Well, my new characters are ready for Marleybone.
I hate Marleybone.
What is the quickest way to get through this?
That's a big question.
Let me re-phrase.
What can you skip? What is the key to getting to Mooshoo?
I'm gathering, for instance, that you can skip Kennsington.
Thoughts?
If you just focus on the storyline in each section and skip the side quests, you'll be surprised how quick you can get through Marleybone.
In Hyde Park, for example, the main storyline is The Search for Baxter. The quests for this are given by Mrs. Conrail. She may have you talk to other NPCs as part of the storyline, who might give you side quests of their own. But just try to follow the main line (primarily safehouses and lockpicks). Don't go questing after Emily Chesterfield's packages or umbrella or Mr. Rowley's rings.
In Chelsea, you are still after Baxter and the main storyline involves getting access to the central Clocktower.
You can't skip the Ironworks. It is part of the main line.
In Newgate Prison, you are chasing after Meowiarty following his escape. Even if you do the side quests here, there aren't many. I think it's the shortest of the non-instanced Marleybone sections.
The Knight's Court storyline has you tracking down Jacques the Scratcher. There are a
ton of side quests here that you can skip. You'll need to talk to the ladies as part of the main investigation, but you really don't need to deal with all their clothing problems, or help David Beeman get his tea.
Katz Lab, the Counterweights, and Big Ben cannot be skipped.
Definitely skip Kensington. It is a completely separate instance, just like Sunken City and Tomb of the Beguiler.
Also, I believe you can skip the quests
initiated by anyone in the Regent's Street area (including Marcel the Mime Cat and the Frog on Scotland Yard Roof). Abigail, in particular, is a pain, who will be more than happy to give you a thousand different side quests -- mostly involving the Policemen's Ball and/or Street Sweepers. Once again, you may need to talk to some of these NPCs as part of the main storyline, but you don't need to complete their side quests in order to proceed.
One problem with fast-forwarding MB is that you will be missing a whole lot of XP -- and that translates into levels and additional spells. If you do most of the side quests, however, you will easily be Level 33 or 34 by the time you get to MooShu.
You will also miss out on some item rewards that can help you a lot in MooShu. The aforementioned David Beeman, for example, gives you a very nice deck as a reward for retrieving his fiddle from Sweepers. (Abigail, of course, starts that quest chain, but you need to do her earlier Policemen's Ball quests to get to that one.)
Overall, I would recommend
against moving too fast through MB. It is a marathon, not a sprint. But then, I don't mind the place as much as some seem to. I have a lot more issues with MooShu -- but that is the subject for another day.
