The simplest explanation of EverQuest 2 is that it was an advancement in the genre for its time and the successor to Sony Online Entertainment's original EverQuest. It is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) based in a high-fantasy setting, complete with dragons, goblins, treasure and exploration.

For purposes of this Guide, I won't go into terrible detail on the basics of an MMO or that style of gameplay, I have to assume you've got that far on your own. I will be sticking to overview items related to Leveling as much as I can.

The game features three forms of character advancement: Adventure Level, Achievement Level and Tradeskill Level. Each level has distinct ways to be attained, and different types of rewards that unlock as you go along.

• Adventure Levels
  Adventure Levels are achieved through ...adventuring. Exploring new lands, completing quests, making rooms full of goblins into rooms full of bloody/burnt goblin pieces...that sort of thing. As you increase your Adventure Level, you'll find your base stats (Health, Mana, etc.) all go up a tick, and it generally unlocks a new spell/combat art upgrade of some sort that all conspire to help you make more baddies into more pieces.
  
  The primary locations to achieve new Adventure Levels are known as Overland Zones (usually via quests and exploration) and Dungeons (usually by making lots of mean things dead).
  
  
• Achievement Levels
  Achievement Levels work a little differently. They are attained at a percentage of your Adventure level for doing a lot of the same things, with special emphasis on Mentoring (purposely lowering your level to match a lower-level friend in order to play content at exactly near their level) and Quest Completion.
  
  NOTE: If you're new to the game, I would recommend letting these levels come naturally. If you're power-leveling an Alt, level-lock your Adventure Level and grind up all of the AA (Achievement) levels that you can using any means necessary. Gaining AA later in the game is extremely grindy and taxing.
  
  
• Tradeskill Levels
  Ahh...the bane and/or favorite of many. Crafting. While it is COMPLETELY optional, if you can get past the usually incredible grind that it is, it can actually be an extremely rewarding thing to do. Unlike Adventure classes, there are only 9 Tradeskill classes in the game, and are not race- or alignment-specific at all. Alchemist, Jeweler, Sage, Carpenter, Woodworker, Provisioner, Armorer, Tailor and Weaponsmith.
  
  TECHNICALLY there are two additional Tradeskill classes...let's call them sub-classes. You can be one of them (but not both) in addition to your main Tradeskill class: Tinkerer and Adorner.

The mechanics of EverQuest 2 work around the idea of tiers: spells and combat arts usually get an upgrade every 10 levels, new zones generally become viable every 10 levels, etc.

Group/Channel chat will generally necessitate knowing these fundamentals:

• Tier 1: Level 1-9
  
• Tier 2: Levels 10-19
  
• Tier 3: Levels 20-29
  
• Tier 4: Levels 30-39
  
• Tier 5: Levels 40-49
  
• Tier 6: Levels 50-59
  
• Tier 7: Levels 60-69
  
• Tier 8: Levels 70-79
  
• Tier 9: Levels 80-89
  
• Tier 10: Levels 90-95** (only recently have SOE mixed things up with half-tier content)

The knowledge of these tiers will also play an important role as you read through this guide. I will describe appropriate zones, gear, tips and tricks based on these.

The quick verison, for those who don't wish to pour through my diatribe of a manuscript.

For Questers:

The quick verison, for those who don't wish to pour through my diatribe of a manuscript.

For Questers:

SPECIAL NOTE: I didn't list all of the token-grind instances in here. I may end up doing a special section just for those later, but for now they should all be listed in the Tier-Specific sections of this guide, within the description of the zone they are in (i.e., "Guk" instances are described with The Commonlands, since that's where they're located).

Tier 1: Levels 1-9

Armor Recommendation: Whatever you find laying around and/or quest rewards. Hell, clothing optional.

These are the absolute fastest levels in the game. You can quite literally get almost all the way through this tier simply by experiencing all of the content available in the in-game tutorial. Long-time veterans of the game will fondly remember the Isle of Refuge--EQ2's original Tutorial island. You could pretty easily level to 6 before all of the content "greyed out" and forced you to pick a side.

