Why Do Tradeskills if not for Profit?

[eniamn]

there is no spoon.

[Silverfish]

An Offtopic Note on Begging

Dyllwin wrote:

"I'm getting there, a few tradeskills, H2H and Begging! (blasted begging)"

Just a note to the other obsessive-compulsives. Set up a hot button with the following:

/attack off
/doability (whatever begging is set to)
/attack on

Don't use any waits at all. Then, click your hot button while you fight, and if you're fighting a non-green creature, you'll get begging points while you do battle! Take note that it does actually draw agro (not a lot, but if you're not MT or you are a ranger then don't abuse it, and if you are MT take note that it's agro, and any agro is good agro), and you have to be in melee range to use it, but I've gotten to begging 50 without ever mooching from a non-agro mob. Besides, the group comments you get when a Luggald says, "Here, Silverfish, take this and LEAVE ME ALONE!" are truly worth the effort. One note of warning: DON'T use your hot button to beg from non-agro mobs! Remember that it turns attack on after the begging, so if you try to beg from a guard or other NPC you'll take a swing at them if you do.

For the pet classes, remember that you can swallow your dignity and beg from your pet. It's humiliating, but effective.

Silverfish

[Sanna]

until eniamn makes one.

Thanks for reminding me that there is another thing to add to the Short Dead Horse List.


(that's still the best reason ever to to TSs ^_^)

Myself, I have an Addictive Personality. Ever since my first arrow combine, I've wanted to do them all, and as far as I could take them.


.... you do realize this is coming from the same person who wants to play all the Final Fantasy games, yet doesn't own a ps2?

-- Sanna
walks off whistling Legendary Frog's "Final Fantasy" song.... (well, it's not his song, he just made the flash for it, but close enough.)

[Tejaye]

Hunting and Profits

If you spend so much time doing tradeskills, doesn't that cause you to level up slower since you are not hunting?
Especially since some skills, such as Smithing, require you to stay by a forge and are not mobile like some other skills?
Just curious.

[Zyrtryx Conjureblade]

Re: Hunting and Profits

Originally posted by Tejaye
If you spend so much time doing tradeskills, doesn't that cause you to level up slower since you are not hunting?
Especially since some skills, such as Smithing, require you to stay by a forge and are not mobile like some other skills?
Just curious.

Yep. I'm currently lvl 51, with 50% of the bar for my first AA pt filled up, and 36% exp toward lvl 52 (I have a UI mod that shows percentages to the sides of the bars, and I've been switching between full AA and full xp instead of setting both to half). I figure that if I had used the time I've spent working on tradeskills to level up, I'd be lvl 65 with around 25 to 30 AA pts by now.

But there are time I'd rather work on tradeskills than hunt, and I've spent a lot of time working on tradeskills when I couldn't find a group to join (I don't like to solo).

(For the record, I've mostly been doing LDON adventures since I hit lvl 49)

[Elinea]

I started on baking because ...well....Tormentor Stir Fry owns After that, I was hooked! I thought it was absolutely cool to make things that people could use out of stuff I used to just sell to a vendor and forget about. Now I am no longer an automated pile of pixels that stays in one spot killing the same handful of mobs over and over. I make things! Useful things! God knows why, but I enjoy tradeskilling

[Koru]

Yeah, but on the other hand I don't burn out in the same way those hardcore "must kill mobs get xp" people I know seem to. I've seen a lot more people burn themselves out on EQ doing xp grinds than on tradeskills. The tradeskiller can always go back to killing for some relaxation when they get bored or frustrated at the forge. Whereas the type of person who's obsessed with just AA and xp usually seems to get no satisfaction of doing tradeskills to relax.

And it's not the time spent at the forge or tradeskill container that takes up most of the time, it's component gathering. I've easily spent at least 30 times my combine time gathering components. If I'd spent all the time fighting that I spent doing tradeskills I'd have at least 150 AA more than I have atm. But that's not the point, I make that sacrifice gladly because I sincerely enjoy tradeskills.

