The way maps are designed, the story itself, the amounts of enemies there dont really require different sections to be so rigidly inaccessible as they are now - just based on levels.
Try actually thinking outside the box and not running like a dumbass into combat. Use stealth, self-teleports, teleport pyramid, Charisma, etc. to avoid combat and get to non-combat quests. Not to mention using Charm to even the playing field if you do get in combat. DOS is not rigidly inaccessible. In my first run I did things out of order so I could get XP to fight the harder encounters in earlier areas.
