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I'm assuming this is the proper place to submit a guide to baking.
Too many of the guides I've read didn't elaborate enough, didn't go high enough, or seemed designed with foragers and farmers in mind. I'm an Enchanter and have neither the option, nor the inclination to go out and kill green things when I could be doing something better. I'll post this in two parts as It is quite long. With that, I present:
Tyr's Guide to Good Eats
by Master Tyrennius Antoneus
Druzzil (Xev) Server
For those of you who have been living in a cave eating various fungi your entire life and have consequently never seen a kitchen, baking is the process by which one combines seemingly inedible materials in order to create an edible and nutritious product. In other words, you take stuff you wouldn't give the dog, and through some magic envolving both oven and fire, create food. It should be noted that though edible, the end product will not necessarily be rational, logical, or palatable. I personally could never muster the stomach for Rat Ear Pie.
Now, before I begin (and believe me, I will reiterate this point numerous times later on), Let me make one thing very clear. I AM VERY LAZY. That's right, in the great battle of brains versus brawn, I consider myself a victor in that I have the brains to pay someone ELSE to do the brawn. What does this have to do with baking? Very simple. I don't plan on wasting time farming when there are plenty of easier ways to get what I want. That goes for alts too. Unless they are doing it while working on their own, i.e. during down time in groups, my alts don't go out and forage. They've got things to do and so do I. And what is the ultimate goal, you ask? A Grandmaster Baker's Spoon so I can summon a 100% Weight reduction, 10-slot, Giant-sized bag to carry all my baking supplies. Actually, I keep those in the bank and use the bag for Fine Steel Weapons, but the point is you need a high skill to get it and I'm gonna show you how.
A Matter of Terminology. I intend to use in this guide a number of terms. Some have been around since the game's inception, others I just happened to make up about five seconds ago. They are:
COMPONENT: Any material necessary to create a final product.
RETAIL: (adv) Any component bought from another Player has been bought retail. Always remember that other players make things for you to use, and then gouge you on the price in order to cover their own losses, often marking up the price as much as 70 or 80 percent the cost of components.
WHOLESALE: (adv) Any component bought from Non-Player Character Merchants has been bought wholesale. NPC Merchants will always have as much as you require of many items. Always remember that Faction and Charisma factor into your dealings with NPCs. Get that faction to Indifferent or higher, and have at least 100 Charisma. Anything less and my ogre friend WILL thump you in the skull.
FARM: (v) To hunt a specific creature in hopes of looting components. I really don't like farming, primarily because of the time and effort it requires. First you've got to find the creature. Then, you've got to beat someone else to it. Then, you've got to kill it. Then, IT'S got to drop the component. If it doesn't drop it, you've just wasted a lot of time. Seriously, folks, with few exceptions, farming is a waste of time as far as baking is concerned. Remember, if you get experience from the kill, it's NOT farming.
COMBINE: (v) To place components into a container for the purpose of crafting a new item.
TRIVIAL: (adj) When a given recipe becomes so easy, that it can no longer increase your skill, we refer to it as Trivial. Meaning that there is little or no point in making it any more as it is now beneath you. The major exceptions to this are subcombines and commissions.
SUBCOMBINE: (v) To combine materials in order to create components for a higher level combination. Subcombines are often trivial.
COMMISSION: (n) A player request for a specific item. Though somewhat less common for bakers, often a player lower in skill than you may ask you to combine his materials for him. If so, congratulations. Remember that the player requesting the commission should provide the materials, and that you should point out that you are NOT obligated to replace said materials should the combine fail. They might complain if you fail, so point it out ahead of time.
SPIT: (n) A 6-slot, giant-sized container used for baking. Spits are available almost anywhere and are excellent for baking on the go (as well as storing mammoth tusks). A Spit will hold ANYTHING, so don't think that because you're gonna be in the cities to bake that you don't nees one. I can't believe how many people I've heard complain that they don't have a Giant sized container when Spits, Large Sewing Kits, and Deluxe Toolboxes are so easy to come by.
MIXING BOWL: (n) That other container. Mixing bowls have a limited, but vital use in baking. Get one, keep it in the bank. Batters, dough, and almost anything with else with egg requires a mixing bowl at some point.