At any rate, what few levels of this you don't cover in the tutorial you can glean from quests in your chosen City. These are best considered expanded tutorial quests, as they usually walk you through finding NPCs around town and buying your first starter home. Easy money, easy XP, easily skipped. You can earn the same experience faster just getting Discovery XP from visiting new locations (such as adjoining town hubs) or going outside to the nearest Overland Zone (Antonica for Qeynos citizens, Commonlands for Freeport folks, etc.) and killing a few rats near the door.

It's probably also important to note that you cannot gain Achievement (AA) Experience in this tier.

Tier 2: Level 10-19

Armor Recommendation: Quest Rewards/Armor Quests/etc.

This Tier represents, for newcomers, a potentially breathtaking experience as they take in the size and splendor of their first Overland Zone in EverQuest 2. All of these types of zones in the game are quite large, with numerous "sections" to them (for lack of a better term). For example, in Antonica you start out in lush green fields that give way to a mountainous landscape followed by the ocean shoreline complete with lighthouse.

While all of the Overland Zones are accessible to characters of every persuasion (good, evil, neutral), one must still exercise caution in getting TO an Overland Zone at a low level without getting instantly killed crossing all of the higher-level zones in between. Though not nearly as bad as it used to be, there was once a time that a low-level good character attempting to join a friend in the Commonlands had to cross a very treacherous Nektulos Forest filled to the brim with annoying firebats and triple-heroic (^^^) Owlbears. The scene is QUITE tame now, by comparison, but still something to keep in mind--there are still heroics out there, and they are all still higher level than someone adventuring in Antonica or the Commonlands are going to find.

For Good-aligned (Qeynos) characters, your Overland Zone of choice will be Antonica.

• If you're into Questing, seek out the Sayer's Outfitters (/waypoint -730, 1, 240) or Windstalker Village (near the Ulteran Spires: /waypoint -1865, -38, -550)
  
• If you're into Power-Leveling or just plain killing things en masse, then look no further than Blackburrow (levels 12-18) and Stormhold (levels 16-25).

For Evil- (Freeport) and Neutral-aligned (Darklight Wood) characters, you will share your Overland Zone with the evil Freeport folks...The Commonlands (CL).

• Quests here are easier to find: Fisherman's Dock (which is where you are dropped off immediate in CL if you go there by way of Mariner's Bell) and The Crossroads (just follow the road from the Fisherman's Dock...can't miss it.
  
• Power-Leveling/Dungeon Crawling is (in my opinion) the most fun here. You have your choice of Wailing Caves (levels 11-18) and Fallen Gate (levels 18-25).

SPECIAL NOTE: There are also a few extra dungeons that scale to your level that can be found in The Commonlands. These are the Befallen zones (Befallen: Cavern of the Afflicted, Befallen: Halls of the Forsaken and Befallen: Necrotic Asylum). Each has their own story, own scripts, own loot and own charm.

Tier 3: Levels 20-29

Armor Recommendation: Either Armor Quests or Player-made Mastercrafted gear.

These levels can be a fun middle-ground tier for those still trying to decide if they'd rather Quest or rather Grind for their levels, as both can be had very deliberately here.

• Good-aligned Characters
  Qeynos characters will find their next logical step Overland Zone is The Thundering Steppes. This is another fantastic zone featuring Centaurs, (more) Gnolls, and an OMGEPICBIRDTHATWILLSPAWNANDWIPEYOUOFFTHEFACEOFNORRATH (also known as Grimfeather). The Thundering Steppes is also the launching zone for the questline/zones of the Splitpaw Adventure Pack.
  
  For Questers: seek out the Dead River Docks (680, 24, 576--landing spot for the TS Mariner Bell), Bridge Keep (208, 1, -226) and the Village of Thundermist (589, 2, -179).
  
  Grinders: look no further than the legendary Ruins of Varsoon (RoV) in TS between levels 25-35 to kill (again) a ton of undead Orcs. If you prefer living Orcs to kill the first time, head over to Crushbone Keep (levels 20-26) in Greater Faydark (GF).
  
