Difference between revisions of "Recommended Zone Order Progression"

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Written up by MiltonSlavemasta, post is at http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3457973&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=252#post424875935
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==Introduction==
  
Edit: I've wanted to clarify some things since I originally posted this; Some areas are especially obnoxious or totally unnecessary, so I am going to try and identify areas you might want to seriously consider ignoring completely with an asterisk. Four previously unmentioned areas have been included.
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This guide is meant for newer users who need advice about which order to complete different zones. It is not true for all situations and all classes, and experienced players can choose to skip some zones or move the order about.  
  
1. [[Trollmire]] 1->3
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If you've got a suggestion for different zone order, '''please''' write it up on the [[{{TALKPAGENAME}}| talk page]] for discussion.
  
2. [[Norgos' Lair]]
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This page is '''not for strategy''' about the individual zones; please put that on the actual zone's page.
  
3. [[Derth]] (Talk to the Shady Man in the North)
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For an alternate guide with more details on each zone and several maps to not be lost on the overworld, check out [http://forums.te4.org/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=48660 Cath's zone order guide]
  
4. [[Heart of the Gloom]]
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==[[Maj'Eyal: The Age of Ascendancy]]==
* Dwarves do [[The Deep Bellow]] now
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5. [[Ruins of Kor'Pul]]
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In the zone order below, numbered entries are for zones that can be more clearly ordered, while bullet points are for zones that are closer in difficulty, and may be approached in different order depending on the character played.
  
6. [[Trollmire]] 4
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=== Tier 1 ===
  
7. [[Scintillating Caves]]
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# [[Starting Zone]](s) for your race/class.
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# The Tier 1 Zones:
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#* [[Trollmire]]: Floors 1 to 3 only.
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#* [[Norgos Lair]]
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#* [[Ruins of Kor'Pul]] (Once you have enough Light Radius)
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#* [[Scintillating Caves]]
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#* [[Rhaloren Camp]]
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#* [[Heart of the Gloom]]
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#* [[The Deep Bellow]] (Dwarf only)
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# [[Derth (Southeast)|The Arena in Derth]]: Talk to the Shady Man in the North of [[Derth]] for his quest, [[The agent of the arena]]. Must be done before level 14.
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# [[Trollmire]]: Floor 4
  
8. [[Rhaloren Camp]]
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=== Tier 2 ===
  
9. [[Golem Graveyard]]*(Minor loot, few enemies, real purpose is in postgame)  
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# [[Lumberjack Village]]: Spawns after you randomly receive quest just north of the city of [[Last Hope]].
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# The [[Into the darkness]] Zones:
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#* [[The Maze]]
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#* [[Sandworm Lair]]
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#* [[Daikara]]: Don't enter [[Temporal Rift]].
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#* [[Old Forest]]: Don't descend into [[Lake of Nur]].
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# [[Hidden Compound]]
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# [[Ruined Halfling Complex]] ("Very old halfling ruins" on world map)
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# [[Unknown Tunnels]]: Starting at level 18, can be encountered on world map randomly (especially in the snowy north). Can only be encountered once.
  
10. [[The Maze]] (If Alt Maze, Do 1-3 and come back later)
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=== Tier 3 ===
  
11. [[Old Forest]] (If Alt Old Forest, come back after Sandworm or Daikara)
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The order at this level starts to become more fluid. You can do these zones in any order, but gaining levels before going into Dreadfell will be helpful for the battle with [[The Master]].  Only Dreadfell and Reknor are mandatory for completing the story.
  
