Looking for a little guidance

[Madison]

As someone who has just returned to EQ after quiting about two years ago, I am feeling very overwhelmed with all the changes to tradeskills. When I quit my character had max tradeskill axp and skills in everything. Sadly I gave the account away and am unable to get it back so I'm starting over again!

Anyway I was basically looking for some direction/guidance to what would be useful to read that would help explain all the changes and kind of point me in the right direction. I've been poking through the forums for the past couple days but a lot of it just confuses me more

Any help is appreciated - thanks so much!

[Luvimt]

I dont think there is a guide to whats changed anywhere, so i'll try and summarise a few. (This is still the best TS site btw).

The best change is the tradeskill UI, if you press control while right clicking TS container you can chose a recipe and click combine. Although you do have to add many recipes by succeeding on the combine the old-fashioned way first.

TS caps are now 300 but you can only take 1 of the non race/class related TS's beyond 200 without the TS (Tanaan) Aa's. So chose your first TS > 200 wisely.
Other Aa's for TS are salvage (which gives you a chance to not lose items in a failed combine) and Mastery Aa's which improve your chance of success at lower skills.

The skill-up formula has been changed, evening out the hell-levels at around 190 and introducing hell-levels to ?220-300.

There are many new recipes, of note are: DoN cultural armour (BS, tailoring and tinkering - note - race discrimination - chose a shissar scale using race, dont chose a reptile hide race!); Augments (JC, Alchemy, PM, BS possibly Tinkering et al with DoD); Elixirs (Alchemy); Teas and tonics (Brewing) and PoP/GoD spells (Spell research).

Abysmal Sea is probably the best zone to TS in now and there are quests there that can take you to 54 and allow you to make use of some GoD TS drops.

You can still make money from TS's although most are very costly to max (brewing and baking cheap). Fletching is a major problem for most as components for 283+ are incredibly rare. Tailoring is also a difficult path for those without a DoN option - othmir farming gets old very quickly.

Well, I cant think of anything else, here's a great guide to skiling up though
http://mboards.eqtraders.com/eq/showthread.php?t=20597

Good luck

[Ishwar]

I recently returned myself after a long break. I simply browsed the recipy section of the expansions I had missed. Worked fine. I didnt have to skill up though.

[Ngreth Thergn]

The skill-up formula has been changed, evening out the hell-levels at around 190 and introducing hell-levels to ?220-300.

the "Hell" levels do not start until 272... 272 = the old way (on AVERAGE 20 combines per skillup... remember you milage may vary) up to ON AVERAGE 40 at 299 (remember your milage may vary!)

[Madison]

I dont think there is a guide to whats changed anywhere, so i'll try and summarise a few. (This is still the best TS site btw).

Thanks for all the great information Luvimt, I appreciate it!

The other thing that confuses me is all the augments and stuff that builds into better augments etc. Like the different stones and master stuff.

I understand how to apply augments, how to remove them etc. I guess I'm having trouble with what skills make what and what goes on what. Is there some sort of guide/site for this?

I kind of get the basic of the different master symbols go on the different pieces of cultural armour. Also the different stones seem to cost hundreds of thousands of plat in the bazaar I guess due to super rare components?

[Tyfold]

In short:

Tradeskill (OoW) augments drop off any OoW mob in any OoW zone. The stat ones end in 'flow, and the ones with effects like strikethrough mostly end in 'ite, with some exceptions.

A jeweller can cut this stone into Brilliant or Radiant cut, with double and triple stats/effect respectively.

An alchemist OR poison-maker can then mark it with an effect (mostly focus effects). This is the expensive part, as it requires a discordant scoriae and slugworms. VERY rare drops in the higher OoW zones.
The mark can be Minor, regular or Pure, with appropriate strengths of effects. There is an OoW augment generator somewhere but I've lost the link.

[Stryyker]

OoW Augmentation Generator

There's the OoW Augmentation Generator, it's a great tool to use.

[Silverfish]

In Slightly Longer

To give the slightly expanded OoW augment and master/GM augment information:


For OoW augments: As Tyfold stated, there are two kinds. Flowstones (boneflow, shadowflow) give plus 4 to some stat or resist. Gemstones (tourmaline, apatite, howlite) give a boost to some benefit (mana regen, hit points, stun resist, damage shield). There are then three steps to upgrading these augments.

Step 1: Cutting. A jewelcrafter can cut any flowstone or gem augment to brilliant or radiant cut, doubling or tripling its benefit. A radiant cut flowstone gives plus 12 to the stat/resist, and a radiant gem gives triple benefit (radiant citrine gives plus 6 DS where regular gives plus 2).

Step 2: Marking. An alchemist or poisoncrafter can add a minor mark to any of these stones. The expensive part to add a minor mark to a flowstone is slugworms, and the part for gemstones is trean flies. These marks add effects, like focus effects or dodge or strikethrough and so on. All focus effects are level 3, and all other effects are level 1.

Step 3: Boosting. After a stone is marked, an alchemist or poisoncrafter can boost the mark. To boost a minor to regular takes dust of discord. To boost a minor to pure takes discordant scoriae. You can't boost to regular and then on to pure, you must choose one. Boosting focus effects to regular makes them level 4, and to pure makes them level 5. Boosting effects to regular takes them to level 2, and to pure makes them level 3.

So, to give an example, I could take a citrine (DS plus 2) and have it cut to radiant, then marked using trean flies with Quickening (spell haste 3), and then boosted with dust of discord, and when I'm done, I'll have a Radiant Citrine of Quickening (DS plus 6 and Spell Haste 4).

Now, for master/GM augments, they're made by cultural smiths and tailors. To make the items, you need to run a master or GM quest to get your cultural master or GM pattern book. The quests are described in the cultural recipes section of the site. Once you have the book, you can make patterns, and from them you make the augments (which are all type 11). The augments are slot specific and deity specific but not race or class, so you can make a Grandmaster Legging symbol of Growth for example (GM level, legs slot, Tunare-only) which will fit any leg armor with a type 11 slot, and will make the armor piece Tunare-only. Agnostic characters use symbols of the Skeptic. In our example, the GM legging symbol of growth would be useable by a High Elf enchanter, a Wood Elf warrior (who worships Tunare) or a Human Druid (again, Tunare worshipping). Augments of any deity can be made by anyone, so you can build augments that you can't personally use. All DoN augments are attuneable, so once they're inserted, they become NO TRADE. Recipes are listed in the smithing and tailoring sections, and symbols made by tailors and smiths are identical. It's just the recipes that are trade-specific.

Silverfish

[Madison]

You guys are amazing - I really appreciate all the information - thank you!

[Verdandi]

We also have a page explaining the OoW augment system: Omens of War Tradeskilled Augments