OVEN: (n) A public baking utility with 10 slots and Giant capacity. Used for higher end items that require more than the six slots available in a spit. Remember that only one person can use an oven at a time, so if there's someone already sitting in front of an oven, chances are he's not doing it to stay warm. Also remember that any time you can use a Spit for a combine, you can also use an Oven.
Now, I recommend putting at least 1 training point into baking. When you're a newbie and seemingly have an over abundance of training points, it might be a good idea to get your tradeskills at least to 1 because you may end up coming back to them later. If you're like me and thought "Screw baking, I'm in it for the riches, Man!" and blew a goodly amount of money on jewelcrafting, well I know an ogre who would be more than happy to give you a good quick thump to the skull. Now that you've gotten over the assumption that shiny things are good for you, it's time to get down and dirty. Jack your WIS or INT as high as it will go and let's begin.
*****It should be noted that a few of these steps can be left out if you're in a hurry and don't mind failing a bit more. Remember, that anything you make, you can eat or sell, but if you blow it up, you're up Corathus Creep without a paddle.
Skill Levels 1-26: Rat Sandwich and Edible Goo
You're starting out in baking and don't know a dairy spoon from a sandwich. Time to figure out which is which. If you're getting a start on this at an early age, and don't have a lot of cash, head over to Qeynos or wherever else you can find Fire Beetles and Rats in epidemic proportions. Hunt for experience, save the Rat Ears and Fire Beetle Eyes. If you can't get XP from the kill, don't waste your time. ONLY FARM WHEN YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO PURCHASE WHOLESALE. Because you're a newb and can't easily get to the Tradeskill Mecca that is Abysmal Sea, head over to Shadowhaven. Look up Eiles, purveyor of fine meats, and stock up on Rat Meat and Loaves of Bread (sing. loaf of bread). Remember what I said about Edible not necessarily meaning Palatable? Combine rat Ears and Fire Beetle Eyes in your Spit to make Edible Goo. Combine a Loaf of Bread and Rat Meat in your spit to make Rat Sandwich. Yum. Edible Goo trivials
Skill Level 26-31: Sandwiches Galore
First things first, head to the bar and get something to drink.... Back? Now that you've got that horrible taste out of your mouth, it's time to move on to bigger and better things. If you can still get experience from the kill, head over to everfrost and hunt Polar Bear Cubs. They're cute, and look great stretched out on the floor. Since it's always best to multitask, polar bear cubs drop bear pelts, which you can use to barter for supplies, Polar Bear Skins, which you can turn in for faction in nearby Halas, and Bear meat, the next component in our quest. If polar bear cubs are beneath you, head back to Eiles.
Now, Eiles doesn't stock Wolf meat, so if you've got a craving for Dog on a Roll, you will have to either take out the neighbor's pet chihuahua, or go hunting. But since Bear and Wolf Sandwiches go trivial at the same time, there's really no point. Like with the rats, Bear meat and a Loaf of Bread in your Spit to make Bear Sandwich.
Also, in Everfrost there be Mammoths. Mammoth were extensively hunted, prior to the release of LDoN, and can still be hard to hunt with any efficiency as their tusks sell for 10 plat a piece with good charisma (I, personally hunted them from levels 18 to 32 with the assistance of a lovely and kind-hearted shamaness named Ginna). Substituting Mammoth meat for Bear or Wolf meat will result in Mammoth sandwiches. That's right, SANDWICHES, plural. Five to be exact. Same trivial, more food, more work.
Skill Level 31-41: Another Steakout
Well, sandwiches are great, but sometimes I need me a good hearty steak. And as luck would have it, that's next on our culinary odyssey. Eiles seems to be getting a lot of our money, but at the moment, there's not a lot we can do about that. Again, load up on Bear Meat, but this time we skip the loaves of bread. Instead, stock up on Jugs of Sauces and Spices. Not "Algea Spices" or "Garlic Spices", just "Spices". In Shadowhaven, Fantoal Geabaran and Akeral have both components.
Combine Bear Meat, A Jug of Sauces, and Spices to create Bear Steak.