12. [[Sandworm Lair]]
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* [[Tempest Peak]]: Enter [[Derth]] for [[Storming the city|Quest]] and clear Elementals. Then go to the [[Angolwen]] or [[Zigur]] leader to continue to Tempest Peak.
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* [[Temporal Rift]]: Reached through [[Daikara]]. Dangerous for Melee classes.
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* [[Mark of the Spellblaze]]
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* [[Necromancers' Ruins]]: [[Antimagic]] characters only. Requires [[Forbidden Cults]].
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* [[Lake of Nur]]: Reached through [[Old Forest]].
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* [[Ruined Dungeon]]: Random minibosses. Can be super dangerous.
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* One of the following three zones or [[Sludgenest]] (see below) spawns in each game:
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* [[Old Conclave Vault]]: Only spawns if you receive quest in [[Ruined Halfling Complex]]. Quest giver only spawns in 30% of games unless you are a [[Shalore]] and haven't unlocked [[Ogre|Ogres]] (100% chance).
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* [[Dogroth Caldera]]: (Noxious Caldera on world map) Spawns after lvl 20 in 20% of all games unless you are a [[Yeek]] and haven't unlocked [[Solipsist]]. (100% chance)
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* [[Scourged Pits]]: Spawns after lvl 20 in 20% of all games unless you are a [[Drem]] and haven't unlocked [[Scourge drake (category)|Scourge Drake]] (100% chance). Can only appear if playing with [[Forbidden Cults]].
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* [[Last Hope Graveyard]]: Go down a floor and then open all of the individual graves before engaging the boss.
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* [[Golem Graveyard]]: Just to clear for extra XP. Return in post-game.
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* [[Dremshor Tunnels]]: Can only be accessed by [[Drem]] and [[Demented (Metaclass)|Demented]] characters in [[Forbidden Cults]] by using the code found in [[Kroshkkur]] in the [[Occult Egress]].
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* [[Dreadfell]]
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* [[Dark Crypt]]: (Crypt of Kryl-Feijan) Encountered on world map randomly after lvl 25. Can only be encountered once. Very dangerous, especially for melee classes.
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* [[Godfeaster]]: Encountered on world map randomly after lvl 30. Can only be encountered once. Requires [[Forbidden Cults]].
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* [[Reknor]]: (Lost Dwarven Kingdom of Reknor on world map) Can only be entered after Dreadfell. After completing, enter Farportal at the end.
  
13. [[Daikara]]
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=== There and Back Again ===
  
*I usually go back and enter Temporal Rift after a few more dungeons.  
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At this point you should be in the [[Far East]].
  
14. [[Hidden Compound]]*(Mainly for story unlock, I skip this most games)
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# [[Unremarkable Cave]]: You spawn here.
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# [[Ardhungol]]: Spawns after you receive [[Eight legs of wonder|Quest]] from [[Melnela]] in [[Gates of Morning]]. Turn in quest to her after.
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# [[Temple of Creation]]: Spawns if you run into it on world map on the coast. Appears as ''Entrance to an Underwater Cave'' on the coast. No air bubbles. Requires water breathing.
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# [[Vor Armoury]]: '''NOT''' Vor Pride. Spawns after you start the [[There and back again|Quest]] in [[Gates of Morning]]. Return after and turn in quest.
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# [[Briagh's Lair]]: (Sandpit of Briagh on world map) Spawns after you continue the [[There and back again|Quest]] in [[Gates of Morning]]. Return after and turn in quest. Then enter the Farportal.
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# [[Backup Guardians]]:
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#* [[Trollmire]] (floor 2)
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#* [[Kor'Pul]] (floor 3)
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#* [[Reknor]] (floor 4)
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#* [[Scintillating Caves]] (floor 3)
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#* [[The Maze]] (floor 2)
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#* [[Dreadfell]] (floor 1)
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#* [[Daikara]] (floor 4)
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#* [[Sandworm Lair]] (floor 1)
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#* [[Old Forest]] (floor 3)
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#* [[The Deep Bellow]] (floor 3) Dwarves only.
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# [[Ancient Elven Ruins]]
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# [[Sludgenest]]: Spawns after lvl 30 in 30% of all games (100% for [[Thalore]] if you haven't unlocked [[Oozemancer]]). "Way into a strange lush forest" on the world map.
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# [[Back and there again|Tannen's Quest]]: Ask around [[Last Hope]] to unlock this.
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# [[Shadow Crypt]]
  
15. [[Ruined Halfling Complex]]*(Long, dangerous, can be boring. Has a story unlock)
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=== The Prides ===
  
You can wander around up north to rescue the Merchant.  
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# [[Valley of the Moon]]: If you get the quest.
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# The Orc Prides. Change order to suit your strengths.
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#* [[Gorbat Pride]]: Southern end of continent. (''Wilders'')
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#* [[Grushnak Pride]]: Northwest (''Fighters'') Don't enter the [[Slime Tunnels|Slimy Pit]].
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#* [[Vor Pride]]: Northeast (''Mages'')
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#* [[Rak'Shor Pride]]: Southwest (''Necromancers'')
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# [[Eruan]]
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#* [[Charred Scar]]
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# [[Slime Tunnels]]: Reached through [[Grushnak Pride]].
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# [[High Peak]]
  
16. [[Lake of Nur]] (Reached through [[Old Forest]])
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=== Optional After Winning the Game ===
  
17. [[Tempest Peak]]*(Unimportant for non-Antimagic characters)
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* Clear out the [[Sludgenest]], if it spawned
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* Return to [[Golem Graveyard]] and fight [[Atamathon]].
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* Fight [[Linaniil]], Supreme Archmage of [[Angolwen]].
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* ''([[Forbidden Cults]] required)'' Fight the [[Hypostasis of Entropy]].
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* Enter the [[Infinite Dungeon]]. It cannot be exited, so do this last.
  
