The Tattered Notebook: No one is left behind

'Allo again, lovelies. Last week has been a week of danger and intrigue as I battled through Nektulos Forest and worked on getting my unique Shadowknight armor. During all of this, though, I thought to myself -- how can I apply any of these experiences to my notebook entry for this coming week?

Then of course, it hit me. Why not just explain what I've been doing to get through the areas in a short amount of time? A few tips and tricks for playing the level game? Sure, I've been up and down with grouping and preparations for Sentinel's Fate, but many players are always intimidated when entering a game and "being behind."

Well, don't worry about being behind. You're not entering the game late at all when it comes to EverQuest II, especially thanks to the recent additions to the game in Sentinel's Fate. Interested in catching up and experiencing some great content? Then click on through after the break!

Also, I'm still looking for questions anyone has on EverQuest II, so I can answer them in an upcoming Tattered Notebook. Ask me anything, from EverQuest II questions, guild leadership and raiding questions, and even questions on my Dark Elven heritage. Send them over to seraphina@massively.com, and she'll be sure to forward them on through the Norrathian Express mail to me.

A golden path of progression

First off, if you're making a new character to experience Norrath, consider starting in Timorous Deep or Kelethin. Both of these areas are tuned to lead you in on the brand new "golden path" -- a string of questing content that guides you from zone to zone and gives you enough experience and weaponry to get to your destination. If that wasn't nice enough, the Golden Path also creates a dominant plotline for your character, so you have a reason to go from zone to zone.

The Golden Path is a brand new series of content that will be expanded upon in the coming months with a special in-game window called "The Storyteller," but right now it's a great starting point for new characters. EQII ZAM has a listing of all of the zones involved in the Golden Path, so check them out and use the links to cut a swath through Norrath.

Use timelines to your advantage

In EQII, quest chains that run together are called "timelines." Timelines are great series of quests that will keep you in an area and will usually culminate with some nice prizes.

Running a few timelines together will ensure that you're getting through the meat of the content without wasting your time on quests you can't complete. The EQ2 Wikia site actually has a list of timelines for both solo players and grouped players in the format of a table, making it easy to read and see exactly where you should be during which levels.

As you can see, the grouped players timeline mostly focuses around the game's many dungeons while the soloing timeline looks at questlines that a single player can accomplish by themselves. With everyone off in Odus and grouping at a premium, stick with the soloing timelines. EQII also has a browser window (/browser) that you can open, so you can keep your questing timelines up in the game as you do them. No need to deal with alt+tab if you don't have a dual monitor setup.

When in doubt, buy stuff

If the progression is still going too slow for you with all of the questing, there are a couple of alternatives.

First of all, check your Veteran Rewards with /claim. Even if you're new to EverQuest II, buying expansions rewards you with veteran time. Of course, I should mention that a single expansion will give you all of the expansions prior to it, so buying Sentinel's Fate gives you every single expansion available. Some of these veteran rewards come with experience boosting potions, so be sure to put one on when you're out in the thick of combat. Potions work for both tradeskills and combat experience, so keep that in mind if you're doing either of those activities.

Second, use the adventuring rest buff. Just like World of Warcraft, EverQuest II has rest. Rest will build up as you're logged out and will provide you with double experience during combat and tradeskills. Once again, use this to your advantage to zoom through levels.

Lastly, consider using the Station Marketplace. While not a perfect alternative for those of us who want to save money, you can buy experience boosting potions for between one and ten dollars. So, if you think everything's going too slow and you have some extra cash, grab some station cash and buy some potions.

Zoom, zoom, zoom

So, as you can see, there's plenty of ways to catch up to everyone else in EverQuest II. You just have to keep your eye out for those opportunities, but remember to have fun while you're zooming along. There's a lot to see in Norrath, so don't let it all blur past. Take it in, enjoy the game, and you'll be in Odus in no time flat.

	Massively's dark elf reporter around town, Seccia Ravenloft, is a committed follower of the Overlord. When not adventuring, Seccia prefers a large ale and the company of kittens. She can be reached in Norrath via the Norrathian Express Mail (Server: Lucan D'Lere), or via her human friend, Seraphina Brennan, at seraphina AT massively DOT com.