Recommended Zone Order Progression

Written up by MiltonSlavemasta, post is at http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3457973&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=252#post424875935

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.

1. Trollmire 1->3

2. Norgos' Lair

3. Derth (Talk to the Shady Man in the North)

4. Heart of the Gloom

• Dwarves do The Deep Bellow now

5. Ruins of Kor'Pul

6. Trollmire 4

7. Scintillating Caves

8. Rhaloren Camp

9. Golem Graveyard*(Minor loot, few enemies, real purpose is in postgame)

10. The Maze (If Alt Maze, Do 1-3 and come back later)

11. Old Forest (If Alt Old Forest, come back after Sandworm or Daikara)

12. Sandworm Lair

13. Daikara

• I usually go back and enter Temporal Rift after a few more dungeons.

14. Hidden Compound*(Mainly for story unlock, I skip this most games)

15. Ruined Halfling Complex*(Long, dangerous, can be boring. Has a story unlock)

You can wander around up north to rescue the Merchant.

16. Lake of Nur (Reached through Old Forest)

17. Tempest Peak*(Unimportant for non-Antimagic characters)

• If the Caldera spawns, this is when I do it.

18. Ruined Dungeon

19. You can try Mark of the Spellblaze if you want, I save it until after Dreadfell*(Few rewards for antimagic characters)

20. Dreadfell (You can save vaults for later, I usually open them all)

• 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.

• 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.

21. Mark of the Spellblaze if you didn't do it yet. Some characters might still skip it.

22. Reknor

23. Finish the place where you teleport, go to the town to get the Spider quest from a lady in the mid-north

24. Ardhungol

25. Temple of Creation (Wander around near the coast to find this)

26. Backdoor to Vor Armoury (NOT Vor Pride)

27. Go back to town to get the location of Briagh's Lair, then finish it.

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.

29. Elven ruins. (This can be done much earlier, but it is risky.)

• If Sludgenest spawns, this is roughly when I do it.

30. Tannen's Quest (Ask around Last Hope to unlock this)

• Can do Valley of the Moon if you get the quest

31. Gorbat Pride

32. Grushnak Pride

33. Eruan

34. Vor Pride

35. Rak'Shor Pride

36. Slime Tunnels(Note: You don't have to kill everything here.)

37. High Peak

WIN

38. Return to Golem Graveyard.

39. Kill All Wizards.