*If the [[Caldera]] spawns, this is when I do it.
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==[[Orcs: Embers of Rage]]==
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The [[Embers of Rage campaign]] is much shorter than the main [[Age of Ascendancy]] campaign. Generally speaking, the player will do fine by just tackling the available zones from lowest to highest level while paying some attention to the main quest line.
  
18. [[Ruined Dungeon]]
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In the zone order below, numbered entries are for zones that can be more clearly ordered, while bullet points are for zones that are closer in difficulty, and may be approached in different order depending on the character played. Some brief notes are included to help with decision making. More details should be available on each zone's own page.
  
19. You can try [[Mark of the Spellblaze]] if you want, I save it until after [[Dreadfell]]*(Few rewards for antimagic characters)
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# [[Kruk Pride]]: check shops to see if gold will be useful early
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# '''Tier 1'''
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#* [[Yetis Cave]]: all melee enemies
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#* [[Vaporous Emporium]]: has ranged enemies, many lootable stalls for early gold
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#** [[Kaltor's Shop]]: unlocks after reading signposts in Vaporous Emporium, check shop for useful items
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# [[Sunwall Outpost]]
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# '''Tier 2'''
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#* [[Dominion Port]]
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#* [[Ritch Hive]]: regular difficulty based rare/randboss spawns start so this is a sudden spike in difficulty. Floor 3 can be especially dangerous if trying to full clear
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#* [[Krimbul Territory]]
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#* [[Ruins of a Lost City]]: level 3 is friendly area for [[Mystery of the Yetis]] quest, which unlocks many generic categories
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#* [[Sunwall Observatory]]: level 1 is unusually difficult but gives access to Ruined Cave
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#** [[Ruined Cave]]: allows item storage
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# [[Internment Camp]]
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# Optional zones. Can do these almost any time after one reaches their minimum level, but helps prepare for boss fight at this point.
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#* [[Ruined Dungeon]]
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#* [[Primal Forest]]: can farm loot
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#* [[Occult Egress]]: use the free glyph sequence, should scale with player level
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#* [[Online Event]] zones (e.g. [[Bearscape]] or [[Land of Poosh]]): if you are lucky and run into them
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# [[Gates of Morning (Embers of Rage)|Gates of Morning]]: big boss fight
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# '''Tier 3'''
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#* [[G.E.M.]]
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#* [[Cave of Hatred]]
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#* [[Ureslak's Host]]
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#* [[Steam Quarry]]
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# [[Palace of Fumes]]: stop at level 6
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# [[Pocket of Distorted Time]]: level 3 can be dangerous, safer to do post-game
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# [[The Slumbering Caves]]: final boss fight
  
20. [[Dreadfell]] (You can save vaults for later, I usually open them all)
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[[Category: Guides]]
 
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* At level 24, you can hear screams and enter into [[Dark Crypt]]. It is dangerous and has middling rewards, but is necessary for one prodigy.
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* This is also a good time to do [[Last Hope Graveyard]] if you want to do it. It isn't important except for one class unlock.
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21. [[Mark of the Spellblaze]] if you didn't do it yet. Some characters might still skip it.
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22. [[Reknor]]
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23. Finish the place where you teleport, go to the town to get the Spider quest from a lady in the mid-north
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24. [[Ardhungol]]
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25. [[Temple of Creation]] (Wander around near the coast to find this)
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26. Backdoor to [[Vor Armoury]] (NOT Vor Pride)
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27. Go back to town to get the location of [[Briagh's Lair]], then finish it.
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28. Go back east and fight backup guardians in [[Trollmire]], [[Kor'Pul]], [[Reknor]], [[Scintillating Caves]], [[The Maze]], [[Dreadfell]], [[Daikara]], [[Sandworm Lair]], and [[Old Forest]]. Dwarves get an extra one in [[The Deep Bellow]].
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29. [[Elven ruins]]. (This can be done much earlier, but it is risky.)
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* If Sludgenest spawns, this is roughly when I do it.
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30. Tannen's Quest (Ask around [[Last Hope]] to unlock this)
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* Can do [[Valley of the Moon]] if you get the quest
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31. [[Gorbat Pride]]
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32. [[Grushnak Pride]]
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33. [[Eruan]]
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34. [[Vor Pride]]
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35. [[Rak'Shor Pride]]
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36. [[Slime Tunnels]](Note: You don't have to kill everything here.)
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37. [[High Peak]]
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WIN
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38. Return to [[Golem Graveyard]].
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39. Kill All Wizards.
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Latest revision as of 05:48, 29 November 2024

Introduction

This guide is meant for newer users who need advice about which order to complete different zones. It is not true for all situations and all classes, and experienced players can choose to skip some zones or move the order about.

