OMG! How do you all do it???

[Balkin]

I just did my first run at Halas 10 lb. Meat Pies.

It took me 3 hours to get together enough materials for 67 combines!!!

And, I was so tired, I haven't even made the pies yet, all I've done is get ready for the last combines!

I'm at 191, and hope 67 combines will get me to 194 or 195 with 237 WIS. Already tried 40 pixie power cinnie sticks, with no skill up.

Carpal tunnel, time sink, and ARGH that's some serious clickin. :shock: People actually do a LOT of these to make PP???

[Lilosh]

They key is routine.

Find out the most efficient order to do things in, and then ALWAYS, do it that way.

And yes, Halas Pies are a demon. But Misty Picnics are THE DEVIL.



-Lilosh

[Danae]

Tips
[list]~Plan your inventory space ahead. Only have ingredients going for one end product at a time (Halas Meat Pies, Truffles, Misty Thickets, etc). The more partial stacks and half done stuff you have sitting around the less space you have to work with.

~Be efficient. For HMPs, fillet an entire stack of Bear Meat. Then fillet an entire stack of Lion Meat. Then get a stack of Filleted Wolf and Mammoth. Then make just enough Cream to yield 80 Creamy Fennel Sauce. Then do all 80 of the combines. Then make exactly 160 clumps of dough. Then go buy exactly 80 Sage Leaves.

~Use the new UI so you can have multiple bags open at a time.

~Particularly if you're a caster, take those stacks of un-filleted meat and do them while medding. Collapsible spits and mixing bowls are your friend.[/list:u]

[Autumnwyld]

Its all about figuring out a system. The first time I did pies it took forever to get going, but then I found a way it worked for me. Also I was very happy making them in Halas, everything was right there. Its always been my favorite tradeskill area, don't ask me why since I play elves. In my later days I take advantage of the fact I have a second account and I have a baker mule. It made my life so much easier since she holds all my tradeskill supplies when I am not working, however and understandbly, everyone does not have that luxery.

~ Autty

[Naeron]

I have a REALLY hard time figuring out how people can possibly think that doing misty picnics are even remotely as tedious or labor intensive as making halas pies...

Considering that prep work for 20 picnic baskets involves 19 combines (making everything assuming no fails, including the baskets) - whereas the pies take 140 combines... it's absurd the amount of work halas pies take before you can even start making them. I'm at 192 skill, and I'm about ready to give up on making pies and just spam picnics at 10x the rate and hope for roughly the same skillups in the same period of time.

[Ortrillian]

I also make all of one item (fennel sauce whatever) then move on to the next thing. I troll vendors at least 2 times a day (yes I'm sick) looking for stuff that I need for one of my tradeskills. Often when checking vendors I'll find stacks of, for example, bear fillets, cream or what have you. I buy those up fast, it saves me time and wrist pain.

[Balkin]

LOL

Yeah, I know part of my problem was NOT being prepared. I Merchant Mine a LOT, and had like 53 wolf meats which I fillet'd (BIG mistake, that's 2.5 10 slot bags!) I also had 7 mammoth meat from mining, and Fillet's all of those!!!

So, Mistake no 1, filleting WAY to much wolf.

Mistake no 2, NOT knowning where to find the alchemy supplies and having to find them.

I do have a VERY old second computer that's almost permanently sitting at EQTraders, so that wasn't to bad. Travel time was minimized by using PoK.

Mistake no 3, NOT paying attention to YIELD!!!

I had the recipe information, but... One cream combine gives me 8??? One Creamy Fennel sauce gives me 6??? OMG!!! One PIE combine gives me 6!!!??? :shock:

So, I fillet'd a LOT of extra wolf, which I'm going to make into Fillet in cream and sell in the bazaar. I also still have 8 stacks of cheese I'm trying to sell in the bazaar from making Patty melts from 157 to 191. AND I have about 12 stacks of Halas 10lb. Meat Pies to sell as well. I'm keeping some of course. My success rate was actually quite good! So I was pleased about that.

Mistake no 4, NOT realizing that the pies are GIANT size. WHAT a pain in the buttocks! :shock: Good thing I use Deluxe Toolboxes in my bank eh? They hold giant size...

