Plateau at level 23

At level 23, I finally hit my first major XP plateau. There aren't very many quests left for me to do; right now I have:

In Search of Thaelrid
Knowledge in the Deeps
The Only Cure is More Green Glow
Digging Through the Ooze

The first two are in Blackfathom Deep, Green Glow is in Gnomeregan, and I don't think I can do Ooze via pickpocketing, but I'm going to try (there's at least one rogue quest where you can PP oozes for quest drops and also kill them for quest drops, so it's possible I could get whatshername's bag by pickpocketing oozes...)

There's a quest I haven't picked up yet in Forest Song, and one I might be able to get by pickpocketing Gruff Swiftbite, a rare spawn near Hogger. I've PP'd him a few times, but no gold schedule yet...

So, I've respecced from Subtlety to Combat so I can get 2 points in Improved Sprint and 2 in Endurance, which will help in WSG and AB. I've also gotten a net-o-matic, cloaking device, parachute cloak, mind control cap, rocket helmet, harm prevention belt, minor recombobulator (which I can make) and gnomish rocket boots (with slight speed increase enchant). I also picked up a pair of Swift Boots for only 1 gold in the AH (which I can't wear until level 35); I put speed increase enchant on them, too. I still want to get the discombobulator ray schematic (I have the delta card, but Gnomer is too dangerous I think).

The Charred Vale in Stonetalon Mountains is the absolute best place for a self-twinking lowbie to mine. Mithril and truesilver nodes, and most are far enough out on the edges to not aggro mobs. My mining is 247, I could mine small thorium veins. There's one in Felwood near the Ashenvale border that I might try to get, or, since I drowned myself off the coast of EPL so I could res at Light's Hope Chapel (to get to Ghostlands for more exploring XP), I could fly to Light's Hope and maybe find a node.

Here are the quests I've done to get from level 20 to 23:
Stonegear's Search
Search for Incendicite
The Day After
Mathias and the Defias
Klaven's Tower
The Touch of Zanzil #1,#2, #3
Speaking of Fortitude
The Touch of Zanzil #4
Brother Paxton
Ink Supplies
Rethban Ore
Return to Kristoff
Supplies from Darkshire
Dusky Crab Cakes
Look to the Stars #1 & #2
Ghost Hair Thread
Return the Comb
Return to Jitters
Deliver the Thread
Sven's Revenge
Sven's Camp
Zombie Juice
The Shadowy Figure
The Shadowy Search Continues (21)
Inquire at the Inn
Finding the Shadowy Figure
Return to Sven
Seasoned Wolf Kabobs
Bathran's Hair
The Ancient Statuette
Orendil's Cure
Elune's Tear
The Ruins of Stardust
Tinkmaster Overspark
(level mining until 175 (mithril), get mithril in Stonetalon, get engineering
to 225 (240 max) and get a parachute cloak made; can wear my gnomish
rocket boots now, too).
In Search of the Excavation Team #1
The Greenwarden
In Search of the Excavation Team #2
Gnogaine
(swam to EPL and got to Ghostlands, explored) (22)
Murloc Poachers
Redridge Goulash
The Legend of Stalvan #1,#2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9
A Watchful Eye
Looking Further
The Legend of Stalvan #10, #11, #12, #13, #14
A Helping Hand
Report from the Northern Front
The Third Fleet
(explored southern Barrens, some of 1k Needles, and a bit of STV) (23)

Level 20, and meeting someone who saw my blog

Well, I made it to level 20 without too much trouble. One WSG daily, the rest from regular quests.

I needed to justify one quest - They're Alive! Maybe... on Bloodmyst Isle. In this quest, you have to free Expedition Researchers who are trapped in spider webbing, but to do this, you need to "kill" a Webbed Creature, which then spawns either an Expedition Researcher or a random mob. Since my fishing rod doesn't make my weapon skill go up, I decided to do it, as it fits in with my character.

My (temporary*) guild pointed out that using the Gnomish Mind-Control Helmet (if it backfires), or being mind controlled by a priest, could make me fight in combat unwillingly. I think as long as I wield my fishing rod, I'll be OK. I don't carry any weapons, and about the only thing that could happen would be for me to be disarmed while mind controlled, which would probably make my unarmed skill go up.

I saw someone buy linen cloth in bulk, so I sold him what I didn't need any longer. Since Alliance linen bandages are the only thing needed to open the AQ gates, I asked him (Calistariuss) if he was doing it to open AQ, and it turned out he was. I mentioned my pacifist rogue, and it turns out he had read my blog while googling for information on opening the AQ gates! Anyway, he has a 70 main (Mephisston) transferred to this server, who has the scepter needed to open the gates. I may have to get a spectator to Silithus...

(*temporary because, like my undead priest, I intend to form a guild called <The Pacifist>, so I will be labeled as such)

Here are the quests I took from level 15 to 20:

