seem to suck on a regular basis....*doing things that seriously annoy me*
i dont really feel comfortable doing quests for the first time solo unless i have some clue that doing so makes sense *getting nice XP/Loot for time invested (not counting learning curve)* and since i have done almost no quests past level 9 im wondering if someone has a list of quests that if they were brand new to the game had just gotten 9-10 they would advise soloing

*and i have a list of quests that has been previously posted for levels but i rarely am finding groups for those quests*

*i have watched some of his videos and that doesnt seem to really help... i dont have his gear, im NOT TRd so dont have spells/abilities he does and im not familar with the runs like he is*

[Calebro]

Best way to learn a quest is to jump in and try it. Solo works especially well for this because you aren't following behind as others run off and finish the quest before you learn anything.
If you find that it can't be solo'd or needs multiple people, throw up an LFM.

[Hybro]

ok lets try again, the groups i get into seem to suck on a regular basis....*doing things that seriously annoy me*
i dont really feel comfortable doing quests for the first time solo unless i have some clue that doing so makes sense *getting nice XP/Loot for time invested (not counting learning curve)* and since i have done almost no quests past level 9 im wondering if someone has a list of quests that if they were brand new to the game had just gotten 9-10 they would advise soloing

*and i have a list of quests that has been previously posted for levels but i rarely am finding groups for those quests*

*i have watched some of his videos and that doesnt seem to really help... i dont have his gear, im NOT TRd so dont have spells/abilities he does and im not familar with the runs like he is*

I am not sure trying to do what vets do is good for a new player. You can't really expect to optimize xp/min if you don't know the quest in the first place. But I see your dilema, quests and objectives do become a bit more daunting at lvl 10 +

Rushing to 20 as a new player isn't going to help you much since you will be lacking gear and skipping quite a bit of the experience (player experience, not xp) that comes with taking the time to learn quests, game mechanics, and teamwork. Probably best to spend a majority of your time leveling with a group, since being able to function properly in a group is far more important than being able to solo (unless you don't plan on raiding, then I guess solo to your heart's content).

If you are having trouble finding groups don't be afraid to throw up a LFM saying 'new to quest - need guide' You can tool around in an explorer zone while you wait. Joining a helpful guild with characters around your level also is a good idea.

The level guide lists in this thread should give you a good idea of where you should be at what lvl. You may want to check out the ddo compendium guide for 'Am I Raid Ready (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=2&ved=0CBMQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcompendium.ddo.com%2Fwiki%2FHelp! _Am_I_raid_ready&rct=j&q=ddo+am+i+raid+ready&ei=ay7gS7RJjZQyxpjZzgc&usg=AFQjCNEqAQ4ZdX_SWpoVUJkk1Ga-j6Ju9A)' so that you can try and get yourself flagged for raids as you level rather than back-tracking. Look at character build guides that are similar to what kind of character you are playing, as the guides normally list out what kind of gear you should look for at your level. Get the gem, ingredient, and collectible bags and plan ahead which items you want to save for future crafting. Research what weapons/spells will affect which enemies. This is probably most important for melee characters...beating on an enemy with strong DR and the wrong weapon will make a quest much harder. But healing an enemy with the wrong spell also doesn't help.

Take your time and enjoy the game the first time through.

As for lvl 10+, try finding groups for threnal, vault of night, and desert. Even runs of gwylan's, tear, and delera's elite will give nice xp. Xorian is a good quest to do a lot in hopes of getting a planar gird (plus it is one of the more interesting quests). At around 11+ you should start looking for runs in the Orchard of the Macabre for tapestry farming for the Minos Legens helm, plus you will get a decent amount of good weapons and plat. 12-13+ gianthold is great xp and has some really cool quests. I wouldn't worry too much about doing quests below your level, since an inexperienced group running a quest below their level is more likely to be successful than running quest at or above their level. Bad PUGs happen, so don't fret too much about them. I'd say it is more common to find decent or better PUGs than not, especially if you note that you are looking for a guide.

[Anklenibbler]

first off thank you all for this wonderful thread and info therein.

I have been playing since October and have made well over 50 toons on the Ghallanda server *have the hams to prove it* my highest level being 11, i just get to a point where a character is no longer getting XP in a timely fashion and i reroll/remake it....im currently Vet/ViP 32 point build status without FvS yet.

last night was a perfect example *maybe im just spoiled from knowing WoW and EQ so well but i really dont remember having this much of an issue (and im sure at least part of it is me)* friend *level 11 cleric* and i *level 9 sorc* decide to do stormcleave outpost, we waste at least 20 minutes getting the group together....we take 38 minutes to run the quest and i get about 7k XP *and im sure a bit more in optionals lets say 3k* so for an hour i get 10k XP and from what i have heard this is supposed to be one of the better XP quests to be running and this is one of the best groups i have been in lately *most are much worse*

have met several people on korthos where im level 4 and they are lower level than me that have already dinged 20 long ago i have been higher level than TRs and they are much higher than me by now if not TRd again.

this is NOT meant to sound *though i know at least to some degree it does* like a whine 'poor me' post, my objective is to show why im asking for the specific info im asking for, i HAVE tried for months and its just not working for me not knowing.

