Final Observations on Baking to 240

[ruodrra]

As the proud owner of a new baking trophy, I thought I'd summarize my experience and strategy:

It helps immensely to be a forager (or know one), get wis/int maxxed and have a geerlok baking device (BTW, don't make my mistake and and think geerlok adds 5 points to skill -- it is 5 percent! duh -- big difference).

From 202 to 226, I was tearing my hair out since I don't have GOD and access to the components that give the smaller step trivial increases. Tried halas pies but that was maddening...then tried Misty Thicket Picnic Baskets and that was maddening...(see earlier post on primal scream board) but between the two, I have come to be part of the camp that believes MTPB are the better route post 202 (I failed much less on the subcombines, fewer non vendor ingredients, almost all of the ingredients have a 1:10 combine ratio, and while more ingredients, you actually need to click fewer times). You just need lots of space for a run of 100 combines.

But, from 226, I happened to see a bunch of saltwater tuna in the bazaar very cheap and picked it up and did the various GOD recipes (buttered, lemon buttered, bbq'd) to 240 -- being a forager, I had saved several bags of vegetables thank goodness. With geerlok at 240, your skill is maxxed at 252 so there is no reason other than pride to push to 250 to attempt trophy. Now, I don't have GOD but simply did an /ooc and found someone to buy me the GOD specific ingredients (garlic, lemon, ground pepper) which are very cheap at 2g/stack.

If i didn't have the vegetables, the GOD recipes really wouldn't have been an option since they sell in the bazaar for about 8-10p each because of the demand. So, if you don't have access to 600-800 stacks of veggies, then you are back to MTPB (or some combination of depending on ingredients at hand).

Observations? I think I averaged a little less than 1 skill up per 20 combines at best so 202 -240 is a LOT of combines. The consensus is that you have a better chance of skillups on successes than failures which is why people recommend recipes closer to your skill level as opposed to doing MTPB which have the highest trivial and why I switched to the GOD recipes -- However, I personally didn't percieve any difference in skillups trying to stay closer to the trivial. In hindsight, I think i'd have been better selling off the vegetables and doing MTPB (although the different recipes at least varied the mind-numbing routine). The MTPB at least sell in the bazaar better than the GOD results I think.

Thanks for all the information and support on these boards -- it IS worth it in the end after all

[loramil]

After all the nightmare stores i hear about 400+ runs of combines w/only 1 or perhaps no skillups, i think i'm gonna stay with the GOD recipies.

Maybe the RNG was too generous (NO...NOT giving back the skillups) with me last night. But for somwhere between 300 & 350 final combines (don't know how many since I didnt do all I COULD have at the time...), I went from 200 - 219 on beer braised recipies.

I Still have another 300+ beer braised meat (Tuna & Crab) so well see where i end up after that run.

One thing that made this LESS tedious in my case, was that since I 2-box, I could have one toon making my Beer Braising Sauce and the other one could be fishing. (I'm glad that 2 different catches have Beer Braising recipies). At least that way, i'm not just clicking 'Fishing' and reading a book or something while waiting for the button to re-pop.

The new UI is a godsend in this case. Just keep clicking combine & auto inventory on the one toon and Fish (and drop in the Auto Inventory) on the other. When i had enough Beer braising sauce, I trotted over to where my other toon was fishing, transferred the catch and started breaking down the meat and then braising them (all the while fishing with the other toon). Thankfully, this only requires a mixing bowl.

Side Note: With some of these combines, I started doing them on the run. I realized there was no reason i couldn't do mixing bowl combines in the new UI while i'm running across norrath.

-Lormail

[Duncan]

Doing several things at once

Believe it or not, you can do TS combines while Swimming! I used to load up on components, jump into the icy waters between Halas and EP, and wedge myself in a corner. I have made tailored armor this way, lacquered gems this way, and battered meat for baking. Needless to say my swiming is almost maxed...

[The Judge, Alchem]

Shadow Haven and the docks in Abysmal have got all my toons max swimming We use to lodge ourselves in the nook where you port in down in the water. Angle your "look" up and numlock. Would spam Tracking and do combines.

[Tenasi]

You can also TS while fishing. I find it's handy to do all my sub combines while fishing at the same time. Making beer-braising sauce or whatever at the same time that I'm pulling in more fish and begging a local NPC or pet.

