From nub to hero!
I started my blade back in 06 and now I have two blades. 1v1 blades can make you a lot of money from farming boxes and events. First get vigor rings/ demol rings at +9 or higher or a champ set if you are funded. At the early levels you can use nub gear with decent awakes on it. Nub helm with str, dex, or sta is fine. Anything over 15+ awakes is good. For your suit you don't need ICD (adoch) early on. You should get the same awakes as your helm. For your gloves ATK speed is good. You won't have max ATK speed so try getting some nice awakes on it. For your boots you can get whatever. ICD/Speed is fine. Also get a nub sword/shield with decent awakes as well. Try getting atk speed and enough dex so you won't miss a lot when you hit. Dex is good early on because you probably don't have a +8 set, which gives hit%. The Dragon Cloak (320 ATK) is pretty good early on or anything that you like with speed.
For levels 1-60 you can basically use this set to level and go full STR. You won't miss much if you have enough dex and maxed buffs. If you have a ringmaster then use it to your advantage for buffs. If not then use the buff pang.
At level 60 you can use the Recorn/Rescorn set. It gives atk speed/hp which is good. Don't spend too much money on it. +3 set is good enough and add two Detra swords in as well. Fastest way to level is to kill things in your range and use your vagrant to leech with a RM outside of the party. Or you can always get plvled but that's if you have good friends. Make sure to farm events and make money off of it to buy better stuff once you get higher level. Best place to train now is in Azria. Start at the Yetti's and move your way up to 75.
You can use the level 60 set all the way up to level 90/105. If you want you can use the new v18 weapons since they are cheap to buy. Use the one with more CRIT.
At level 90 or 105 you can choose to invest money in a +8/+10 set. It can either be 16 or 28% atk depending on how much money you have. The 90 set is good for crits early on because it gives 15% extra. The 105 set is good for hp/blocks but it doesn't give crit. It's more of a 1v1 PVP set. Or you can get the 120 Bloody set, which gives hp/crit/str, but no blocks. You should go for the bloody set if you are pure PVM damage dealer. So you can take your pick for which set you want to use. Bloody set beats both 105/90 set but the 105 set is for tanking/pvp. Level 125 set sucks imo and 130 set is alright but can't be pierced yet.
Now get some decent LGA's and or the new V18 Weap to combo with it for Atk speed if you want. But two LGA's are fine. They are pretty cheap nowadays even the ultimate ones. At this rate you should be able to whack 50k+ using red scroll no problem. If you have decent LGA's and a nice set. You should be able to level quickly and hit master.
At 75 Master you can use Lusakas Crystal Axe. Pierce them and put fire cards in them so then they'll be better than the LGA. You'll have a high damage output now. From here on it's pretty self-explanatory. Go train your butt off. Make sure you have 75% crit or better and 100% atk speed while training. That should be enough to ensure you that you'll level in ease.
Awakes at this point
Helm-
Str/Sta/Dex
Suit-
Adoch/str
Glove-
Crit
Boots-
Adoch
Level 60-110 Train in Azria
Level 110-121 Train in Traseia
Level 121-130 Train in Traseia
130Aoe+ Grasslands/desert and back to Traseia when you're 146
Go full STR and 1v1!
You should be able to level fast like this and it takes hard work! Most people can afford good gear if they farm events and save their money.
You don't need the best gear to level just decent! Blade gear is quite expensive, but the prices have dropped greatly. This isn't the perfect guide but it's a good idea.
Guide may vary due to funding.