ToME WikiZekk: I've been wondering about people saying not to go in BD untill level 20 or so, I was wondering where you train untill then?
NeilStevens: That advice only applies when you turn on the Always Interesting Rooms option, in which case it's safer to train in the wilderness than in the dungeon. Ignore it otherwise.
Derakon: For what it's worth, the Barrowdowns are the easiest dungeons in the game, so if you aren't going to be going there, then your only other choice is to fight in the wilderness. Wilderness fighting is inherently scummable - you can hover along the edge of a wilderness zone, and if you run into trouble, simply step across the border to escape. Some people like to head for the mountains, where you can find dragons and various other monsters. Shallow water zones are home to slightly less "deep" monsters too - you can find three-headed hydrae and Lizard Kings just south of Bree, for example. Of course, killing any of these monsters at level 1 is tricky unless you're using one of a few special classes (e.g. Alchemists start with a potion of Detonations, which is good for a dozen levels if you find the right target).