Is there a reason to do the progressive QoT quests?

[illovich]

I started doing the brewing progressive quest on the Queen of Thorns (the ship on the Abysmal Sea) and stopped after about 100 combines/turn-ins, mainly because I'm not sure if there's any benefit to doing it.

Is there? My brewing is 175, and all of the recipes are already listed on this very site (well, if not they will be)...my understanding is that the main point of these quests is to get newbs started for cheap/free.

So my question is, is there a benefit beyond learning new recipes from the quest-givers that makes it worth doing these progressive tradeskill quests? I know there's some sort of faction involved (some sort of weird faction/flag hybrid it seems), but if it only leads to more recipes (that I can do with out doing the quests, as long as I know the items), who cares?

[Brodybeard]

From the EQ Traders GoD Tradeskill Quests description:

In each case, you are earning invisible brownie points with the two quest NPCs for that specific tradeskill. The points from both versions of the quest can be mixed and matched, but there are limits. When you earn enough brownie points (400), the NPCs will teach you how to handle the raw material on your own, without their intervention. Once you complete the quest, you are "taught" the process of converting the raw material on your own.

My tinker wants to learn how to handle Dark Matter, so he'll be doing the tinkering quests. On the other hand, my druid has zero jewelcrafting and fletching skills, so she will be doing those quests when she needs those skills for the shawl quests.

[Daeguard]

What Brodybeard said.. Also I just tried to combine a single Muramite etched scale, and it said "you lack the knowledge to work with this material" However, I did not have the skill, but I did learn the recipe (for preserved muramite etched scale)


You earn those brownie points by bringing the items to the npc, and also doing the progressive items.

I did smithing in beta quickly, there were 4 recipes, of 100 combines/turnins each, to get to the point where he told me how to work with the material.

after that you could work with it on your own. There is the option to do the 400 combines, or bring them so many of the materials.

[Kandrak]

I did smithing in beta quickly, there were 4 recipes, of 100 combines/turnins each, to get to the point where he told me how to work with the material

How exactly does that work? I went to the male ogre on the ship and he gave me a recipe book, a file, some metal bits and a stack of water and told me to make simple bits. I did and returned them to me, asked for another. I got another book, which was named the same, but I destroyed it. I continued making bits but nothing happened from there. I must have made 5 or 6 stacks of bits, but nothing about making other stuff.

[splunge]

You turned them all back in stacked, didnt ya?

[Daeguard]

I turned them in unstacked yes, was rather annoying, I feedbacked that NPC's either should take items stacked, or when you hand things to them, they won't automatically stack. Was the most annoying part of it, not the tradeskilling which was quite easy with the new UI.

Also, the recipes I got were, Simple Bits, Simple Studs, Simple Boning, Simple File, if I remember correctly, they ranged in trivial from 36-54 I believe. (all off the top of my head from quick beta experience). The other skills should be similar.

These quests would seem to be a quick way to skill up the first 50 points for those who haven't done certain skills yet.

[Daeguard]

Update

Okay I just confirmed this in game.

There are 2 npcs for each skill.

One asks for Item A, and gives you 2 of Item B. They can also give you work which gives you 20 items to combine. 100 of these turned in, will move up to the next type of item, and the same at 200, 300, and at 400 they will tell you how to combine Item A into Item B.

Two asks for Item B, and gives you 10 items to combine. Combine those and give back to NPC Two.


SO: finding 2 of item A, gets you 100 of these invisible 'brownie points'

Finding 8 of them should learn you the skill after 160 combines for NPC Two, and gaining the knowledge to work those materials.

I just confirmed this with the Tailoring NPC's, the first one, Tonlyei Lyhin asks me to make Simple Belts, I made 100 and I was asked to make Simple Socks. I then gave in Muramite Etched Scales to Tonlyei to get Preserved Muramite Etched Scales, then turned in 4 Preserved Muramite Etched Scales to the 2nd NPC, Garald Samer. He gave me 10 Wayfarer Glove combines for each, and I made 40. After making each set of 10, I asked Tonlyei for more work, and she gave me socks again. When I'd turned in 40 Gloves to Garald, she then gave me Simple Pants combines.
Garald then gave me Wayfarer Cap combines.