Now, take a close look at what you just made. Upon inspection, you'll find that not only is it a food, but it's a STAT FOOD. Eating Bear Steaks actually raises your strength by one point. Not a lot, but hey, you're little. Now here, the fun part begins. Each meat has a different effect. Bear Steaks and Owlbear Steaks give STR +1. Wolf Steaks give STA +1. Kobold Steaks give both STR +1 and STA +1. Snake Steaks give SV Poison +2. And Mammoth Steaks give STR + 2 and again, yield 5 steaks to the bear's 1.
Now that you've got food that's increasing more than just the distance people back up when you yawn (tic-tac?), it's a good time to mention table manners. YOU DON'T NEED TO CLICK ON YOUR FOOD TO EAT IT. IT'S NOT A POTION. You eat automatically. Clicking on your food only causes you to stuff it and thereby lose it that much more quickly. Unless you simply want everyone to know exactly what you're eating, a process equivilant to chewing your food and saying "AHH," you simply have to have your food in an inventory or bag slot in order to get the effects. If you have more than one stat food, whatever is in the topmost and leftmost slot will be eaten first.
Skill Level 41-68: Beer Braised Goodness.
Now, we're gonna take a bit of a step ahead, remembering that old addage, "Candy is Dandy, but Liquor is Quicker." This time, instead of Jugs of Sauces, we're gonna use "The Sauce." Short Beer to be exact. Many of the meats we've used before will still work here. Give Eiles more of you money as you stock up on Bear Meat yet again. Combine Bear Meat, Short Beer, and Spices to make Beer Braised Bear. STR +2, INT -1. Since we are using alcohol here, it will have a negative impact on your brainpan. I suggest you keep eating those steaks while you work with the beer. Once again, different meats produce different stats. This time, Mammoth meat still gives an extra point of STR, but this time only yields 2 to the Bear's 1.
Skill Level 68-82: See Food?
Okay, Grasshopper, Grab that fishing pole. Once again, it's time to multitask. Fishing goes hand in hand with baking, so there's no reason you shouldn't be working on them both at the same time. Head to the nearest body of water (the pond in Plane of Knowledge works fine), grab a pole and some bait and get fishing. Fishing is the only tradeskill that doesn't require you to ever do anything different. Just keep buying worms and putting them on hooks and you'll be a master baiter in no time. I don't consider fishing to be farming, since 1) it's a separate tradeskill, and 2) it pretty much always turns a profit. Sell those fish scales, rusty daggers and tattered cloth sandals (I'm convinced the NPCs are the ones throwing them back in the water). What you're after is Fresh Fish. They're a food by themselves, but taste better when cooked.
Fresh Fish and a Jug of Sauces will produce Fish Fillets. No stats, but a good waypoint in between the last step and the next one. This is why a spit is so handy. You can stock up on Jugs of Sauces, sit down at the pond, and as soon as you get a fish, toss it on the grill.
If you don't have the patience for fishing (me, I make a drinking game out of it. Spill your beer, drink a beer), You can go out and farm spiders for their legs. Frosting, Spices, and Spider Legs will net you some Candied Spider. Once again, edible but not palatable.
Skill Level 82-115: COOKIES!!!
I've got one heck of a sweet tooth. That's why I tend to linger on this next step. This next step, as well as many following it, will unfortunately require a bit of farming on your part. Cookies require Dough, and Dough requires Eggs. As of yet, I know of no merchants who keep any sort of eggs in stock. However, if you haven't been neglecting your offensive studies, this will be no problem whatsoever.
Head on over to Blackburrow. In the depths of the home of the gnolls, you will find a portal gem similar to the one in Surefall Glade. It looks like a Lawn Ornament. Clicking on it will transport you to the Brell Gnolls in Jaggedpine Forest. IMPORTANT: These gnolls are not related to the Darkpaws of Blackburrow and shouldn't have any problem with you, so don't make one by attacking them. Look around until you come to the basilisk caves. In the Caves are two types of basilisk: A Cave Basilisk, and A Cave Basilisk Genitor. You want the latter of the two. Cave Basilisk Genitors are chaotic, meaning they attack any PC that comes near them, regardless of level, and best yet, they drop Basilisk Eggs.