  
• Neutral- and Evil-aligned Characters
  Neutral- and Evil-aligned characters have the infamous Nektulos Forest as their next Overland Zone. Nothing like it used to be, the Fire Bats are few and far between and Owlbears are all but extinct. Still, there's always the good vampires (and Billy!) at Nektropos Castle for those level 33-38, and/or Tombs of Night (levels 30-36) and Crypt of T'haen (levels 35-40) for those with the Bloodline Chronicles adventure pack.
  
  Questers in Nek Forest should look for the J'Rais Bridge, Port Naythex and N'Mars Ascent. All easily found by just following the road.

NOTE: Bloodline Chronicles DO NOT SCALE. Use them or lose them. Mostly just good for something different than grinding orcs. Splitpaw Saga zones DO scale, but only to level 50. Good for solo grinding.

Tier 4: Levels 30-39

Armor Recommendation: Player-made Mastercrafted

Here marks a radical difference in the EverQuest 2 experience. Quester or Grinder, you'll find that a whole new world of possibilities almost universally opens up around Level 40. For some reason, the SOE Developers decided that was the level to unleash the really good toys for each of the classes.

Coincidentally, I'm sure, that's also when the really good dungeons start to open up to players.

And finally, that's also REALLY when people lose their cares (if they had any) on Good- versus Evil-alignment. Players on any side of the fence can get to any of these zones, so I'm not going to break them out anymore.

Overland Zones: Enchanted Lands or Zek, The Orcish Wastes or Steamfont Mountains
Enchanted Lands (or EL for short) and Steamfont Mountains are really preferred more because of the raw quest availability and flow. If you're into questing, go there.

Dungeons: Runnyeye Citadel ("RE", Level 32-40), Kaladim (Level 30-40) and Deathfist Citadel ("DFC", Level 36-43)
Personally, my favorite is Runnyeye. It may be because I like obliterating goblins, though. Kaladim is fun for killing lots and lots (and lots and lots) of mangy Kobalds and Deathfist Citadel I really only go into when I'm completing the two Heritage Quests its associated with or grinding AA due to the sheer number of named monsters within.

Either way, lots of fun easy levels to be had...this is where EQ2's community really starts to shine.

If you can find a group :\

Tier 5: Level 40-49

Armor Recommendation: Player-made Mastercrafted.

Once the pinnacle of an EQ2 player's existance, Tier 5 held the most fun and most dangerous zones of the time. Even to this day there is fun and beauty to be experienced in these old zones!

Overland Zones: The Feeeerrrrroooootttt, Everfrost (EF) and Lavastorm (LS)
Good times. Soooo many good times and good memories had in all these places. The Feerrott is just a huge jungle, and makes a good quest zone for the Tier. Everfrost is (also) huge, with some breathtaking landscapes and some pretty epic swimming attractions (though, sadly, I've heard he's been nerfed into oblivion...there was once an Epic x2 shark that roamed the waters you had to swim across to get to really anything in Everfrost). Lavastorm pulls up the rear with the content best suited to those near the end of the tier.

Dungeons: The Temple of Cazic-Thule (CT, Level 41-50), Permafrost (Perma, Level 45-50) and Solusek's Eye (SE, Level 45-50)
There's a few more (The Obelisk of Lost Souls comes to mind), but honestly I never ever go to them and usually grind right on by. Of the three dungeons in this tier, I'd have to say CT is probably my favorite. It's big enough, diverse enough and has enough compelling reasons to hang out that it makes for an easy place to stay and grind out the tier if you've got a good group.

NOTE: Everfrost is also home to the scalable dungeons of Miragul's Phylactery (Scion of Ice, The Anathema and The Crucible). Lavastorm is home to The Deep Forge and Najena's Hollow Tower. Get to know and love them, you'll grind them incessently in search of Tokens.

Tier 6: Levels 50-59

Armor Recommendation: Quest Rewards and/or Legendary+ Drops and/or Player-made Mastercrafted.

When the expansion packs start flowing to any MMORPG, you know they are going to be filled to the brim with grindy dungeon-loving awesomeness. But surprisingly, SOE have always been extremely good at keeping to their roots and maintaining an experience that Questers can continue to enjoy as well in the Overland Zones.