If you've got a suggestion for different zone order, please write it up on the talk page for discussion.

This page is not for strategy about the individual zones; please put that on the actual zone's page.

For an alternate guide with more details on each zone and several maps to not be lost on the overworld, check out Cath's zone order guide

Maj'Eyal: The Age of Ascendancy

In the zone order below, numbered entries are for zones that can be more clearly ordered, while bullet points are for zones that are closer in difficulty, and may be approached in different order depending on the character played.

Tier 1

  1. Starting Zone(s) for your race/class.
  2. The Tier 1 Zones:
  3. The Arena in Derth: Talk to the Shady Man in the North of Derth for his quest, The agent of the arena. Must be done before level 14.
  4. Trollmire: Floor 4

Tier 2

  1. Lumberjack Village: Spawns after you randomly receive quest just north of the city of Last Hope.
  2. The Into the darkness Zones:
  3. Hidden Compound
  4. Ruined Halfling Complex ("Very old halfling ruins" on world map)
  5. Unknown Tunnels: Starting at level 18, can be encountered on world map randomly (especially in the snowy north). Can only be encountered once.

Tier 3

The order at this level starts to become more fluid. You can do these zones in any order, but gaining levels before going into Dreadfell will be helpful for the battle with The Master. Only Dreadfell and Reknor are mandatory for completing the story.

There and Back Again

At this point you should be in the Far East.

  1. Unremarkable Cave: You spawn here.
  2. Ardhungol: Spawns after you receive Quest from Melnela in Gates of Morning. Turn in quest to her after.
  3. Temple of Creation: Spawns if you run into it on world map on the coast. Appears as Entrance to an Underwater Cave on the coast. No air bubbles. Requires water breathing.
  4. Vor Armoury: NOT Vor Pride. Spawns after you start the Quest in Gates of Morning. Return after and turn in quest.
  5. Briagh's Lair: (Sandpit of Briagh on world map) Spawns after you continue the Quest in Gates of Morning. Return after and turn in quest. Then enter the Farportal.
  6. Backup Guardians:
  7. Ancient Elven Ruins
  8. Sludgenest: Spawns after lvl 30 in 30% of all games (100% for Thalore if you haven't unlocked Oozemancer). "Way into a strange lush forest" on the world map.
  9. Tannen's Quest: Ask around Last Hope to unlock this.
  10. Shadow Crypt

The Prides

  1. Valley of the Moon: If you get the quest.
  2. The Orc Prides. Change order to suit your strengths.
  3. Eruan
  4. Slime Tunnels: Reached through Grushnak Pride.
  5. High Peak

Optional After Winning the Game

Orcs: Embers of Rage

The Embers of Rage campaign is much shorter than the main Age of Ascendancy campaign. Generally speaking, the player will do fine by just tackling the available zones from lowest to highest level while paying some attention to the main quest line.

In the zone order below, numbered entries are for zones that can be more clearly ordered, while bullet points are for zones that are closer in difficulty, and may be approached in different order depending on the character played. Some brief notes are included to help with decision making. More details should be available on each zone's own page.

  1. Kruk Pride: check shops to see if gold will be useful early
  2. Tier 1
    • Yetis Cave: all melee enemies
    • Vaporous Emporium: has ranged enemies, many lootable stalls for early gold
      • Kaltor's Shop: unlocks after reading signposts in Vaporous Emporium, check shop for useful items
  3. Sunwall Outpost
  4. Tier 2
  5. Internment Camp
  6. Optional zones. Can do these almost any time after one reaches their minimum level, but helps prepare for boss fight at this point.
  7. Gates of Morning: big boss fight
  8. Tier 3
  9. Palace of Fumes: stop at level 6
  10. Pocket of Distorted Time: level 3 can be dangerous, safer to do post-game
  11. The Slumbering Caves: final boss fight