Unlike Snake Eggs, which when combined only yield 1 Dough, and Foraged Basilisk Eggs, which only yield 5 Dough, Looted Basilisk Eggs yield a whopping 15. Take that, Wood Elves! The Cave Basilisk Genitors are the ONLY creatures I advocate farming. They're easy to find, almost always drop an egg, if not more than one (I've gotten as many as seven), and those eggs have a massive return. The regular cave basilisks won't drop eggs, so don't waste your time.
Back to the Kitchen. Break out your mixing bowl and combine 1 egg with a bottle of milk, and a cup of flour. Depending on what egg you use, you will get anywhere from 1 to 15 clumps of dough. Then, in a spit, combine a clump of dough with frosting and spices. If you want, you can also throw in a shaped cookie cutter.
Cookie Cutters are crafted by Potters and or Smiths and come in a variety of shapes. Since Pottery is easy to raise, You can get it up in order to craft items you'll be needing for baking, or you can simply acquire them retail. I would recommend the former as it doesn't take much time and can be vastly cheaper. Cookies don't have any stats either, so if you're interested in getting your stats up, you'll want to keep grinding that Beer Braised Bear as well.
Skill Level 115-135: Fish again?
Yep, back to the fishpond. Grab your rod and reel in some more Fresh Fish. Then, head over to wherever Pure Caster supplies are sold. You'll be needing some Bat Wings. No farming in the newbie zones, many caster supply shops carry bat wings as reagents for Levitate spells. In Plane of Knowledge, check out Darius Gandril.
Combine Fresh Fish and Bat Wings in your spit to make Fish Rolls.
Skill Level 135-143: Watch your fingers.
Next, we take a little side-step. Acquire a fillet knife. Make it, Buy it, whatever. Head back to Eiles (she misses you) and stock up on bear meat. Now, Bear meat alone is pretty inedible, however if you cut it just right....
Combine Bear meat and your fillet knife in your spit. Viola, Filleted Bear. You also get your knife back, so no need to stock up on them. One is enough. I know this step doesn't seem like much now, but later on it will be important.
Another thing to note is that while Bear and Lion Meats will only yield 1 fillet per combine, Mammoth and Wolf Meats will yield 10. I can see why mammoth would procure more, but wolf doesn't make much sense. I suppose the baking gods have smiled on us since these meats are harder to come by.
Skill Level 143-191: Patty Melt, Patty Melt, Baker Man
Okay, now we're into the long stretch. There are a number of other steps one could take in between 143 and 191, however the majority of them require numerous combines and moderate skills in Brewing. You'll eventually need that, but until then, let's stick to what's easy.
By now, if you haven't gone to The Bazaar to pick up a Geerlok Baking Utensils, do so. While you're there, acquire a Non-stick Frying Pan, a Pie Tin, and a Dairy Spoon. Make them, buy them, whatever. Then, scratch your initials in the bottom and staple all three to your forehead. DO NOT lose these things. If you were able to take down the Basilisk genitors, then you should already be able to use the Wayfarer Camps, so make your way to Abysmal Sea.
In Ancient Rome, there was a saying, "Omnia Romae Cum Pecuniam." Anything in Rome, for a price. Abysmal Sea has nearly everything you could possibly need for your baking skills, so long as you have the cash. Dray Cuves, in particular has most anything. Load up on Cheese and Loaves of Bread from Dray. Then check out Ordin Wheasly for Bear Meat. There are actually three merchants in Abysmal Sea trying to steal Eiles' Meat customers. For me, it's all about location. Choose whichever is least offensive to your senses.
Make yourself comfortable, it's gonna be a long day. Start grinding Patty Melts. Non-Stick Frying Pan, Cheese, Loaf of Bread, and Bear Meat. Wolf Meat and Lion Meat work just the same, but provide no extra benefit. When you finally get one right (it may take a while), take a look at it. No stats, but it is a banquet sized meal. That is one hefty sandwich. Banquet sized meals will last a great deal longer than your average meal.
When you hit 191, Patty Melts will go trivial. Congratulations, you've made it to the half-way point. Most people never progress their skills beyond this point as it gets a lot more difficult and more expensive. If you decide to quit now, it's nothing to be ashamed of. But like I said, I want that trophy. I want that weight reduction bag. I want Pie.