[Frodo_Lives]

To be fair Stormcleave outpost used to be a great xp quest. The base xp used to be around 8k, now I think it's around 4k.

It's still a great quest and can be a lot of fun to do, but it no longer is one of the must milk xp quests when leveling up.

As for others leveling faster it probably has just as much to do with in game wealth (twink equipment, xp pots), knowledge of quests (what to run, how to run them), and time played than anything else.

There are a lot of people who are in guilds which make questing very simple and leveling very fast. A regular group of quality players whose goal is to level cuts out a ton of time waiting for groups to fill, finding X class, the chit chat of what quest next.

It's not a race, enjoy the journey. Once you get one or two characters up to cap you will wish you weren't there sometimes with all the grinding for X that happens at levels 17+. :)

[Calebro]

What server are you on Anklenibbler? I have no problem moving a bit slow and teaching as needed, or learning quests that I may be somewhat unfamiliar with together (as I skip a lot of them frequently and still don't know some well).

[Anklenibbler]

on Ghallanda have like 13 characters in the 1-11 range

[Hybro]

I wouldn't call stormcleave great xp because it can take a loooong time to complete, especially if you don't have someone who knows the quest and it can easily be botched by a newb.

Basically though, you can't expect to wiz through 10 to 20 like you do through 1 to 10.

I came back to DDO about two and a half months ago. I just recently got my old lvl 10 cleric from 2006 up to 20 after grinding out the 32-point build favor and buying a Greater Reincarnation. Though I did make a few alts, I didn't get them past 10. I focused mainly on my cleric. That is what I see as your issue, you need to pick a character and stick with it. In the time it took you to get 50 characters to lvl 10 or so, you probably could have gotten 3-5 characters up to lvl 20. You need to resist the urge to re-roll every time things get a little slow.

[Anklenibbler]

i understand the changing is hurting to some degree but it doesnt seem slow it seems went from rabbit speed to snail speed and like i said i dont remember other games doing that *fully expect it to take longer to get the next level than the previous one but the difference to me just seems insane *3 times as long?*

its that solo vs grouping thing again......i can spend 6 hours or more logged on and get like 10k XP just cause of bad PuGs and whatnot and thats just way too slow for me

[Anklenibbler]

ok level 11, spent all day in slayer areas and only 24k XP *takes 22 to get a rank*
any suggestions on quests that seem to be reasonable XP for time spent? any quests to avoid? *since never been to quests this high have no clue, dont want to run into places like the PIT or Kobold Assault*

[Frodo_Lives]

Slayers are a great way to kill some time, and can be quite good xp vs. time the first run through for the explorers, rares and the first couple of slayer ranks.

Unless there is something specific to farm for (like taps in orchard, or good named loot in desert) then it's generally not worth going back.

VoN, Tempest Spine, Xorian Cypher, and Co6 on higher difficulty are still good xp. The desert quests are certainly doable at level 11 and can be decent xp. Pretty much any quest at and around levels 9 - 10 (depending on difficulty) can level you up nicely.

Granted levels 11 and 12 are a bit of a slow down now that Gianthold seems to have migrated towards a 13 - 16 level range but there is still plenty of content to get xp from, unfortunately soloing becomes more difficult at this stage.

[Philam]

So my question is how do you vets do it? I started an FVS this weekend and I find myself lvl 4 without even blinking and eye and I haven't even left Korthos yet. Problem is that one stops getting xp when you've skipped a lvl and reached the next one so you have no choice but to lvl.

Do you hit everything n/h/e? Do you go into STK in lvl 3? WW in lvl 2?

As a master of leveling this is what I normally do~
You can hit level 4 without leaving the harbor in about 4 hours easy. Solo quests, Butchers, WW, New Ringleader, Low Road, Durks and Lighthouse. Then STK and TR. This should take you to about level 6. After that Gwylins, SC, Tear and top off with TR and Deleras Elite if you havent already. You should be about level 8 or 9. Then I hit the Von series/raid, Therenal and Greymoon/CO6. Bam, you are now level 10 and into GH. Stay there and max out all walkups n/h/e, then the big three multiple times. You should be about level 13 at this point and on to the vale or Orchard. Vale and Orchard quests until you are about level 15/16, then to the refugee. That is my normal route to leveling. I have never been a big fan of the necro series and have avoided those. However there is a ton of xp to be had there. Good Luck and may teh ZERG be with you!

Ph

[Anklenibbler]

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