Overland Zones: The Lesser Faydark (LF), The Sinking Sands (SS), The Pillars of Flame (PF), The Mystic Lake and Tenebrous Tangle (TT)
For Quests, you really can't go wrong with any of these...the possible exception being The Mystic Lake. That zone was part of the last Adventure Pack for the game and doesn't offer a lot in the way of questlines, though the quests it does have are interesting. For the best experience, I'd have to say the questlines in Lesser Faydark are the best for quality, experience and rewards.

Dungeons: The Clefts of Rujark ("Clefts", in SS, levels 50-56), The Living Tombs ("LT", also in SS, levels 50-56), The Hidden Cache ("HC", in SS, levels 50-55), Scornfeather Roost ("Roost", inside Clefts, level 55ish), Shimmering Citadel ("SC", in PF, levels 50-57)
This tier was full of dungeons, more even than I listed here, thanks to the Desert of Flames expansion pack. Some, like The Sanctorium and Silent City, are completely skippable in favor of the others. I'm just listing the zones that really matter for leveling.

Tier 7: Levels 60-69

Armor Recommendation: Player-made Mastercrafted and/or Instance Legendary/Fabled Gear.

This is the range that SOE *REALLY* started to capitalize on the instanced dungeons. Sure there are still quests, but a lot of the quests even mandated at least one run through some of these dungeons. Still, these quests and zones are all extremely fun and rewarding, even now.

Overland Zones: The Barren Sky (BS), The Bonemire, The Loping Plains (LP) and Kylong Plains**
Each of them fun in their own way, you'll find the most enjoyable Quests in The Barren Sky, The Bonemire and The Loping Plains. You'll also find the original Hat Quest in The Barren Sky.

NOTE: Kylong Plains (or "KP") is the beginning of the Ruins of Kunark expansion, and the entire expansion is extremely quest intensive and grindy. It also has a marked mob difficulty increase. Bring a friend (or 4) until you can wear this Tier's Mastercrafted armor. Even Tier 6 Raid Gear is like nothing to even the lowest of mobs in this expansion.

Dungeons: Poet's Palace ("PP", in SC, levels 59-62), Sanctum of the Scaleborn ("SoS", in TT, levels 60-66ish), Palace of the Awakened ("PoA", in BS, levels 65-70), Vaults of El'Arad (sometimes just "Vaults", in BS, levels 66-70), Den of the Devourer ("Den", levels 64-68), Blackscale Sepulcher ("Blackscale" or "BS" if you're in Bonemire already, levels 66-70), The Halls of Fate ("HoF", in Bonemire, levels 68-70), The Acadechism (levels 60-65), The Obelisk of Blight ("OOB", levels 68-73), Mistmoore Catacombs ("MMC", levels 65-70)
See? Instance heaven. Some of the best in the game, in my opinion. The loot is pretty outdated now, but all of the fun and experience gains are intact.

SPECIAL NOTE: The Loping Plains (LP) is also home to the scalable instance dungeons of Evernight Abbey, Mistmyr Manor and Ravenscale Repository.

Tier 8: Levels 70-79

Armor Recommendation: Legendary/Fabled drops or, sigh, token gear.

This is probably the most grindy tier of them all. Grinding solo quests for exp/AA, grinding for gear, grinding, grinding grinding. Ugh. This is also where things really started to shift from "grinding for rare drops" to "grinding to TOKENS to BUY rare drops".

After awhile, you will find that they take it a step farther, too. You grind instances to get Tokens to trade for gear. Then you keep grinding the same instances to get more tokens that you trade in with the gear you just got to get "better" gear. Then you keep grinding the same instances to get even MORE tokens that you trade in with the "better" gear you got earlier, to get the "best" gear. The "best" INSTANCE gear. Raiders will maybe consider you into their ranks, where you just grind raid tokens for raid gear on the same stupid system. Yay, tokens!