Too many of the guides I've read didn't elaborate enough, didn't go high enough, or seemed designed with foragers and farmers in mind. I'm an Enchanter and have neither the option, nor the inclination to go out and kill green things when I could be doing something better. I'll post this in two parts as It is quite long. With that, I present:
Tyr's Guide to Good Eats
by Master Tyrennius Antoneus
Druzzil (Xev) Server
For those of you who have been living in a cave eating various fungi your entire life and have consequently never seen a kitchen, baking is the process by which one combines seemingly inedible materials in order to create an edible and nutritious product. In other words, you take stuff you wouldn't give the dog, and through some magic envolving both oven and fire, create food. It should be noted that though edible, the end product will not necessarily be rational, logical, or palatable. I personally could never muster the stomach for Rat Ear Pie.
Now, before I begin (and believe me, I will reiterate this point numerous times later on), Let me make one thing very clear. I AM VERY LAZY. That's right, in the great battle of brains versus brawn, I consider myself a victor in that I have the brains to pay someone ELSE to do the brawn. What does this have to do with baking? Very simple. I don't plan on wasting time farming when there are plenty of easier ways to get what I want. That goes for alts too. Unless they are doing it while working on their own, i.e. during down time in groups, my alts don't go out and forage. They've got things to do and so do I. And what is the ultimate goal, you ask? A Grandmaster Baker's Spoon so I can summon a 100% Weight reduction, 10-slot, Giant-sized bag to carry all my baking supplies. Actually, I keep those in the bank and use the bag for Fine Steel Weapons, but the point is you need a high skill to get it and I'm gonna show you how.
A Matter of Terminology. I intend to use in this guide a number of terms. Some have been around since the game's inception, others I just happened to make up about five seconds ago. They are:
COMPONENT: Any material necessary to create a final product.
RETAIL: (adv) Any component bought from another Player has been bought retail. Always remember that other players make things for you to use, and then gouge you on the price in order to cover their own losses, often marking up the price as much as 70 or 80 percent the cost of components.
WHOLESALE: (adv) Any component bought from Non-Player Character Merchants has been bought wholesale. NPC Merchants will always have as much as you require of many items. Always remember that Faction and Charisma factor into your dealings with NPCs. Get that faction to Indifferent or higher, and have at least 100 Charisma. Anything less and my ogre friend WILL thump you in the skull.
FARM: (v) To hunt a specific creature in hopes of looting components. I really don't like farming, primarily because of the time and effort it requires. First you've got to find the creature. Then, you've got to beat someone else to it. Then, you've got to kill it. Then, IT'S got to drop the component. If it doesn't drop it, you've just wasted a lot of time. Seriously, folks, with few exceptions, farming is a waste of time as far as baking is concerned. Remember, if you get experience from the kill, it's NOT farming.
COMBINE: (v) To place components into a container for the purpose of crafting a new item.
TRIVIAL: (adj) When a given recipe becomes so easy, that it can no longer increase your skill, we refer to it as Trivial. Meaning that there is little or no point in making it any more as it is now beneath you. The major exceptions to this are subcombines and commissions.
SUBCOMBINE: (v) To combine materials in order to create components for a higher level combination. Subcombines are often trivial.
COMMISSION: (n) A player request for a specific item. Though somewhat less common for bakers, often a player lower in skill than you may ask you to combine his materials for him. If so, congratulations. Remember that the player requesting the commission should provide the materials, and that you should point out that you are NOT obligated to replace said materials should the combine fail. They might complain if you fail, so point it out ahead of time.
SPIT: (n) A 6-slot, giant-sized container used for baking. Spits are available almost anywhere and are excellent for baking on the go (as well as storing mammoth tusks). A Spit will hold ANYTHING, so don't think that because you're gonna be in the cities to bake that you don't nees one. I can't believe how many people I've heard complain that they don't have a Giant sized container when Spits, Large Sewing Kits, and Deluxe Toolboxes are so easy to come by.
MIXING BOWL: (n) That other container. Mixing bowls have a limited, but vital use in baking. Get one, keep it in the bank. Batters, dough, and almost anything with else with egg requires a mixing bowl at some point.
