Looking at my notes/logs, I haven't played since 2013. I find I'm vaguely remembering the rough layout of things, but I am having to re-learn a lot of specifics like how many steps from market square to large crossroads. I see there's some new species to play with. Any suggestions on things/areas I should check out in particular?

Also, with the player count seeming lower, is it harder to rank up now? Have their been changes to mitigate this?