Grahtwood - Is there any rhyme or reason to the level progression in this zone?

DenverRalphy · May 2014

So I've been playing my first AD faction toon, and I'm currently lvl 22 working through Grahtwood.

Is it just me? Or is this zone really jacked when it comes to level progression with quests? If I follow the questlines, I all too often find myself running out of level appropriate quests, and having to comb the countryside trying to find appropriate level quests.

Don't get me wrong... I really do like having to explore to find content and quests. But I really think this zone is a bit out of whack. The amount of wayshrine travel bouncing around between areas that you've often already been through is a bit nutty.

Seabreeze · May 2014

I noticed this, so I took to using Dulfy's guide in order to figure out where to go next. It might just be the geography of the zone that caused it to be set up this way. It seems to have shear cliffs in areas that make on-foot travel tedious, so I had to do a lot of backtracking.

Honestly, if it wasn't for the guide, I may have gone straight to Elden Root and done myself some harm in the process. I don't recall there being any sort of breadcrumb that pointed me in the direction of Southpoint, first.

DenverRalphy · May 2014

Yeah, very few (if any) breadcrumbs. And sometimes the quests backtrack. I've also found a couple of instances where I had to go back to lower level areas to find quests that didn't pop due to level requirements earlier.

crislevin · May 2014

it is quite radiate, unless other zones, which ask to to go from here to there then to there.

but okay, I finished that zone at L24.

xramirez535b14_ESO · May 2014

Couldnt tell from your post but are you finding yourself over-leveled or under-leveled? I'm 23 almost 24 in Grahtwood and all of my quests are mostly level 20 quests with some 23 ones sprinkled in there... this has been happening since the previous zone. I play normally and don't use my rings of mara and I out level a lot of quests.

DenverRalphy · May 2014

xramirez535b14_ESO wrote: »

Couldnt tell from your post but are you finding yourself over-leveled or under-leveled? I'm 23 almost 24 in Grahtwood and all of my quests are mostly level 20 quests with some 23 ones sprinkled in there... this has been happening since the previous zone. I play normally and don't use my rings of mara and I out level a lot of quests.

I had the opposite experience in Grahtwood. I was consistently under-leveled. Which was odd because I was consistently over-level in the previous zone. For example, while I was 16-17 I had a ton of 22-23 quests. I had to trek all over the map to find level appropriate quests, and sometimes I just said "phooey" and would muscle through the higher level quests. I ding'd 24 while completing the final quest, which places me right where I'm supposed to be for the next zone.

columbineb14_ESO · May 2014

The problem is that Grahtwood is the most disorganized zone in terms of obvious direction to go for steady quest level progression. As far as I can tell, the best way to do it is: work west from Haven until you finish the Southpoint chain, then do the Bosmer chain (Briarthorn is it? Briar something. The one with the big talking tree that has the absolutely wrong voice), then visit Elden Root, then check all the quest areas north of Elden Root and grab the first quest from all of them, then do them in level order, hopscotching around. It's an utter mess. Fortunately, even a level 17 or 18 char can run around the whole zone grabbing quests without much danger as long as they avoid trolls and large groups of brigands.

Actually, these days when I start a zone I always do the "run around the whole zone and take one quest from each quest area" thing in self-defense, because Stormhaven was also not clear on "direction to progress" and Shadowfen ain't so hot on it either. I realize they can't all be "start at this end and work to the other end" zones, but I wouldn't mind more of a trail of breadcrumbs. Oh, well, I like exploration ....

But trust me, there is a clear progression to about level 23-24 in Grahtwood with no gaps or over/under level work. If you can find it.

xramirez535b14_ESO · May 2014

It may have been because my first instinct in a new zone is to go out and get every skyshard and try to kill every world boss I can while picking up quests along the way. This is probably what left me over-leveled but I can't imagine it gave me that much XP. The reason I do this is if my friend is not on, I don't want to leave him alone in his own phase so I wait for him to share the quests and finish them together.

Hellkath · May 2014

xramirez535b14_ESO wrote: »

Couldnt tell from your post but are you finding yourself over-leveled or under-leveled? I'm 23 almost 24 in Grahtwood and all of my quests are mostly level 20 quests with some 23 ones sprinkled in there... this has been happening since the previous zone. I play normally and don't use my rings of mara and I out level a lot of quests.

Same here!
Currently level 25, going on 26 and I know I still have a quest or two to complete before moving on.
I'm a completionist though, got all lores, all skyshards, all lev 20 ish dongeons are done.. I`m finding no problem leveling through the quests in that area.

But I will say that I admit not having followed any bread crums.. just kinda wander around where it seems right to go.

Chikara · May 2014

Also I think some of the quests are not QUITE the right level. I know I was doing one that showed on my quest tracker that a quest was 19 but when I got into the area the mobs were actually level 23. BIT of a surprise there.

xramirez535b14_ESO · May 2014

Chikara wrote: »

Also I think some of the quests are not QUITE the right level. I know I was doing one that showed on my quest tracker that a quest was 19 but when I got into the area the mobs were actually level 23. BIT of a surprise there.

I specifically remember a quest like this. Wasn't an easy quest and I was 23 lol.

silent88b14_ESO · May 2014

When you get to Eldenroot work your way southwest. Once you finish Southport you are ready to work around Eldenroot, just be wary of dungeons.

jesterstear · May 2014

Greenslade is worse I found, You can head South, North or West out of the starter city, South is a no-brainer but quickly runs out of quests, then you have a very dangerous looking zone to the north or lower level quests heading out West to a coastal city. Great ! Except this breadcrumb trail is a thin one and the quests escalate in level very quickly, till you find yourself over your head.

Meanwhile if you head north out of the city to take on the ferals, once you've cleared the pass, you open into a large area with a great number of quests which are all relatively easy... and their level is no higher than the first "clearing the pass of Feral Bosmer quest".