Tell me it gets better

[mjn6172]

Lie to me, I don't care; just tell me that it's going to get better.

I've recently started playing my old (created before Kunark) Enchanter again. Even though he's fairly low leveled I wanted to take up a trade skill with him. I eventually decided on baking since it didn't seem too difficult, and also my Enchanter's a picky eater, he wants only the finest meals.

Slowly, over several weeks, I built his skills up. He eventually hit 191 and I was stuck on where to go from there. I looked at all the available recipes. Jaggedpine meats are hideously expensive on my server (20pp or so for anaconda/griffin meat). Plant Shoots go for 10-15pp each. Mushrooms are also around there. That eliminates some of the easier recipes at this level, pretty much leaving me with Halas Meat Pies or Misty Thicket Picnics.

Halas Meat Pies are horrific. I started gibbering in terror just looking at the prep work required for a run of those. Also, I just couldn't bring myself to eat one. I'm a High Elf; we have certain . . . expectations about the food we eat. I decided to make Misty Thicket Picnics instead. They looked like they would be pleasant.

I'm not upset about my low success rate. I figured that it would be pretty bad since they're not even trivial at 250 skill. What I AM upset about is my skill increases. I've attempted 250 Picnics with 207 INT (including KEI). You know what my skill is now? Do you?!? 194! Unbelievable!

Just tell me it's going to get better. I don't know if my poor wrists can handle the number of clicks it would take to be a Grand Master if it keeps going at this rate. Lie to me, I don't care; just tell me it eases up later on.

Jarat Yun'Harla
43rd Level Vah Shir Rogue

Cayan
17th Level High Elf Enchanter
Rodcet Nife

[Iannyen]

Welcome to Halas Hell....

1. Get your INT up. You need abour 245-255 AFTER KEI. You will see more increases then.
2. The good news is that Halas pies will eventually sell for a deacent proffit to players after a skill run. I sell mine for 5pp each, and sell about 300-500 a week, depending on how many I can keep in stock. Considering I have less than 1p in each pie, thats a hefty proffit. For me, at least.
(Aside: I challenge you to find any other skill that has sellable skillup product...)
3. Don't do tradeskills if you don't love it. They aren't for everybody. Aren't supposed to be. And there's zero shame in that.
4. Welcome to the club.

[kiztent]

I've done 300 MTP combines with 1-2 skillups in the process. It does not get better. That was probably a lucky run in fact.

[mjn6172]

I do love tradeskills, that's why I'm so dedicated to getting GM in at least one of them (eventually more, but it's going to be a loooooooong time before I hit AA levels :) ). You're right, I really feel for those other tradeskills where no one really wants what they can skill up on, they only want the top end items. I am making at least some profit from my picnics, hopefully I'll be able to afford some more INT gear soon to make skilling up easier. I also read on some of the other sections of this board that 190-210 is a really nasty area for skill increases, but it does get better after that, so I'm feeling a little calmer now. I just needed to vent after all that time last night :)

[Hobbun]

Welcome to the higher end of tradeskills.

I am in the same boat as you are. Doing MTP's as well. I have a 204 baking with a 250 wis(including KEI) and am only averaging about 1 skill up every 80 combines. (I had a real lucky run and got 3 skill ups in 80 combines yesterday. Yay!)

I heard rumors it gets better after 210. But won't confirm that until I get there myself.

Hobbun
Druid of Karana
30th Season

[Grozza]

It does get better. I did all my MTPs in batches of 100 attempts. From 191 to 205, yes I got 0-2 skillups per batch. But at 205, I had two consecutive batches that got 5 skillups each. From then on, I got 2-3 skillups per batch from 215 to 240.

[Verdandi]

*sets a tray with mugs of Ol' Tujim's Fierce Brew in front of Cayan*

Drink up hon. You'll need em if you plan to continue. ;)

[Hobbun]

Grozza: what was your int/wis when skilling up?

Hobbun

[Serenya]

Create a level one ranger. Get him/her to 5 or so, then go up to Paludal Caverns. Forage whilst fighting. One good night of fighting as my level 13 ranger netted my 2.5 stacks of shrooms, which I sold for 500 plat (not previously knowing what they were for, so I was flabbergasted when that much cash popped in the window). Spending time in Paludal, Shadowhaven, and Katta, mushrooms have never been a problem. Brown Algae, now THAT's a problem ;p

[TinyDru]

I consider my primary tradeskill to be tailoring - why, oh why then is it that my baking is at 250, my brewing is getting pretty ****ed close, and my other tradeskills are hovering near the 200 make in many cases - yet my tailoring is at 188. . . If you need a shot to make you feel better about your baking skill ups, try tailoring for a bit. . .

Happy ovens... :)

-Tiny

[Traska]

I've done 600 MTP combines so far.

I've gone from 226 to 240 in those 600 combines.

My success rates were 38% for the first batch of 200, 41% for the second, and 49.5% for the third.

This with a WIS of 216 with KEI, and using a geerlok =)

[obesus]

Meez dinks yooz need ogre drinkin friend! Ogres be faat and purdy! Yooz get Brell Keg and meetz meez in Ferrott! We hab gud time!

[Clementine]

I wish I can say it gets easier but as others have posted above it's part of being a tradeskiller :? all I can tell you is you'd get used to it lol. But try to have fun with whatever tradeskill you're doing, that is what it's mostly about after all :) Goodluck

[Cigarskunk]

Plant Shoots go for 10-15pp

PL up a WE ranger or druid using the Shadow Haven note quests real quick, forage or buy the items you need for a foraging machete and then just camp in out in JP and forage till you're heart's content.

[Lilosh]

PL up a WE ranger or druid using the Shadow Haven note quests real quick, forage or buy the items you need for a foraging machete and then just camp in out in JP and forage till you're heart's content.


You spelled halfling wrong, Cigarskunk.



-Lilosh

[Cigarskunk]

PL up a WE ranger or druid using the Shadow Haven note quests real quick, forage or buy the items you need for a foraging machete and then just camp in out in JP and forage till you're heart's content.



You spelled halfling wrong, Cigarskunk.

No, I didn't even type "Misty Thicket rat" or "the other white meat" anywhere in my reply. ;)

[Engal Soulbender]

I did over 700 combines on mino hero's brew at a 192 skill in brewing and not one skill up.....

I did 600 combines of wyvern mask's and 300 combines of ceremonial soltice robes in tailoring and not one skill up....

see a pattern here?

I did over 400 combines of halas pies at 188 skill in baking and not one skill up...

each time I had 265+ wis, 130+ int, all other stats just under 200 (gotta love shamans)...me being a wis based char those are the stats I need.

I'm stuck...I'm tired of the endless farming...I'm tired of begging for buffs...I'm really really really tired of never gaining anything for the effort I put into it. Since I don't do much els other than tradeskills, I guess it's time to start looking for something els to do than everquest. I don't have endless peeps collecting things for me for tradeskills like many people I know. Just not worth it anymore in my eyes.

/sigh...I feel a bit better and I didn't even curse!