Also it's nice not to be that 65th lvl wearing items designed for a 35th lvl because of leveling so fast. Tradeskills have kept me happy, fat and well equipped. Not as well equipped as a raider who'd spent the same time raiding perhaps, but if I had a personality well suited to raiding I'd have been one instead of running my little store.

As a side benefit I also have a better understanding of what things are worth. My regular group may laugh at me when I get all excited about some hide or rune. Until I tell them that that hide can make them a great cloak, or that rune can be used to make that 25k spell they were missing. Like the ranger I talked to the other day who had no idea that his foraged goods were worth anything until I put it in the perspective of one stack = 2k pp. Or various people who've prefered to get the gem drops to the tradeskill drops (even though the tradeskill drops were worth 4 times as much as the gems were).

[Nairn Niteraven]

Relax...

It continues to escape me why some don't understand the value of Tradeskills. You don't use them to make a fortune, although you can make some money. Qeynos Teas and Misty Picnics are proof of that; for me, it's the sheer joy of making something from essentially nothing, and the break from the grind.

And another thing, I like being in the minority; serious character flaw I have.

[Aethn]

Why do TSkills?

Because its there.

[Danae]

Re: Hunting and Profits

Originally posted by Tejaye
If you spend so much time doing tradeskills, doesn't that cause you to level up slower since you are not hunting?

Yes indeed. But "fun" does not always equal "levelling as fast as possible". And why play a game if you're not having fun?

[Renjah]

K here is the BEST reason to do trade skills even if it isnt for cash..... rdy for it?




BECAUSE I CAN!!
Thats why I started thats why I still do them. Good enough reason for me

[Kytelae]

I've been playing since July of '99, and my highest level is 58 (nearly 59!). But I'm the ultimate casual player, and I do love tradeskills.

[Tejaye]

Cool

I am glad others feel the way I do. I am new to Tradeskills, and enjoy them. I just started fishing and got it to 145 (i just broke my Blessed Fishing Pole I was saving for the quest arrghh) and I got baking to 82. I plan to work on smithing and potterty too since items are needed for other tradeskills....oh yeah..........my decision to do other Tradeskills is that I needed Silk Thread to make my fishing flies........the thread was bein sold for 20 to 40pp per thread. I will becomd a tailor now.
btw- I have gotten burned out from the exp grind and I am glad others feel like I do.
I felt alone for a while

[Silvarri]

There are so many reasons, and its really different for everyone (^^^ see above)

One thing mentioned is experience grind. Session after session of 'MobXXX Incoming', 'OOM', 'Ready for a pull' gets so boring. Group after group... especially if you don't have a guild. Tradeskills help add 'flavor' to the game.... especially in a role-playing sense.

Personally, I like handing out fun items. Barbarian shaped cookies, beer, malted milk, random alchemy potions (there is just something about a warrior looking like they are casting a spell that makes me laugh..)

I also enjoy being a trader. I like to find out what items are in demand and I enjoy trying to figure out what would sell. The economy in EverQuest is so facinating. You know what, finally those economic classes I took are starting to make some sense.... And who said EQ was pointless??

Silvarri

[Traydex]

Well, this is the beginning of my second week of playing EQ, and from my first crafted silk thread, I knew I was going to be doing crafting in all my skills.

I chose Cazic Thule (sp?) server as it seemed as good as any other, and so far everyone has been extremely nice to the strange cleric casting random weak heals and buffs and asking a thousand questions about the game and world.

As corny as it sounds, I chose both Cleric and tradeskilling because I honestly like helping others any way I can. I know that somewhere down the road, I will have to sell my goods, but until then, if I can make it for cheap and give it away, I will. After all, when I need money,all I have to do is go out and earn the gold to keep doing what I enjoy.

So, I would like to thank all those who have helped me, and hopefully, if you're ever in the swamp we can swap a recipe or two..