Getting Started

Leveling 20–35

The middle band. Upper Guk, Paludal, Unrest, Sol A, Mistmoore, Lake of Ill Omen. Group tempo lifts.

Leveling 20-35 is where EverQuest stops being forgiving. Mobs hit harder, pulling mistakes train groups, and you will earn or lose camps on the strength of your pulling class. Every character should pass through at least one of these dungeons before 35.

This is the band where the social game starts. Pickup groups become the norm, and your reputation in /ooc starts to matter. Show up on time, know your role, don't ninja loot.

At a glance

Level band	Best zones	Group required?
20-25	Paludal Caverns, Unrest, Runnyeye, Najena	Recommended
25-30	Upper Guk, Sol A, Mistmoore (outer), Lake of Ill Omen	Yes
30-35	Mistmoore (inner), Lower Guk (upper), Sol B outskirts, Crystal Caverns	Yes

Levels 20-25

Paludal Caverns — best if you're Luclin-reachable. Best XP in the band; high zone-experience modifier.
Unrest — Faydwer classic. Paladins and Clerics thrive against undead.
Runnyeye — goblin fortress south of Misty Thicket. Pug-friendly, predictable pulls.
Najena — fire elementals, djinn, clockworks. Central Antonica.

Levels 25-30

Upper Guk — the iconic Classic dungeon. Frogloks, tight tunnels, decent loot.
Sol A — kobolds, drakes. Fire-themed low-difficulty camp.
Mistmoore outer — gargoyles and vampire scouts.
Lake of Ill Omen — Kunark outdoor camp. Sarnak fort, decent for Iksar and group play.

Levels 30-35

Mistmoore inner — vampire brides and bone golems. The first "real plate" drops in the band.
Lower Guk (upper rooms) — only if your group has the pulling class.
Sol B outskirts — drakes at the entry caves; deeper is 35+.
Crystal Caverns — Velious, if you have Velious access via Wakening Land.

Group recruitment etiquette

The 20-35 band is where you'll do most pickup groups of your career. The unwritten rules:

Lead with role in /ooc: lfg 27 Cleric or lfg 32 SK pulling.
Show up at the camp. Don't expect ports unless explicitly offered.
Hold loot rules to the start. Most groups: random for usable, free-for-all for vendor trash. Ask before pulling.
Tell the group when you need to AFK. "BRB phone" is fine; vanishing isn't.
Don't ninja named loot. Even if it's "yours" by random, announce the random first.
If you fail a pull, say so. "My bad, mez broke" earns more goodwill than silence.

Gear targets

Before you exit the band, you want the following slots filled with at least 25-35-range gear:

Weapon — a class-appropriate slot weapon from a 25-30 dungeon (Mistmoore plate weapons, Sol A drakeclaws, Upper Guk croaker maces).
Chest — Mistmoore breastplate (tank), Frog Lord robe (caster), Iksar cured silk (Beastlord).
Head/Neck/Wrist — vendor-bought stat gear at minimum; named drops at best.
Belt/Pouches — Hand of Tunare belt (Wood Elf 15 quest, still good at 30).

When to switch from solo to group

Most classes hit a wall around 25 if soloing. Specifically:

Warriors, Rogues, Monks — switch to group at 20. Solo XP is bad and gear progression is worse.
Bards — keep soloing; swarm-kiting starts paying off here.
Druids, Necromancers, Magicians — solo or group works. Solo is slower but more reliable; group is fast but flaky.
Clerics, Enchanters, Shamans — group only. You're in demand; you'll never wait long.
Wizards — group preferred; soloing is mana-painful at 25-35.

Class tips for this band

Warrior — you are still cheap-to-buy gear. Mistmoore plate drops are your first "real" armor.
Cleric — keep Symbol line stacked. Group HP buffs define your reputation here.
Shaman — start carrying slow. Groups will thank you.
Enchanter — mez becomes mandatory. Learn to mez a 3-mob pull in three casts.
Rogue — backstab positioning matters. Practice on a tank who rotates the mob.
Bard — begin swarm-kiting for solo supplemental XP.
Necromancer — DoT stacking for solo grinding; in groups, focus on debuffs.
Wizard — Ice Comet line not yet; manage your mana with med breaks between fights.

Common mistakes

Running to Lower Guk at 25. The zone eats underleveled groups.
Binding in your dungeon. Bind in the nearest safe city; corpse runs are shorter.
Skipping tradeskill starts. 100 skill in any craft now saves coin and XP later.
Ignoring your spell-progression vendor. Casters who don't buy 24/29/34 spells fall behind in DPS within one level.
Pulling without slow. Once a Shaman is in your group, mobs should be slowed; check before engaging.
AFKing during a hard pull. "Camp check" is real — if you camp on a corpse, your corpse is unrecoverable until despawn.

At 35, graduate to Leveling 35-50.