so basically there are 3 sections of the map, the center towns where you have the orc/rebel conflict where you start off. The northern areas with the clans, and the southern desert. Since im approaching 45% with the rebels i need to see if i can go ahead and fully join the rebel side and clear all the center towns of orcs, or will that mess up missions in the north or south regions too much.

I can always take a break now and start doing the clans and desert missions for extra experience before i fully dedicate myself to one side or the other if ill miss many missions there, or are the missions in those 2 areas not connected to the rebel/orc causes.

The Rebel-Orc conflict is specific to Myrtana and somewhat linked to Varant, depending on how bad of a reputation you have with the Orcs when you move around the excavation sites (or your gear if you play a modded game).

In Nordmar all Orcs are hostile, regardless of your reputation with them and in Varant, the conflict is between the Hashishin and the Nomads/Water Mages. If this is your first time playing the game, go Nordmar first, you will know why when you get there.

I never go there first - the beasts are too strong.

no stronger than any other area. There are wolves, orcs, ogres, ripper beasts, sabertooths.. isn't any harder than the rebel/orc areas. Plus there are tons of hunting game, im racking up like 500 meat just from the zillions of beasts roaming about. The only thing too strong in the game is the visual glitches, bugs, and just annoying stuff like bad hit-box snappers, foes walking through walls and rocks, and shooting my bow at something point blank and just watching as the arrow goes through them and does nothing. lol. Creatures in the north? laughable when compared to a bad hit-box snapper that you can only hit if you shoot at its feet. THOSE are the most dangerous enemies in the game.

Snow wolves are stronger then other wolves and the sheer numbers with so many attacking in packs even if trying to lure individually makes it very tough compared to the temperate areas.

well the only thing i found with joining rebel or orc sides is that if you want a little extra arena fighting, you need to go to the desert town to compete in their arena matches to win, THEN go to finish up with the orcs. If you pick the rebel side before that, you'll miss that little extra. Not a huge deal.

Yep looks like the north is tougher, not only foes a little, but the terrain is brutal when trying to get around. The desert is much easier, should be the 2nd place you visit, then the north last. Desert is flat, easy to see, basic foes, much easier than trying to get around the numerous hills, mountains, valleys, and everything else in the north area.

So what i did was do the town quests with orcs/rebels, when approaching 48ish with the rebels went down and finished up the arena fighting just for the extra few fights, then started wiping out the orcs in the various towns. Then went desert, and finally north areas. Really, also just wiped out the referbished rebel towns of rebels for extra experience, who really cared after that point about the rebels, they only stocked the towns with useless generic merchants/alchemsts, etc anyway. Couldn't even find anyone to restock my arrows, pretty useless after freeing the towns since the orcs and mercs merchants were the ones i was buying arrows from.

So did orcs/rebels, finished arena quests, wiped out the orcs, wiped out the referbished rebel towns and surrounding camps. Did the desert quests then went north finally.