OVEN: (n) A public baking utility with 10 slots and Giant capacity. Used for higher end items that require more than the six slots available in a spit. Remember that only one person can use an oven at a time, so if there's someone already sitting in front of an oven, chances are he's not doing it to stay warm. Also remember that any time you can use a Spit for a combine, you can also use an Oven.
Now, I recommend putting at least 1 training point into baking. When you're a newbie and seemingly have an over abundance of training points, it might be a good idea to get your tradeskills at least to 1 because you may end up coming back to them later. If you're like me and thought "Screw baking, I'm in it for the riches, Man!" and blew a goodly amount of money on jewelcrafting, well I know an ogre who would be more than happy to give you a good quick thump to the skull. Now that you've gotten over the assumption that shiny things are good for you, it's time to get down and dirty. Jack your WIS or INT as high as it will go and let's begin.
*****It should be noted that a few of these steps can be left out if you're in a hurry and don't mind failing a bit more. Remember, that anything you make, you can eat or sell, but if you blow it up, you're up Corathus Creep without a paddle.
Skill Levels 1-26: Rat Sandwich and Edible Goo
You're starting out in baking and don't know a dairy spoon from a sandwich. Time to figure out which is which. If you're getting a start on this at an early age, and don't have a lot of cash, head over to Qeynos or wherever else you can find Fire Beetles and Rats in epidemic proportions. Hunt for experience, save the Rat Ears and Fire Beetle Eyes. If you can't get XP from the kill, don't waste your time. ONLY FARM WHEN YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO PURCHASE WHOLESALE. Because you're a newb and can't easily get to the Tradeskill Mecca that is Abysmal Sea, head over to Shadowhaven. Look up Eiles, purveyor of fine meats, and stock up on Rat Meat and Loaves of Bread (sing. loaf of bread). Remember what I said about Edible not necessarily meaning Palatable? Combine rat Ears and Fire Beetle Eyes in your Spit to make Edible Goo. Combine a Loaf of Bread and Rat Meat in your spit to make Rat Sandwich. Yum. Edible Goo trivials
Skill Level 26-31: Sandwiches Galore
First things first, head to the bar and get something to drink.... Back? Now that you've got that horrible taste out of your mouth, it's time to move on to bigger and better things. If you can still get experience from the kill, head over to everfrost and hunt Polar Bear Cubs. They're cute, and look great stretched out on the floor. Since it's always best to multitask, polar bear cubs drop bear pelts, which you can use to barter for supplies, Polar Bear Skins, which you can turn in for faction in nearby Halas, and Bear meat, the next component in our quest. If polar bear cubs are beneath you, head back to Eiles.
Now, Eiles doesn't stock Wolf meat, so if you've got a craving for Dog on a Roll, you will have to either take out the neighbor's pet chihuahua, or go hunting. But since Bear and Wolf Sandwiches go trivial at the same time, there's really no point. Like with the rats, Bear meat and a Loaf of Bread in your Spit to make Bear Sandwich.
Also, in Everfrost there be Mammoths. Mammoth were extensively hunted, prior to the release of LDoN, and can still be hard to hunt with any efficiency as their tusks sell for 10 plat a piece with good charisma (I, personally hunted them from levels 18 to 32 with the assistance of a lovely and kind-hearted shamaness named Ginna). Substituting Mammoth meat for Bear or Wolf meat will result in Mammoth sandwiches. That's right, SANDWICHES, plural. Five to be exact. Same trivial, more food, more work.
Skill Level 31-41: Another Steakout
Well, sandwiches are great, but sometimes I need me a good hearty steak. And as luck would have it, that's next on our culinary odyssey. Eiles seems to be getting a lot of our money, but at the moment, there's not a lot we can do about that. Again, load up on Bear Meat, but this time we skip the loaves of bread. Instead, stock up on Jugs of Sauces and Spices. Not "Algea Spices" or "Garlic Spices", just "Spices". In Shadowhaven, Fantoal Geabaran and Akeral have both components.
Combine Bear Meat, A Jug of Sauces, and Spices to create Bear Steak.