Overland Zones: Fens of Nathsar ("Fens"), Kunzar Jungle ("KJ"), Jarsath Wastes ("JW"), Moors of Ykesha ("Moors") and The Sundered Frontier
Like I said, very very VERY grindy. The entire Ruins of Kunark expansion is a gigantic and nearly unavoidable questline. So just be prepared to spend hours and hours and hours and HOURS doing all the quests in Kylong Plains->Fens of Nathsar->Kunzar Jungle->Jarsath Wastes. Just grind up all the faction with everyone you see...you'll need it in the end. Moors is pretty much just the (small) quest hub for the Shadow Odyssey expansion (which was really just an expansion of mini-dungeons and token grinds).

Dungeons: The Estate of Unrest ("Unrest", levels 70-75), Karnor's Castle ("KC", in KP, levels 73-78), Chardok (in KP, levels 76-80), Sebilis ("Hell", level 76-80), The Obelisk of Ahkzul ("OOA", in Moors, levels 75-80), Anchor of Bazzul ("AOB", in Moors, levels 75-80), The Palace of Ferzhul ("Ferzhul", in Moors, levels 75-80)
Not much to say on these. They're grindy dungeons. For short fun that you don't mind repeating a BAZILLION times, go for any of the Moors instances and begin your length stay in Token-Grinding Hell. Or there's just "Hell", Sebilis...where you can go to endlessly grind rabid Iksar who have a tendency to give out lots of AA and Discovery experience.

SPECIAL NOTE: More fun with the Shadow Odyssey Token Dungeons. Moors of Ykesha also features the scalable instance dungeons of The Ruins of Guk ("Halls of the Fallen", "The Lower Corridors" and "Ykesha's Outer Stronghold"). Fens has the scalable instance dungeons of "Veksar: The Sunken Theatre", "Nu'roga" and "Emperor Atrebe's Laboratory: The Fabled City of Kor-sha"...which oddly enough people just call Korsha.

Tier 9: Level 80-89

Armor Recommendation: Instance Loot, *shoots self* Token Gear.

SOE were proud of themselves for the tokens. So it continues. This tier is largely covered by the Sentinel's Fate expansion pack. You can start moving through all of the dungeons at 86+; higher the better (obviously).

Overland Zones: The Sundered Frontier ("SF"), The Stonebrunt Highlands ("SB")
Big and majestic overland zones featuring some new species of mobs. More linear questlines you need to follow to stay on the AA train.

Dungeons: The Hole (in SF), Demitrik's Bastion (in SF), Spirit's Resonance (in SF), The Outer Vault (in SF), The Vigilant (Incursion, Infiltration and Rescue...there are 2 more, but they are Raid zones--all of them in SF), Library of Erudin ("Erudin Library", in SB), Erudin Research Halls ("Halls", in SB), Royal Palace of Erudin ("Erudin Palace", in SB)
Most of these dungeons/instances are fun but can be pretty difficult without a good group and/or good gear. LOTS of good loot to be had, though. Sigh, yes, tokens too.

Tier 10: Level 90-95 (current)

The (current) top tier of the EQ2 Universe. This is where most of the players end up, leaving the rest of the server to feel pretty dead (save the guilds power-leveling someone's alt, or someone just building up a new alt, or someone muling with an alt...you get the idea). Most of the quest content and knowledge that would go here is based on the most current expansions, and I haven't played in a number of years so I have am at a loss there. Here are the list of Level 90 Overland Zones and Dungeons to grind away on, though! I'm sure you need tokens, right?

Overland Zones: The Great Divide, Eastern Wastes

Dungeons: Tower of Frozen Shadow, Crystalline Breaks, Crystal Caverns: Collapse

Some fantastic resources you can leverage along the way to help with quests, mob/raid strategies and more!

EQ2 Wiki: http://eq2.wikia.com
EQ2 ZAM: http://eq2.zam.com
EQ2 Player Studio: https://www.everquest2.com/player-studio
EQ2 Traders: http://eq2.eqtraders.com (great for seeing craftable furniture and reference for crafters)
EQ2 Wire: http://eq2wire.com
EQ2U: http://u.eq2wire.com

Official EQ2 Forums: https://forums.station.sony.com/eq2
Unofficial EQ2 Forums: http://eq2flames.com

Official EQ2 Twitter Feed: @everquestii