Superstitions While Tradeskilling

[Carlo the Curious]

I'm not entirely sure whether this qualifies as a superstition, but when I'm making the master's bar/swatch for DoN smithing/tailoring, I do the combines one by one - my "logic" for this was that it gave the Salvage ability more chance to save the rare dopped component than if I bunged 6 of them in and pressed 'combine'...

iirc, the Salvage check is done individually for each item in the combine, so the number of items doesn't affect the chance of any particular item being recovered.

On GM combines I do the same thing though . Statistically the fail rates per swatch for single swatches and 6 swatches is probably the same over a large enough sample size, but losing 6 (or more usually 3) in one combine to the minimum fail rate kinda hurts.

[Ngreth Thergn]

iirc, the Salvage check is done individually for each item in the combine, so the number of items doesn't affect the chance of any particular item being recovered.

correct

[Catweazel]

After extensive testing of salvage, I can assure you there is a weighting system applied to each ingredient and the chance of salvaging it too:

1 point for each item you have stacks of or vendor supplied
1 point for each zone you have to cross in order to reach the vendor you thought you wouldn't have to go back to.
3 points for a fairly common drop item that you picked up in the bazaar, but you bought the last one
4 points for a fairly common drop item which was priced tremendously in the bazaar and was 1000% cheaper than the next available items
5 points for a subcombine item of mostly sub-combined vendor supplied materials - - also checks that you do not have the inventory space for the sub-combine
6 points for a rare / expensive item
8 points applied when you were convinced the skill up gods were about to give you a skill up had the combine ended successfully and it was your last combine in a set of 100
10 points for the most expensive, rare minority component that has never failed before, that you are making for a new customer.

p.s. holding the mouse backwards and in the left hand while clicking combine will actually improve the weighting in your favour

[Ivocare]

Only superstition I can think of is when I am trying for skill ups I shrink the text window (so I cant see that I did 150 combines with no skill up lol). And I cover up my skill lvl in the tradeskill container with a enlarged link of the appropriate trophy for the skill I am working on (Also so I cant see how many attempts did not result in a skill up)

After I do my 2-300 combines I remove the linked item and I feel better seeing a larger increase in skill without knowing exactly how many wasted combines I had between skill ups

[Rasky]

/rand 1023 till I get a number over 1000.....

When trying for skill-ups....

Also I don't do mass runs of things (well been doing groups of 40 on Star Ruby steins - but only have enough backpack space to do 15 in one run) and spread them out over days and switch off what I'm trying in-between.

I try and avoid buying any components for skilling up in bazaar (prices are insane).... Would rather use what I can get in groups or soling/duoing (which kind of limits me as a warrior).

I'm at 299 Pottery, 294 Smihting, 296 Jeweler and 274 Tailoring... Rest at 300.

Oh... I also don't charge folks for doing any kind of combine that might result in a skill-up where they are providing the items.

Rasky
Quell

PS I'm at the point were I refuse to farm green mobs (no more Othmirs for me, did that too much for fletching already).... so I guess I'm just way too patient in this most agravating quest. And why I don't just go spend a ton of cash buying up BDs everywhere. I am waiting for Ngreth to actually address the issues of drop rates on Master's Level DoN armor. So.... I'm not going to buy any more expansions until that is done (it appears BS has no great fix in this area either - which is depressing but also sways my vote for not buying the expansion).