Now, take a close look at what you just made. Upon inspection, you'll find that not only is it a food, but it's a STAT FOOD. Eating Bear Steaks actually raises your strength by one point. Not a lot, but hey, you're little. Now here, the fun part begins. Each meat has a different effect. Bear Steaks and Owlbear Steaks give STR +1. Wolf Steaks give STA +1. Kobold Steaks give both STR +1 and STA +1. Snake Steaks give SV Poison +2. And Mammoth Steaks give STR + 2 and again, yield 5 steaks to the bear's 1.
Now that you've got food that's increasing more than just the distance people back up when you yawn (tic-tac?), it's a good time to mention table manners. YOU DON'T NEED TO CLICK ON YOUR FOOD TO EAT IT. IT'S NOT A POTION. You eat automatically. Clicking on your food only causes you to stuff it and thereby lose it that much more quickly. Unless you simply want everyone to know exactly what you're eating, a process equivilant to chewing your food and saying "AHH," you simply have to have your food in an inventory or bag slot in order to get the effects. If you have more than one stat food, whatever is in the topmost and leftmost slot will be eaten first.
Skill Level 41-68: Beer Braised Goodness.
Now, we're gonna take a bit of a step ahead, remembering that old addage, "Candy is Dandy, but Liquor is Quicker." This time, instead of Jugs of Sauces, we're gonna use "The Sauce." Short Beer to be exact. Many of the meats we've used before will still work here. Give Eiles more of you money as you stock up on Bear Meat yet again. Combine Bear Meat, Short Beer, and Spices to make Beer Braised Bear. STR +2, INT -1. Since we are using alcohol here, it will have a negative impact on your brainpan. I suggest you keep eating those steaks while you work with the beer. Once again, different meats produce different stats. This time, Mammoth meat still gives an extra point of STR, but this time only yields 2 to the Bear's 1.
Skill Level 68-82: See Food?
Okay, Grasshopper, Grab that fishing pole. Once again, it's time to multitask. Fishing goes hand in hand with baking, so there's no reason you shouldn't be working on them both at the same time. Head to the nearest body of water (the pond in Plane of Knowledge works fine), grab a pole and some bait and get fishing. Fishing is the only tradeskill that doesn't require you to ever do anything different. Just keep buying worms and putting them on hooks and you'll be a master baiter in no time. I don't consider fishing to be farming, since 1) it's a separate tradeskill, and 2) it pretty much always turns a profit. Sell those fish scales, rusty daggers and tattered cloth sandals (I'm convinced the NPCs are the ones throwing them back in the water). What you're after is Fresh Fish. They're a food by themselves, but taste better when cooked.
Fresh Fish and a Jug of Sauces will produce Fish Fillets. No stats, but a good waypoint in between the last step and the next one. This is why a spit is so handy. You can stock up on Jugs of Sauces, sit down at the pond, and as soon as you get a fish, toss it on the grill.
If you don't have the patience for fishing (me, I make a drinking game out of it. Spill your beer, drink a beer), You can go out and farm spiders for their legs. Frosting, Spices, and Spider Legs will net you some Candied Spider. Once again, edible but not palatable.
Skill Level 82-115: COOKIES!!!
I've got one heck of a sweet tooth. That's why I tend to linger on this next step. This next step, as well as many following it, will unfortunately require a bit of farming on your part. Cookies require Dough, and Dough requires Eggs. As of yet, I know of no merchants who keep any sort of eggs in stock. However, if you haven't been neglecting your offensive studies, this will be no problem whatsoever.
Head on over to Blackburrow. In the depths of the home of the gnolls, you will find a portal gem similar to the one in Surefall Glade. It looks like a Lawn Ornament. Clicking on it will transport you to the Brell Gnolls in Jaggedpine Forest. IMPORTANT: These gnolls are not related to the Darkpaws of Blackburrow and shouldn't have any problem with you, so don't make one by attacking them. Look around until you come to the basilisk caves. In the Caves are two types of basilisk: A Cave Basilisk, and A Cave Basilisk Genitor. You want the latter of the two. Cave Basilisk Genitors are chaotic, meaning they attack any PC that comes near them, regardless of level, and best yet, they drop Basilisk Eggs.
