The weird thing is we are trying to convince a guy who is moving to Hawaii and has a few dollars he can spend to spend a measly $20 to get 3 expansions worth of a game he has been playing for years! If he plays or not, ever again, it is 20 damn dollars. Just spend it and enjoy some new shit.
The only progression you need in SoD is for the Journeyman level 5 merc. And we could do that complete line of tasks in a couple hours. You need nothing in UF, unless you start raiding there in the upper tiers. HoT is where you will have the most fun and get the most exp with the best gear.