this sounds like an incredibly good time! ive thought about starting a lvl 1 character and doing something similar. hunting in zones im most unfamiliar with and not focus on the exp bar but the exp itself.

with that said some classic zones that i'd make sure to hit would be...
-kerra isle
-west karana (especially bandit camps)
-gorge of king xorbb
-runnyeye
-ocean of tears (not doing cyclops island. lower lvl stuff like gargs, sisters, goblins, ect)
-oasis of marr (not really off the beaten path, but not as popular as it used to be. nostalgic)
-rathe mountains
-najena
-stonebrunt mountains (this is technically velious era, but its on odus. I think the vibe of this zone is incredible. its probably the most underrated zone in EQ imho. adventuring to the kerra village on the top of the mountain is a real rpg treat)
-lake rathetear!! (aviak towers are great. riding the canoe to different islands)
-solA and solB (i know a lot of ppl venture these zones, but i actively avoid them. so id like to experience them and learn them like i know guk)
-KEDGE KEEP!(i admire those who know this zone. i want to know it. i've tried to love it like 20+ times...my adventures always end badly lol. i'd also love to learn it like i know guk which is to say like the back of my hand)
-timorious deep (ok ok i know this is kunark era...but i had to throw it in there. i always forget about this zone. ive never ever hunted in it....but i hear it can be good? raptor island? + ive seen those ogre camps. the place looks interesting and i never hear of many ppl hunting here for exps)


also what cecily suggested with running around zones and hitting track and looking for blue mobs sounds fun! you can even look for named mobs and maybe collect some lewt to sell in ec.

12-50s
 

Not off the beaten path really but in case someone wants to level fast.

12-40 Unrest. Solo or get in good groups and there's no better place really at this level (unless you're fully decked out with fungi/etc. then some solo spots are better). Harmony is king for pulling. A druid or ranger in fireplace or basement makes all the difference. You're able to single out Bar and Hand areas giving you three camps to pull instead of one. The more you're there, the more people you will recognize and who will get you into a group.

40-47 Fironia vie (drolvarg growlers will green out at 46, at 47 there's still blue snarlers but it's better to move). Every 4x canine fangs = really good experience as a bonus. You're also right next to the city in case you want to vendor, bank, buy arrows, bandages, turn in canines, etc.

47-50s Dreadlands outside KC wall. Start with the lowest level blues, drolvarg snarlers, gnashers, stonegazer cocatrices, mountain giant craigs. Once you have a feel of the level ranges, track by distance and sort grab the closest "easy" one. Until you are comfortable, you can track by consider and go down to the lowest blues. Still close to FV.

If you get a lupine dagger, you can proc at 45 or wait until 49 to get the spell. If you haven't killed any spiders, they are not kos in wolf form in FV/DL. This makes pulling a lot safer.

Get a tolan's bracer (about 8k) asap. At 45, you can start summoning stacks of arrows. Get a fleeting quiver (1.5k, 20% bow haste). Fill it up before you start. If you get in trouble, you can kite the mob around and bow it down.

This is what I'm doing on my ranger (now 47).

^ Tolan’s bracer, fleeting quiver, good bow, haste, 2h
With animal lull and invis might be a fun way to hunt in kedge keep. Hmm

Leveling ranger was super fun, I just wish I could have gotten sky cloak before 55, If I would choose a class to de-level and so again it'd def be ranger, first time around I just had mid-level EC gear but managed to solo to 60 (55 before sky cloak or full epic) without too much trouble.

How does full epic vs Woodsman compare at 60 dps wise?

These days 2h is quite good. Wasn’t bad with 34/36% haste even before, I had a woodsman to level 58 in like 2019.

Swarmcaller proc to Woodsman is less than Earthcaller swap to something else. Not sure by how much but probably 20% or so. Less bad if you root and joust until you get a slow proc.

Any tips on soloing at 53? I was doing the dogs outside KC. But its gotten boring. Tried velks and got my ass handed to me. FWIW, got a tolan's bracer, fungi, seahorse belt, argent protector but no epics.

53 is a prime HHK level. Go root out some corrupt aristocracy from Norrath.

Nobles in HHK until 55

If you can find one and usually they are avail during exp holidays a Hole group loves a good low to mid 50s ranger.