Unlike Snake Eggs, which when combined only yield 1 Dough, and Foraged Basilisk Eggs, which only yield 5 Dough, Looted Basilisk Eggs yield a whopping 15. Take that, Wood Elves! The Cave Basilisk Genitors are the ONLY creatures I advocate farming. They're easy to find, almost always drop an egg, if not more than one (I've gotten as many as seven), and those eggs have a massive return. The regular cave basilisks won't drop eggs, so don't waste your time.
Back to the Kitchen. Break out your mixing bowl and combine 1 egg with a bottle of milk, and a cup of flour. Depending on what egg you use, you will get anywhere from 1 to 15 clumps of dough. Then, in a spit, combine a clump of dough with frosting and spices. If you want, you can also throw in a shaped cookie cutter.
Cookie Cutters are crafted by Potters and or Smiths and come in a variety of shapes. Since Pottery is easy to raise, You can get it up in order to craft items you'll be needing for baking, or you can simply acquire them retail. I would recommend the former as it doesn't take much time and can be vastly cheaper. Cookies don't have any stats either, so if you're interested in getting your stats up, you'll want to keep grinding that Beer Braised Bear as well.
Skill Level 115-135: Fish again?
Yep, back to the fishpond. Grab your rod and reel in some more Fresh Fish. Then, head over to wherever Pure Caster supplies are sold. You'll be needing some Bat Wings. No farming in the newbie zones, many caster supply shops carry bat wings as reagents for Levitate spells. In Plane of Knowledge, check out Darius Gandril.
Combine Fresh Fish and Bat Wings in your spit to make Fish Rolls.
Skill Level 135-143: Watch your fingers.
Next, we take a little side-step. Acquire a fillet knife. Make it, Buy it, whatever. Head back to Eiles (she misses you) and stock up on bear meat. Now, Bear meat alone is pretty inedible, however if you cut it just right....
Combine Bear meat and your fillet knife in your spit. Viola, Filleted Bear. You also get your knife back, so no need to stock up on them. One is enough. I know this step doesn't seem like much now, but later on it will be important.
Another thing to note is that while Bear and Lion Meats will only yield 1 fillet per combine, Mammoth and Wolf Meats will yield 10. I can see why mammoth would procure more, but wolf doesn't make much sense. I suppose the baking gods have smiled on us since these meats are harder to come by.
Skill Level 143-191: Patty Melt, Patty Melt, Baker Man
Okay, now we're into the long stretch. There are a number of other steps one could take in between 143 and 191, however the majority of them require numerous combines and moderate skills in Brewing. You'll eventually need that, but until then, let's stick to what's easy.
By now, if you haven't gone to The Bazaar to pick up a Geerlok Baking Utensils, do so. While you're there, acquire a Non-stick Frying Pan, a Pie Tin, and a Dairy Spoon. Make them, buy them, whatever. Then, scratch your initials in the bottom and staple all three to your forehead. DO NOT lose these things. If you were able to take down the Basilisk genitors, then you should already be able to use the Wayfarer Camps, so make your way to Abysmal Sea.
In Ancient Rome, there was a saying, "Omnia Romae Cum Pecuniam." Anything in Rome, for a price. Abysmal Sea has nearly everything you could possibly need for your baking skills, so long as you have the cash. Dray Cuves, in particular has most anything. Load up on Cheese and Loaves of Bread from Dray. Then check out Ordin Wheasly for Bear Meat. There are actually three merchants in Abysmal Sea trying to steal Eiles' Meat customers. For me, it's all about location. Choose whichever is least offensive to your senses.
Make yourself comfortable, it's gonna be a long day. Start grinding Patty Melts. Non-Stick Frying Pan, Cheese, Loaf of Bread, and Bear Meat. Wolf Meat and Lion Meat work just the same, but provide no extra benefit. When you finally get one right (it may take a while), take a look at it. No stats, but it is a banquet sized meal. That is one hefty sandwich. Banquet sized meals will last a great deal longer than your average meal.
When you hit 191, Patty Melts will go trivial. Congratulations, you've made it to the half-way point. Most people never progress their skills beyond this point as it gets a lot more difficult and more expensive. If you decide to quit now, it's nothing to be ashamed of. But like I said, I want that trophy. I want that weight reduction bag. I want Pie.
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