Skill Caps On Tradeskills

[Thunderheart]

Anyone know why they put skill caps based on level on poison making and alchemy? Not sure if there is one on tinkering or not. When there isn't one on the other seven trade skills?

Also, why does salvage have a level requirement?

Just curious, because I dread powerleveling my rogue so I can get Poison Making to 250, and Salvage 3, hahaha.

Thanks,

[Celestya]

Personally I think they put the level requirement on salvage because they knew it was the only way to force most of us die-hard tradeskillers to level. They actually want me to leave my safe little grassy hill in PoK and venture forth....and spend an extra however many months gaining that experience.
As if the 100+ AAs for the masteries weren't going to keep me busy enough.

[Moraganth]

Because, as if often talked about, alchemy, poison making, and tinkering are more in line with a class skill than a tradeskill in learning... they're restricted to a single class (or race, as tinkering is).

I'm suprised the question coming from a 1750, really...

[Trellium]

Because, as if often talked about, alchemy, poison making, and tinkering are more in line with a class skill than a tradeskill in learning... they're restricted to a single class (or race, as tinkering is).

I'm suprised the question coming from a 1750, really...

Ok, am I missing something or does this not answer the question of why the caps are in place, nor why salvage is level capped? Since I am more of a 17 tradeskiller than 1750, I assume its ok for me to ask dumb questions.

[Serenya]

It's because they aren't 'tradeskills' per se, they are class skills, and thus goverened by the same rules as other class skills in that the cap goes up 5 per level. Now, the fact that they all have different starting levels, starting amounts, and some odd variations is a different matter, and I suspect it is because that initially they had more utility then the pure tradeskills. (I'm talking 5 years ago here).

As for the salvage levels, I dont' know, that irks me actually.

[Tillinghast]

Well, the answer still doesn't address fishing being capped at 200, but I infer from it that fishing as well as class skills are not true tradeskills in the classic sense. Therefore SOE decided to impose an arbitrary limit on those skills to differentiate them from "true" tradeskills.

As far as asking dumb questions, I personally am fine with that. I feel everyone should be allowed 15 minutes a day to be dumb. Spending it all in one place isn't a good idea though.

Tillinghast
Vendor Mule
and Purveyor of Dumb Answers

[Moraganth]

Nothing generally wrong with asking questions. If a question has been asked, and answered many many times, then asking it yet again, without reading the answeres put up before is, well, you will get people that will tell you it's wrong, but it's generally more lazy than wrong.

Now, most times this subject has come up, it's been buried in a post about something else.. so searching might not yield the results that give you the answeres you want, however, for someone to have worked all 7 of the "true" (as you put it) tradeskills up, the difference between them and restricted skills... well, should have been noticed quite some time ago.

All that said... there are different types of skills in EQ (no really, there are). They are also different in how they're handled by the server as well, including skilling them up.

In general.....

combat abilities - these are weapon skill, kick, taunt, throwing things like that that are given to multiple (or all) classes. They go up based on dexterity, and are level limited.

general skills - these aren't combat oriented, but consist of kinda.. background skills. Alcohol tolerance, fishing, swimming, begging... i think that's it (feel free to insert whatever i forgot). The are level restricted, but available to eveyone, and are all capped at 200.

tradeskills - open to anyone, baking, brewing, fletching, jewelry, pottery, smithing, and tailoring. They are tiered, capping at 200, then with aa they can go to 250 (except you can take one skill to 250 without using aa). They aren't level limited, and their skillup is based on intelligence or wisdom (whichever is higher), with a secondary stat for a couple of them.. strength for smithing, dexterity for fletching (don't remember offhand if any others are confirmed to have a secondary stat).

racial restricted skills - One skill, tinkering, is restricted by race. Only gnomes may do it. It's level capped, and i assume it uses intelligence or wisdom as a skillup stat (never played a gnome, so i can't really say).

class restricted - There are two skill that are restricted to classes, poison making (rogues.. i so wanted to type rouges..) and alchemy (shaman). These are level capped, and again i assume skillups are based off intel or wisdom (for poison making.. it does have a secondary stat of dexterity), and wisdom (for shaman).

archtype skills (for want of a better description) - Research is a restricted skill given only to the 4 intelligence classes, chanter, mage, necro, and wizzie. It's level capped, and required to gain some of those classes spells along the level 16-49 progression. It is restricted to class via the container, one class cannot use the others container to make something... but it's the same skill for all classes.

languages - these are open to anyone, and learning them i assume is based off intelligence or wisdom. they are not level capped, and can only be learned from another player, or directly from your guildmaster through build points.

I think that's basically it. There's some special combat skills that are given to only one class (take monks for example), but those are generally like the general combat skills.. except restricted by class, and levels.

As for the appearantly biggest question here.. Ultimately, the reason that there are caps, restrictions and such is because of one easy reason... that is how the game designers made them.

Feel free to add any groupings of skills i've missed over, as i think i'm half asleep... at least, half of me thinks i am.

[Thunderheart]

I posted the question, more to start a discussion than ask the question really. Seems to have worked.

Was hoping to get a response from someone from SOE.

Also, another dumb question, why did only enchanters get Jewel Craft Mastery? I know they are the only class that can enchant metal, but most of the new high end jewelry does not require enchanted metal. When they decided to give the other trade skills a mastery AA option, they should have refunded the enchanters the AA and made this an AA that everyone could get.

[Verdandi]

Btw...

Was hoping to get a response from someone from SOE.

...while SOE folks do wander through here often and sometimes will post, the best place to talk directly to them is the Everquest Live Forums which are run by SOE. Specifically, the Artisan's Way (Tradeskills) forum may be good. You're welcome to keep discussing this here if discussion from the community is what you want. The devs may opt to chime in. But if it's the devs that you really want, their boards are the best place to go.

[Boleslav]

Tinkering is a bit odd. It starts at 50, and can't be raised at all until 16th level. But after that I don't think it is level-limited. Could be wrong...

Also, the Jewelcraft AA thing has really been beaten to death here. The devs are painfully aware of the situation. Discussing it further here is not likely to change any opinions over there.

Boleslav Forgehammer
Paladin of Brell in his 66th Campaign
E'ci - Sacred Desitny

[Sanadila]

No, tinkering isn't level limited once you reach 16. I have my little lvl 24 gnome on FV with tinkering over 200. *sighs* Now if I could just manage that with her reincarnation on Test. She's 52 and *still* doesn't have tinkering over 110.l