Samophlange #1 & #2 (but did not collect XP for #2)
Speak with Shoni
WSG daily 1050 XP!!
Beached Sea Creature
Deep Ocean, Vast Sea
Cave Mushrooms
The Fall of Ameth'Aran
Onu
The Master's Glaive
The Absent Minded Prospector
The Twilight Camp
Return to Onu
Urgent Delivery
The Bloodcurse Legacy
Restoring Sanctity (16)
Ysera's Tears
Talk to the Hand
Searching for Galen
Newfound Allies
The Way to Auberdine
The Tower of Althalaax
Beached Sea Turtle #2
Beached Sea Turtle #3
Mathystra relics
SI:7
Encroaching Gnolls
Redridge Rendezvous
A Free Lunch
A Donation of Wool (Stormwind)
(get fishing to 50 so I can do Selling Fish quest)
Messenger to Stormwind #1
The Price of Shoes
A Dark Threat Looms #1 & #2
Thelsamar Blod Sausages (17)
A Donation of Wool (Darnassus)
WSG daily 1250 XP
Thundris Windweaver
The Cliffspring River
(leveled up fishing to max 75)
Gaffer Jacks
Easy Strider Living
Electropellers
Thunderbrew Lager
Return to Verner
Messenger to Stormwind #2
The Defias Brotherhood #1
Visit the Herbalist
Delivering Daffodils
Selling Fish
Hilary's Necklace
The Lost Tools
Messenger to Westfall #1
The Defias Brotherhood #2
Messenger to Westfall #2
Dry Times
The Defias Brotherhood #3
A Donation of Wool (Gnomeregan exiles) (18)
A Donation of Wool (Ironforge)
The Defias Brotherhood #4
(got lockpicking up to 90)
Alther's Mill
Messenger to Darkshire #1
Messenger to Darkshire #2
Raven Hill
Deliveries to Sven
A Donation of Wool (Exodar)
(found weather-beaten journal for fish finding)
The Sleeper Has Awakened
Journey to Astranaar
Onward to Ashenvale
Raene's Cleansing
(learned journeyman fishing so I can get to 100 and get fish finding)
Beached Sea Creature #1 & #2
Beached Sea Turtle #1 & #2
Irradiated Crystal Shards
They're Alive! Maybe... (see blog)
(hit level 19 exploring Stonetalon Mountains)
On Guard in Stonetalon #1 & #2
Ziz Fizziks
Journey to Stonetalon Peak
The Corruption Abroad
Deepmoss Spider Eggs
(explored Silverpine Forest)
Jitters' Growling Gut
Report to Mountaineer Rockgar
A Dark Threat Looms #3
Daily Delivery
A Dark Threat Looms #4
The Hermit
Beached Sea Creature #3 (20)

70 is doable - grinding XP

The daily battleground quests give experience points, and they're repeatable, so level 70 is definitely doable. I've done the Warsong Gulch daily quest twice, once at level 14 for 975 XP, and level 15 for 1050 XP. Of course, I end up getting honor kills as part of the raid group, but I can't really avoid this. Reinisch can also start leveling up again, using BG quests when his quest log dries up.

My timing seems to be good; not only do I get more XP per quest and less XP needed to level from the 2.3 changes, I also managed to explore the horde starting areas (except for the Blood Elves, which I'll do soon) before the zeppelin had hostile crews. And with Zul'Aman a new instance there, I ought to be able to find a warlock in a group that is willing to summon me, so I can explore the BE starting areas without losing XP by going through EPL at a low level.

The marked questgivers on the minimap, and the 'quest' category in the auction house also are a big help. I had to level up my fishing a little bit to complete The Family And The Fishing Pole quest, and assuming I hit level 70, the de rigeur offhand for an Alliance character would be Old Crafty.

The quests I completed to get from level 10 to 15 were:

Coming of Age
Deeprun Rat Roundup
Me Brother, Nipsy
Stormpike's Order
Westfall Stew #1
Report to Gyran Stoutmantle
Goretusk Liver Pie
(swam to Booty Bay, boat to Ratchet)
Winds in the Desert
(explore Durotar, Mulgore, Tirisfal Glade) (11)
Westfall Stew #2
Poor Old Blanchy
The Forgotten Heirloom
Keeper of the Flame
Humble Beginnings
Stormpike's Delivery (12)
Filthy Paws
The Relics of Wakening
The Apple Falls
Destiny Calls
Seek out SI: 7
Snatch and Grab
Road to Salvation
Simple Subterfugin'
Onin's Report
Honor Students
Ride to Ironforge
Gryth Thurden
Return to Brock
Elekks Are Serious Business
The Kessel Run (13)
A Favorite Treat
Catch and Release
What Argus Means To Me
Learning From The Crystals
The Missing Survey Team
Know Thine Enemy
Explorer's League, Is That Something For Gnomes?
Pilfered Equipment
(got 290 XP by accident in group, will not do 2nd part of samophlange to lose 490 XP)
Mac'Aree Mushroom Menagerie
Ironband's Excavation
Find Bingles
Excavation Progress Report
Report to Ironforge (14)
Powder to Ironband
Resupplying the Excavation
After the Ambush
Protecting the Shipment (I used a dummy as a distraction, and bandaged Miran, but didn't fight)
Bingles Missing Supplies
Trouble in Darkshore?
Bashal'Aran
Plagued Lands
How Big A Threat?
The Red Crystal
The Family And The Fishing Pole (23 fishing skill)
Washed Ashore #1 & #2
WSG daily 975 XP
As Water Cascades
The Fragments Within
Beached Sea Turtle
(while moving to the Samophlange area, I hit level 15)

After these, I did Samoplhange #1 and finished #2 but did not collect the XP to compensate for the inadvertent 290 XP

The Perils of grouping

Argh.... while finding the gnome hiding in the turtle shell on the north coast of Bloodmyst Isle, another player was leveling up jewelcrafting in the area and giving away free items. We grouped to find each other, but some murlocs respawned nearby while we were trading, and I accidentally got 290 XP when the other player killed them. To compensate for that, I'll do (but not complete) the second part of the Samophlange quest - I can only do the first two parts, since part 3 requires that I kill Tinkerer Sniggles for a key. The second part is worth 490 XP, which is the easiest quest to trim.