I hope that makes some sense.
You can do 400 combines for NPC One to learn the skill, or you can do 160 combines for NPC Two, by turning in the materials found on mobs(presuming, I found mine on vendors)

I'm about to try to double check this by doing 20 more (out of scales) of Wayfarer Caps, and then 50 Simple Pants, and it should move up to the next Simple Combine.

EDIT: Okay I'm confused, After doing 20 more Caps, and 20 Pants, I moved up to Simple Shirts. I'm thinking it may be a 3:1 ratio then, not a 2.5:1. Shirts atm should be 100 made and then learn how to work the material.

EDIT TWO: Okay, 100 Shirts confirmed that it is a 3 to 1 ratio. You can do 400 combines of Simple items, or find the materials and reduce the combines. I wound up doing 60 combines for Garald, and 220 combines for Tonlyei. And she showed me how to combine the scales (both I think, which are just simply combining the scales alone in a kit.)

[QUOTE]Tonlyei Lyhin smiles and clasps your hand for a moment. 'You have been of such great assistance to us that I can no longer ask you to spend your days working for us. I thank you. Please, allow me to show you the secret to preparing Muramite etched scales. This method will work on the younger and aged scales.' Tonlyei opens her sewing kit and shows you the contents. The kit is old, the tools you see there have been handed down by generations in her family. She points to a clearly marked bottle of liquid, a common substance that you might not have thought to use when working with this material. She explains that if you use it liberally when working with the Muramite scales it will reduce the brittleness that tends to develop over time, and makes it possible to work with them. You know that you can use this method, and you even suspect that you will be able to improve on it if you work with the scales for a while. Tonlyei bows slightly to you 'May Prexus guard the waters of your life, Daeguard.'

[Elinea]

I just finished the simple hand-ins for Tonlyei and got the end text that "shows" me how to handle muramite scales. Of course I haven't the slightest clue where to find muramite scales, or how to get any further than this. Can anyone help me out?

[oerin trubble]

The new UI does make the 400 combines less tedious, but forcing you to hand them back 4 at a time unstacked sucks it all back.

And you should not be able to fail quest combines that were trivial 150 points ago.
But you can!
Went thru smithing, JC, and fletching last nite. averaged 2 or 3 failures per 100 combines.
This means asking for another stack. I didn't try just turning in the few i missed, just did the extra stack and turned them all in.

[Koru]

Yeah, that's the same that got me. I ended up feedbacking and asking that they'd change it so that clicking a stack on an NPC would deduct 4 from the stack and put those 4 unstacked into the trade window. There's really no reason to force us to pick one item since the npcs won't acknowledge stacked items. Especially not when looking at 400 items to give per trade.

[Jora_Delossian]

I suspect there are yet undiscovered "uber" recipes that will require knowledge of working with the various materials that these NPCs give you.

[Blodhemn]

I did the tailoring simple version, Belts first but she gave me the socks after 120 belts (I did not fail anything), pants after 100 socks and shirts after 100 pants but I turned in about 140 shirts and have learned nothing yet :/

Blodhemn Dalauvyndar
65 Cleric
Guildleader of Illuminatis
Brell Serilis

[splunge]

Another bonus of doing the quest:

To refine the raw material you can do one of 2 things. Hand the NPC the raw material and get 1 refined item back (The npc says they keep a smallportion for their time).

If you do the quest and are able to do it yourself, when you do the combine, you have a 50/50 chance (guessing here) that you will get 1 or 2 of the refined item back, instead of just 1.

Ive only had a small sample to work with myself, but i did the fletching and JC quests (all 400 turnins each), and then did the combines myself, and a couple of times got 2 items in return, and a couple of times i got 1 in return.

Oh, and once you learn it, you can do the combines yourself anywhere, instead of gating/porting/taking the slow-arse boat back to Abysmal sea.

[Elinea]

Originally posted by Jora_Delossian
I suspect there are yet undiscovered "uber" recipes that will require knowledge of working with the various materials that these NPCs give you.

"Uber" doesn't even do justice to the tunic I saw linked yesterday for druids. I wish I could remember the NPC's name but it is the druid Quest NPC in Abysmal Sea that starts witb a "G". The stats on that tunic made the leather Elemental BP look like toilet paper! I'm sure it'll be a long ways off before anyone can finish that quest though.

[Aluaeia]

Gaelin's Tunic of Woodlands is probably what you're thinking of.