N00b Question

[Xcile]

hey I have done some reading already and I think I would like to take my first step into this trade skill.

I was wondering if anyone knew of a guild or had any suggestions to the best/cheapest potions to make when first starting out that will help raise the skill.

Also any other information (general tip bits or handy help) that could help would be greatly appreciated

[Tinile]

From the main eqtraders.com page, if you click the "learn a trade" page, you will see guides written up for starting skillers. There are also guides in the guide/ui forum below. HTH.

[iasmin]

I second Tinile's recommendation of looking at the Learn a Skill section on the main EQ Traders site, but with a caveat...

Every server is different. Some of the guides recommend making some potions and selling them back to vendors immediately, others recommend keeping or using the potions or even selling them off in the bazaar. Here's my recommendation:

• Do a little research on your server.
• Listen to the shouts in various zones, like the PoK or zones where people go for major experience on your server. Listen near the Wayfarer's camps or the entrances to LDoN adventures. See what potions people are selling or asking for there.
• Camp a toon in the bazaar for a couple of weeks and log on at odd times of the day. Watch the potions market to see what appears to sell and what doesn't appear to sell. Watch the level of the potions that get sold and who's selling them.
• Do some vendor diving, without buying anything. Go to the most popular alchemy vendors and check for potions that people have sold back. Check the bazaar vendors for frustrated trader sellbacks. Check the vendors nearest to those portals where people return from adventures that are currently popular, be they portals in the PoK or vendors nearest zone lines.

Whether looking at NPC vendors or player traders, think about these things:

• Does the trader always have those potions for sale at roughly the same number or does the number of them vary over time?
• When do people on your server start coming home from work in the various time zones?
• When do people go to bed in those time zones?
• Is there a major national, religious, or government holiday coming up that's celebrated by a lot of people on your server?

Heck, when you see a player selling potions, send them a tell and chat them up; find out their interest in the potion market. Commiserate with them. Tell them frankly you're a new alchemist. As long as you don't pester them constantly or interrupt them, you could meet a fellow shaman that will be your buddy for life in the game.

Admitedly this is imperfect and likely sounds a bit more complicated than it really is, but if you watch the game a bit and long enough, you'll see patterns that I like to think are "market indicators." Those indicators will likely give you a rough idea of who's skilling up and who's making potions seriously. And it will tell you again a rough idea of how much the potions selling for at various times of the day.

Comparing your research to what's in the guides on the traders site can only help you, not hinder you. Do what you love. Enjoy the game. When it stops being fun, stop playing.

Edit: for the typos you'd never know I was a writer by profession. *heavy sigh*

[GraemeFaelban]

Keep in mind that the heavy hand of SoE has hit many tradeskill created items with the nerf bat rather severely, and it may well be that no potions are worth selling back to vendors now. I have not checked, just talking from my pottery experience here.

[Xcile]

Thanx guys will check into it.

Is there much money to be made from potions??
I was going to do it just to give all my chars potions, hadn't really thought of making money.

Can you start out making SOW potions straight away? or do I need to do some skill ups first? (I am level 31 and going to put all my skill training points into it)

thanx again guys

[GraemeFaelban]

I made SoW potions from the get go for skillups, and sold them. Of course, back then, they still sold for 100PP+ for a 10 dose, so I could afford some failures.

[ceno65]

Theres no money to be made in alchemy. Its mainly just a big money/time sink. About the only thing remotly usefull is the invis to undead potions for self useage.

[Xcile]

Well on my way, made a ton of SOW potions with so many failours I hate to think how much cash in total I lost.

I am happy that I didn't get into it for the money cause I think I would have lost my shirt my now.

Still will be good when I can give my melee chars gate and sow and other such spells.

Thanx for all the help. I see what you mean about a money sink.

[PeatMoss]

On selling back to venders...

I make potions for several of my alts, including the illusion potions. What I've found is that a 10 dose Troll illusion potion sells to the vender for the same price, no matter how many charges are left.

This means that when you get down to 1 charges left on a 10 dose potion, you can sell it to a vender for a huge profit over the cost of making one dose.

I know, it doesn't help a lot, but whenever you have 1 dose left on a 10 dose potion, you could easily get some cash back...in some cases, such as illusion, a large amount (almost 300 pp).

You can expect this to be nerfed before too long, but for now it's there.

[Xcile]

Whoa nice tip

Will have to start to do this in future

[unoeye]

Bah! You can make money from potion sales. But not till the potions are beyond trivial to you. Certain potions will sell on your server and some will not. The market fluctuates so just keep an eye on it. You will not get rich doing it, but it can be a slow steady source of income.

Typically if you can sell a potion for twice its component cost (or at least 1.5 times its cost) you will have covered any failures and made a profit. Unfortunately cheaters often ruin the tradeskill markets. Be patient they will eventually tire of undercutting prices and runnin macros and the market will recover.

If you are working on leveling up your skills, I'd recommend selling your potions in the bazaar at close to cost. Its better than taking a loss selling them back to the vendor. Be sure to choose potions which will actually sell tho. As was suggested visit the bazaar and see what is for sale.