But, for example, that bank quest west of Galadon has an atrocious risk/reward ratio, it's great that it sends you to places that far out of the way but some of them like Hillcrest I can't see a player touching their entire first year of play let alone needing to go there to PK pre-40. Even for someone who knows where to go and what to get with a pile of garbage in their inventory to refresh with at every stop it takes about an hour to complete. Most people in that timeframe will/should end up with a group instead interrupting that quest.

I think this could be better achieved while making a more self-reliant player by having Simon give a laundry list of people to visit for more quests both old and new after the academy quest with it's max level of 5. The cabal locations quest needs to be reworked, the complexity and tedium of the bank quest needs to be toned down, possibly by lopping Prosimy and Hillcrest off that list. Quests that send people INTO the high tower of sorcery pre-11 would be good too, preferably to buy stuff from the shoppies on the first floor. It would also swing them by the drunken transmuter whereupon they would get the quest to join the tower, after which you can get the obs. exp available there from wandering around and being directed to chat with a few of the named mobs for 50 plain xp each that would elaborate on the info on the banners and sigils in the Academy on each mage class.

Honestly if you can direct a player to find an avg 18 +1 hit +1 dam sword and a couple damage rings, or the elegant silver rapier, that would be plenty for PK at level 15 even if you were still going to get your ass kicked. Get a quest in there that explains flight lets you cross water, avoid trip and legsweep, and a quest that succinctly explains enlarge and size/bash mechanics, as well as holy water in Galadon and that's really all anyone starting out needs to compete at 15 even against people with better gear considering they can gang. Even just mentioning enlarge lets humans wield two handed weapons in one hand and that it makes you generally more resistant to bash is more than sufficient.