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**Lothay** · 08-04-2003, 12:56 AM

I disagree.

Fletching does a wonderful job doing what it always did. Providing arrows to people who use them.

Droped bows are usually the top end items. Just a dropped swords or armor is usually the top end. This is a basic design descision made for EQ. Player-made items are good, but somethings will always be better.

For every melee that pulls with a bow, arrows are needed. They get the best bang for the buck by making their own arrows. Melee types of all sorts do this more many levels.

Yes, you can rely on summoned arrows, or buy vendor arrows. But on the whole, you're better off skilling up and making your own.

Because people use this skill for 50+ levels, I don't see it as broken or useless or even needing an overhaul.

**Draggar** · 08-04-2003, 06:51 AM

Re: fletching obsolete?

Originally posted by darksisco007
I Big arrows cannot be a majot point to the skill unless arrows with affects are added,

Wood elf cultural arrows have an added fire damage...

Thats a nice effect.

**lonewylfe** · 08-04-2003, 09:43 AM

The condensed acrylia arrows also have that, either fire, cold, or magic damage depending on the condensed used.

**burnttoastv** · 08-05-2003, 09:22 AM

The rangers taking Trak down last night in our raid seemed to be hitting for some nice damage with the Blessed and non blessed mithril champion arrows. Of course this is a byproduct of my skilling up for the day on 168 combines.

**Sylphan** · 08-05-2003, 09:43 AM

Big arrows might be possible if they're expensive and norent. It's possible that people would just duel and leave the arrow on a corpse though... that would void the whole idea.

Or maybe a big arrow could be nodrop and come from a long quest that ends with a 220-skill-restricted combine. Sure the arrow would last forever with the AA, but that's ok. All the other armor, weapons, etc we get from quests last forever too.

Fletching may not seem very significant now, but there's still hope.

**darksisco007** · 08-05-2003, 01:19 PM

aye, i think most of you misunderstood me, but Sylphan kinda rephrased it in the second half. Yes you can make stuff with fletching, but what littel can be made is often not worth the effort.
The big arrows take soo long to make (mithril) or take alot of farming, and then they are expended very quickly, versus other tradeskills where your time put in leaves an enduring item, beyond the first 1 sec of use.
For bows, there are 5 or 6 recipies that people use - elemental bows, nightmare, and bft. this leaves fletching with 6 recipies (the use of the last 2 is very questionable now days and will get worse due to dropped bows) that give a product that isnt instantly comsumed for for very little effect.
Which means fletching needs something else added to it, not jsut another bow or another type of arrow that isnt practical to make, but something new to make the tradeskill worthwhile. Something to make people pursue fletching over tailoring or smithing or pottery....

**lonewylfe** · 08-05-2003, 02:11 PM

I've gotten requests for bows other than the top 6, and arrows of all sorts still sell quite well in quantity. I've even been asked to make some darts on occassion. There are also some bows that are used in tinkering.
The mithril arrows don't take that long to make, and I've never personally heard of anyone doing condensed acrylia except for skilling up (even though it sells quite well).
They're also adding new Karana-only bows/arrows, supposedly in line with the Tunare only ones.
And don't forget the infamous PoJ prisoners...hopefully their talk of that one arrow is more than just flavor text!

If you don't find fletching practical or worth the effort, maybe it isn't the tradeskill for you (speaking generally). IMO, it's quite worthwhile now, though I'm sure many Karana worshipers will be happy to see the new recipes! And despite endless quiver (which my ranger now happily has, leaving me with more arrows to sell off than before) I still find that any arrows I put up in the bazar are sold in a day or two, maybe three for the blessed/regular mithril champion. Bows of most sorts still take about a week to sell, though I've found that dropped bows may take up to three weeks.

You could almost compare it to baking. You have the uber stat food (or bow, well, no danger of eating your bow!) that you want to save, so you buy the cheaper fish rolls (say condensed arrows) and use those up in great quantity. Or for just everyday you eat roots that you forage (tolan's arrows). You can make the same comparison with brewing (once again, no danger of a liquified bow!).
The bows last as long as other equipment (like a tunic or a sword), while the arrows and darts are meant to be used up (like fish rolls or fuzzlecutter).

About the only things I'd like to see right now are the unsolved PoJ arrow (give us a hint! or at least tell us we're crazy!) and some of the undiscovered recipes. It'll be interesting to see how they implement the Karana recipes; guess those are going in next patch.

**Chakoty** · 08-06-2003, 09:23 AM

How do you make the Champion Arrows an War Bow ? i heard it gives 400 or something Range? cant seem to find a reciepe for it.. heard somenoe mention it in a thread ..

**Astroshak** · 08-06-2003, 09:45 AM

Originally posted by darksisco007
For bows, there are 5 or 6 recipies that people use - elemental bows, nightmare, and bft. this leaves fletching with 6 recipies (the use of the last 2 is very questionable now days and will get worse due to dropped bows) that give a product that isnt instantly comsumed for for very little effect.

Plenty of people who know a fletcher are happier obtaining the parts for the nightmare bow and getting their bow upgrade that way, until they can loot something better in PoP. Not everyone's willing to spend money to upgrade a bow.

As for the BFT, what bow is better for the tunare followers who can use it, for levels 20 through 50? Remember that though yes the BFT does have a recommended level, that recommended level is very low, set at 20. Twisted is what, 50? You're not going to find a bow with better stats at 20 than the BFT (or the new Karana bows with the patch); and the BFT will last you until 50 at least. I personally didn't bother to upgrade from the BFT until I had EQ (doing the minor upgrade of going to Twisted Longbow, and recently to the Stonewood).

**Crydee Ossiriand** · 08-11-2003, 10:33 AM

Originally posted by Lothay
I disagree.

Fletching does a wonderful job doing what it always did. Providing arrows to people who use them.

Slight problem there though. They put a hudge restriction on who fletching would be useful to when they added wood elf cultural fletching. Not a wood elf? Too bad, fletching won't be worthwhile to you.

Karana fletching helps a little bit as making fletching worthwhile for followers of this diety.

For the vast majority though who are neither wood elves nor worship Karana so are left out.

**Zyrtryx Conjureblade** · 08-11-2003, 10:46 AM

Fletching is by no means obsolete.

Storebought bows and arrows are crap. `Nuff said.

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