First, you'll need a desert scorpion set. You can get it from condors, scorpions, sandmen or golem (depending on your class) or buy it from the AH for way less than 100z (or less than 50) each piece.
After that, the grind comes. Join a party that wants to grind at condors (now harder because of Freyja) to get master points. With these points, you can return to Gilgamesh to trade them for levels or to the cat next to him to trade them for materials. You can use these materials (can also be farmed from monsters, but not really worth it IMO except for scorpion shell and fragments) together with your desert scorpion set to get a menace set, which must be crafted by a blacksmith or artisan that has the corresponding recipes (you'll find a few in Morroc, channel 1, near the auction house). Mind you, the menace set isn't really necessary, but it gives a boost.
As for grinding, parties usually have three roles: puller (usually a tank class) that runs around the map making mobs follow him, healers to keep the puller and sometimes the other members alive and then the rest of the party just dishing out AoE attacks to kill whatever the puller brings.
Once you are ML 6 or 7, you move from condors to mukas to repeat the process. Once you get to ML 11, discard your desert storm/joser set (same process with different mobs). At that point, you join Osiris parties (these ones at a dungeon in Morroc) to keep grinding for points, also collecting materials that you'll need to craft an osiris set (this time there won't be a "base" like desert scorpion or desert storm, the gear is directly crafted from mats), although some of those mats are farmed at Dayr Desert temples IIRC. At ML 20 you'll be able to wear the Osiris set.
At some point that I don't really now, you switch your grinding grounds to Dark Whisper (DW). I don't know where you get mats for the next set (although I guess the base ones, "Himmelmez's shabby <whatever>", are obtained in DW), but at any rate it's crafted in the same way as the osiris set, it's called Himmelmez's set and you can wear it at ML 30.
After that you can switch to Cazar if you have the money and/or extreme luck.
Oh, also at ML 11 and 21 (I think) Gilgamesh will give you rank up quests which you must pass if you want to equip the next gear.
A summary of craftable gear
Menace:
-Deser Scorpion gear
-Pillanium Powder for Crafting (gathered by artisand and blacksmiths in Dayr Desert)
-Desert Scorpion Shell (dropped by monsters from the first groups of Dayr Desert monsters)
-Lots of different mats dropped by monsters (smelly bandage is the only one you'll never need) or bought from the cat [these mats are Abyssal Bubble, Serene Forest Energy, Crystal Stalactite, Tears of Loser and Wildbeast Essence]
Joser:
-Desert Storm gear
-Pillanium Fragment for Crafting (gathered by artisans and blacksmiths in Dayr Desert)
-Red Fang Fragment (dropped by monsters from the first groups of Dayr Desert monsters)
-Sandmane Fragment (dropped by monsters from the first groups of Dayr Desert monsters)
-Lots of different mats dropped by monsters (smelly bandage is the only one you'll never need) or bought from the cat [these mats are Synthetic Ymir's Heart, Foreign Mold, Virgin's Hair, Old Spirit Orb and Foreign Metal Fragment]
Ashkaron (you don't need this one as it requires a higher level than Osiris and it isn't better)
-Old Ashkaron gear (NPC)
-Basilisk gear
-Pillanium something that I don't remember. Low or mid grade probably
-Lots of different mats dropped by monsters (smelly bandage is the only one you'll never need) or bought from the cat
Osiris
-Pharaoh <something> (the "something" depends on the piece of gear, dropped by bosses at osiris dungeon, I think))
-Eternal flame (dropped by mobs)
-High Grade Pillanium (gathered by artisans and blacksmiths in Dayr Desert)
-Source of pure <element> (dropped by mobs in Dayr Desert temples, I think)
-Tri-element essence ((dropped by mobs in Dayr Desert temples, I think)
Himmelmez
-Himmelmez's Shabby <something> (same as with "pharaoh" stuff but in DW)
-Sand of life (dropped by mobs)
-Prime Grade Pillanium (synthesized from High Grade Pillanium by alchemists)
-Himmelmez's Repaired Trophy (synthesized from High Grade Pillanium by alchemists)
-Abyssal Crystal (dunno where you get it)
Edited by Nereida, 23 October 2014 - 06:06 AM.