Anyway, that was TOUGH work, took a long time, and I only got to 193... So, just 2 skill ups. I found another mammoth meat, so the total was actually 75 attempts with 237 WIS. Guess I need to pick up a few more points of WIS eh? I think the next time.... If I can force myself to even consider making these again... I'll be MUCH better prepared.

[TinyDru]

My strat for pies and MTPs

Step 1. Build another computer and get another EQ account
Step 2. Create at least two new characters (I prefer a couple of husky barbarian warrior fellows named something like Hans and Frans)
Step 3. Use your main character to port (it IS a druid, isn't it? ) your new characters over to Iceclad for a little Deluxe Toolbox shopping.
Step 4. Repeat step three until Hans's and Frans's inventories and banks are full of Deluxe toolboxes.
Step 5. Plop Hans and Frans next to whatever cooking device you need and make Halas Pie or MTP components until the sun explodes. Your new mule buddies will happily hold all they can handle leaving plenty of room in your inventory for sane things...

I know this doesn't really help the amount of clicking you have to do to make either of these items, but it sure as hell helps with component storage when you want to do a run of these things!

-Tiny

[Lilosh]

Re: My strat for pies and MTPs

Step 3. Use your main character to port (it IS a druid, isn't it? ) your new characters over to Iceclad for a little Deluxe Toolbox shopping.

Perhaps he could check the 3 vendors in PoK who sell them as well?

He mentioned having PoP.


-Lilosh

[sir0die]

Re: My strat for pies and MTPs

Step 2. Create at least two new characters (I prefer a couple of husky barbarian warrior fellows named something like Hans and Frans)
Step 3. Use your main character to port (it IS a druid, isn't it? ) your new characters over to Iceclad for a little Deluxe Toolbox shopping.
Step 4. Repeat step three until Hans's and Frans's inventories and banks are full of Deluxe toolboxes.
-Tiny

why port them to iceclad for toolboxes? halas has giant sewing kits, 10 slot Giant size. They hold pies also. The vendor is around the fire at top of Halas ramp in Everfrost.

[Raolinx]

why port them to iceclad for toolboxes? halas has giant sewing kits, 10 slot Giant size. They hold pies also. The vendor is around the fire at top of Halas ramp in Everfrost.

Since when? I think you mean 8 slot.

[Masklinn_MT]

i usually prepare everything for 80 HMP combines (i make 90 of each fillet, then hundreds of creams and i cream the fillet, , etc) I usually need 3 10 slots bags (1 bag of the tinkerers, 1 giant toolbox and 1 10 slot bag) plus some more slots (the sewing kit) to handle everything at the same time.

[Allbus]

After reaching 250, you'll want to take a break from both picnics and pies. hehe. My hands still hurt from 4 months of constant clicking.

4hrs a day, 4months, to get from 143 to 250. Grandmasters spoon at 250 on first try.

143 to 188 with tioler meat. easy.

188 up with halas pies.

At 205, i switched nonstop to picnics. Pies hurt too much.

[Ariene]

why port them to iceclad for toolboxes? halas has giant sewing kits, 10 slot Giant size. They hold pies also. The vendor is around the fire at top of Halas ramp in Everfrost.

Since when? I think you mean 8 slot.

They used to sell 10 slot sewing kits but they now sell 8 slot. Those were changed close to two years ago. I have two leftoever deluxe kits from my newbie days but they can't be bought anymore.

[Cinaed]

Halas Meat Pies vs Misty Thicket Picnics

Eh, to me, this is no contest. I've made both items already, and find the Picnics to be a much bigger hassle, the Devil indeed, to make. Even as a Wood Elf Druid (the best race/class combo for baking imho) it still takes a long time just to accumulate the raw ingredients, before you start any of the combines.

One thing I'm missing seeing here though are the Jagged Pine recipes. I've had a relatively (or not-so-relatively) easy time getting to my current level of 186 using griffon stirfries or patty melts, and both are cheap and easy to make. Soloing in JP is great for any druid above level 40 or so, and you can forage the Plant Shoots there, Veggies can be foraged just about anywhere, and you're hunting the griffons already. Smithing isn't hard to get up high enough to make your own non-stick pans, and it helps you make friends (or pp) to make them for others who don't want to bother.

Just my 2 copper