North Ro

Below the city walls

The Northern Desert of Ro marks the southern edge of Freeport and the northern edge of the vast Desert of Ro. It is busy and popular, and it is a major waypoint for the dark races travelling from Neriak to the swamps in the south; many of them can be found here. Monsters run from about level 5 to 30 and above: skeletons, beetles, jackals, pumas, tarantulas, sand scarabs and snakes, madmen, orc raiders, dervish cutthroats and thugs, mummies and sand giants.

Allakhazam keeps the classic desert as a 1.0 record; the zone was later remade.

Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Northern Desert of Ro · Allakhazam: North Ro (1.0) (zone) · Project 1999 Wiki: North Ro

Madmen, mummies and Dorn

Most of the north is safe hunting, with creatures that keep to themselves. The danger is the roaming loners. Madmen are very aggressive but easily distracted and slow. Mummies are rarer, slow, and spread disease. Sand giants stay mostly to the south but walk about halfway up.

Dervish camps draw hunters for experience and dervish rings, but several can spawn at once, at mixed levels, sometimes with a deadly thug. Worst is Dorn B’Dynn, a truly evil dark elf in the northernmost camp who is far stronger than he looks. Many try him, fail and flee; the guards will not touch him, and he roams until someone kills him.

Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Northern Desert of Ro · Project 1999 Wiki: North Ro

A marketplace in the sand

Higher-level characters from the Freeport side hunt somewhere in the desert and pass through here on the way home, so the zone works as a marketplace: if you need an item, start asking here. There is still plenty of hunting for groups of level 4 to 10 and soloists of 7 to 15, despite the camped dervish and undead sites. Named figures include Dunedigger, Rahotep and the Widow Mite.

Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Northern Desert of Ro · Allakhazam: North Ro (1.0) (zone)

Borders

The south has a wide open border with the Oasis of Marr: no pass, just dunes. The north borders East Freeport and its newbie area. In the northwest corner, behind a large stone spire, is the infamous Tunnel to the East Commonlands, long but usually safe, used by everyone who wants to bypass Freeport.

Later, the gnomes of Faydwer opened a dock here for the ship to Velious across the Iceclad Ocean. The desert itself is named for Solusek Ro, the Burning Prince.

Sources: EQ Atlas (eqatlas.ca): Northern Desert of Ro · Project 1999 Wiki: North Ro · Allakhazam: Iceclad Ocean (zone)