[Prons]

It's interesting this thread happens right as I enter Quifm Island for the third time in my FFXI carrer. Anyway, I can't see why you'd want to go to the island at level 18, wait to 19. I know staying at the dunes just for one level sucks, but that's life. If you're a White Mage, Red Mage, or a Scholar at level 20 you can use the sneak spell to get past the tunnel of death, and then learn to love sneak and invisible because they will be your two lovers for the rest of the game.

Do worms at the gate of the tunnel, sometimes there will be a whole ton of parties camping there, so you probably could try and run around the circular lake, I got two or three levels that way. Then of course go to the entrance of the big tower, and fight crabs and giants infront of there. As stated above, if you get in trouble you can just charge back into the tower (Which will start a cutscene if you've never been there before, XD)

Conquer

[naraya]

I just had a party that got me from 21-24 in 2.5 hours. Up till I got to 23 we were pulling clippers and giants near the Qufim, after that we went to Lower Delfkutt. I actually preferred the giants over the clippers as they went down much faster (at the start a pull went wrong and we ended up fighting an IT clipper and an IT giant, both got us 200 xp. I basically off-tanked the giant while the others focussed on the clipper and they died at the exact same moment). However, we did have a party with a lot of healers (2xwhm, rdm, pld).