[Qaladar Bragollach]

So, if you don't have access to 600-800 stacks of veggies, then you are back to MTPB (or some combination of depending on ingredients at hand).

600 stacks??? You must have an int of like 1!

[Tweedledea]

Anyone tried selling the GoD baking components in the bazaar? I assume the items bought in Abysmal Sea are harder to get than the meats, fish, etc.

[ruodrra]

Qaladar -- actually it's wis and was maxxed. The 600-800 stacks of veggies estimate I referenced was based on my experience of less than 1 skillup per 20 combines and going from 202 to 250 (some people do like to go all the way) since it's after that that the gates recipes become real alternatives to the old standards of halas pies and mtpb. Sorry if I didn't make that clearer (and yes, I know there are alternatives to not using veggies into low 200s).

If you are luckier with the RNG than I am (and almost everyone is it seems, less may work for you -- I went through almost 300 veggies just going from 226 to 240. Either way, it's still a lot of veggies, especially if someone can't forage and looking at prices of 8-10p each in the bazaar. My basic point is still...if you don't have the cash or can't forage to do the gates recipes, MTPB are my recommendation.

Tweedleda -- I put the extra stacks of tuna and ground pepper in the bazaar. Tuna I think I priced at 2p per (ie, 13 lb tuna 26p) and the ground pepper at cost (5g as I recall). It took a while to sell, but someone finally came along who, I am guessing like me, didn't have gates, and bought them all.

If you are thinking about trying to turn a profit by reselling gates baking components like lemon and pepper, I don't think I would recommend it based on how long they took to sell. Either there are enough people that have gates, or have friends who can pick it up. Of course, your server may be different.

[Qaladar Bragollach]

Qaladar -- actually it's wis and was maxxed. The 600-800 stacks of veggies estimate I referenced was based on my experience of less than 1 skillup per 20 combines and going from 202 to 250 (some people do like to go all the way) since it's after that that the gates recipes become real alternatives to the old standards of halas pies and mtpb. Sorry if I didn't make that clearer (and yes, I know there are alternatives to not using veggies into low 200s).

600 stacks is 12,000 vegetables... if you skilled up at 1 per 20 you'd have skilled up 600 times by now.

I'm sure you meant 600-800 vegetables... not 600-800 stacks and I was having a go at you but I guess you missed it...

[Spirish]

Only thing I have sold in the bazaar were the fish and meats and they took a long time to sell. I have sold the outcomes pretty steady though. Getting 8pp per souffle and 5pp for the steaks all beer-battered recipes. I did the steaks in the 220's because they don't require veggies. My druid is a forager and I did amass a few stacks but mostly my guildies helped me out with some of those. My baking is currently 233 waiting on getting some more veggies saved up so I can do another run of souffles.

I am seriously considering the MTP's though it takes less foraged compenents and yields more on the subcombines.

[ruodrra]

yes -- I did miss it. Chalk it up to the fact that with my luck with the RNG it could actually BE 600 stacks

[The Judge, Alchem]

My final observation: Pretty good if you take GoD to 227. I used the Butter recipes because of the no need for specified eggs. Snake Eggs are hard to come by unless you get them yourself and even then they are scarce. I like using whatever I can get my hands on, so Basilik Eggs for the Egg Batter was great. Only vegetables are the only ingredient required outside of Abysmal for these sets of progression.


I averaged 2-3 every 20-30 combines. I changed it up every time so that's why I put those numbers. You might laugh but I stil use the method of "if you don't get 1 skill-up in 20 combines, close the container, give the RNG 2-4 mins to refresh and then try again. I still to this day almost get a skill-up everytime after opwning it back up.

[Spirish]

what recipe requires snake eggs only?

[The Judge, Alchem]

Not Snake Eggs only, but it includes 2 of them per combine for the Beer-Battered combines of GoD recipes. I didn't like the Barbeque recipes either because of the use of 2 vegetables per combine. Butter recipes reduces it to just one vegetable per combine and everything else can be had right in Abysmal. Required fishing of course.

[The Judge, Alchem]

opwning it back up.

Hehe, I made myself laugh. If only I could pwn it!