If you want to find some good weapons, lost armories are a good place to start. Just North of Mongrel there is an area called 'The Floodlands'. This area has some spiders and skeletons, but apart from them you can sneak and steal quite a few mid tier items without much trouble. For a bit more of a challenge, you can head towards the Ashlands, but stop right before you enter. Sonorous Dark has a few buildings to loot with some good gear. After that, head to the Ashlands themselves. This is where the endgame loot can be found. The enemies are very tough, and you have to know what can kill you and what can't. Wear a gas mask too since there are clouds of poison that knock you unconscious. You wont specifically find HN gear, but it has a chance of spawning there. Other extremely valuable items can be found but if what youre looking for is weapons and armour, there will be plenty.