Since leveling speed in Everquest is determined by Hotzones, which changes every now and then it’s hard to find a leveling guide for Everquest. While it is fastest to level in Hotzones, it is always good to have options on where to level. In this guide i will list the zones by tier where you can level the fastest in Everquest. This is one of the few guides that is updated for Veil of Alaris all the way up to level 95!
To see a list of the current Hotzones go to : Everquest Current Hotzones
Before you start leveling it can also be a good idea to check out the guide to bonus experience here : Evequest Guide to Bonus Experience
Level 1-10 Zones
These are the zones you will start out in, and learn the ropes of the game if this is your first toon. The Tutorial is recommended, but Crescent Reach is a viable choice as well.
Level 11-30 Zones
These are the best options when you’ve finished in the starting zones. Most of these are pretty straight forward so i haven’t explained to much in the guides. Just head to the zone you want and start grinding level appropriate mobs. A tank mercenary is recommended in these zones.
Level 31-50 Zones
The Tank Merc really shines during these levels and he / she can usually still take on any yellow con mob alone. Remember to pick up new defiant gear and / or other upgrades, preferably Ornate Defiant at 26 and Intricate Defiant at 48. The defiant gear will make leveling a lot faster.
Level 51-60 Zones
This is when the fun starts. At level 51 you can start to gain AA’s (Alternate Advancement Points), so as often as you can and as often as you can, drag the AA slider to 100% and grind out some AA’s. If you get to level 70+ with few AA’s you will have a hard time leveling. Offensive and Defensive AA’s make leveling a lot faster and easier so be sure to get them early rather ran late. I usually get between 50-150 AA’s before dinging 60.
The tank merc is still very strong these levels, but will start having a hard time soloing mobs at 60+. So you can start thinking about getting a healer merc, depending on which class you are playing.
Level 61-70 Zones
After leveling to 60 you should really start looking into grinding AA’s, having lots of AA’s will help you a lot faster and if you have few AA’s you will level a lot slower. Stop every couple of levels and grind out some AA’s. When you get 300+ offensive and defensive AA’s you will have a much easier time leveling.
The tank merc starts slowing down a bit after 60. He is still effective, but i usually swap him out for a healer sometime around level 65.
Level 71-80 Zones
Welcome to level 70. You should head over to the Bazaar around now and pick up some equipment upgrades, at around level 70 you can usually find some really cheap upgrades that will make leveling a lot faster. Leveling will start to slow down around these levels so find ways to maximize DPS (weapons,equipments, skinspikes etc) and try to have as little downtime as possible (get mana regen items /buffs etc). This will help leveling speed by a lot.
Level 81-90 Zones
Level 90 – 95
Gratz on dinging 90. Leveling 90+ it is recommended that you get a group. If you still want to solo the 81-90 zones will still be good.
You can also do solo kill tasks in any of the Veil of Alaris zones.
Everquest Leveling Guide 1 - 95,
