Difference between revisions of "Recommended Zone Order Progression"

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:
   • Trollmire: Floors 1 to 3 only.
   • Norgos Lair
   • Ruins of Kor'Pul (Once you have enough Light Radius)
   • Scintillating Caves
   • Rhaloren Camp
   • Heart of the Gloom
   • The Deep Bellow (Dwarf only)
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:
   • The Maze
   • Sandworm Lair
   • Daikara: Don't enter Temporal Rift.
   • Old Forest: Don't descend into Lake of Nur.
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.

• Tempest Peak: Enter Derth for Quest and clear Elementals. Then go to the Angolwen or Zigur leader to continue to Tempest Peak.
• Temporal Rift: Reached through Daikara. Dangerous for Melee classes.
• Mark of the Spellblaze
• Necromancers' Ruins: Antimagic characters only. Requires Forbidden Cults.
• Lake of Nur: Reached through Old Forest.
• Ruined Dungeon: Random minibosses. Can be super dangerous.
• One of the following three zones or Sludgenest (see below) spawns in each game:
• 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 Ogres (100% chance).
• 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)
• Scourged Pits: Spawns after lvl 20 in 20% of all games unless you are a Drem and haven't unlocked Scourge Drake (100% chance). Can only appear if playing with Forbidden Cults.
• Last Hope Graveyard: Go down a floor and then open all of the individual graves before engaging the boss.
• Golem Graveyard: Just to clear for extra XP. Return in post-game.
• Dremshor Tunnels: Can only be accessed by Drem and Demented characters in Forbidden Cults by using the code found in Kroshkkur in the Occult Egress.
• Dreadfell
• 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.
• Godfeaster: Encountered on world map randomly after lvl 30. Can only be encountered once. Requires Forbidden Cults.
• Reknor: (Lost Dwarven Kingdom of Reknor on world map) Can only be entered after Dreadfell. After completing, enter Farportal at the end.

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:
   • Trollmire (floor 2)
   • Kor'Pul (floor 3)
   • Reknor (floor 4)
   • Scintillating Caves (floor 3)
   • The Maze (floor 2)
   • Dreadfell (floor 1)
   • Daikara (floor 4)
   • Sandworm Lair (floor 1)
   • Old Forest (floor 3)
   • The Deep Bellow (floor 3) Dwarves only.
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.
   • Gorbat Pride: Southern end of continent. (Wilders)
   • Grushnak Pride: Northwest (Fighters) Don't enter the Slimy Pit.
   • Vor Pride: Northeast (Mages)
   • Rak'Shor Pride: Southwest (Necromancers)
3. Eruan
   • Charred Scar
4. Slime Tunnels: Reached through Grushnak Pride.
5. High Peak

Optional After Winning the Game

• Clear out the Sludgenest, if it spawned
• Return to Golem Graveyard and fight Atamathon.
• Fight Linaniil, Supreme Archmage of Angolwen.
• (Forbidden Cults required) Fight the Hypostasis of Entropy.
• Enter the Infinite Dungeon. It cannot be exited, so do this last.

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
   • Dominion Port
   • 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
   • Krimbul Territory
   • Ruins of a Lost City: level 3 is friendly area for Mystery of the Yetis quest, which unlocks many generic categories
   • Sunwall Observatory: level 1 is unusually difficult but gives access to Ruined Cave
     • Ruined Cave: allows item storage
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.
   • Ruined Dungeon
   • Primal Forest: can farm loot
   • Occult Egress: use the free glyph sequence, should scale with player level
   • Online Event zones (e.g. Bearscape or Land of Poosh): if you are lucky and run into them
7. Gates of Morning: big boss fight
8. Tier 3
   • G.E.M.
   • Cave of Hatred
   • Ureslak's Host
   • Steam Quarry
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