Easiest to Hardest ...

[Bobaten]

Server transfers are also available to the dupers. In fact, since they could maximise their cash that way, its probably a better option for the dupers than it is for the innocent. Of course, I know Sony used to examine each character that transferred looking for large sums of cash, but I am not sure that is true anymore now that they automated the process.

[Catweazel]

Well I thought it was a great suggestion. I sent a tell to all the dupers on CT last night and told them Wyvernwill's server was untouched territory. Did I misunderstand the offer?

[Aldier]

Back on the topic of easiest to hardest skills.

I think Baking and Brewing are the easiest to max with no funds. If you have built up funds, then Jewelrycraft (before the upcoming revamp) is the easiest, or pottery. They are both just throw platinum at them until you reach 300.

I have not done alchemy, research, or poison making, so I can't speak on those.

Tailoring and Tinkering are about the same for me difficulty wise as I have tried to work them both up together. I had a simple path on Fletching so it was not that bad for me.

Baking/Brewing
Jewelrycraft/Pottery
Fletching
Smithing
Tailoring/Tinkering

I do not really distinguish between some as it depends on the resources available to you at the time. I even had to put my JC on hold for lack of funds and frustrations (600 straight GSCs without a skill up at 290) and when I built back up some more funds, I was able to finish it off.

[Kross]

hardest to easiest:

1. spell research
2. tailoring
3. smithing
4. tinkering
5. fletching
6. jewelcraft
7. pottery
8. baking
9. brewing

(never did poison making or alchemy)

[Syuni D'zpecyzczn]

Poisonmaking is easy, on par with brewing or baking, up to just around 250. Then the drops are rather fun to find if you're not backtracking through zones.

[Tyranthin]

I find it interesting how many people rank Tinkering so high. Prior to yesterday's patch, the combination of Sunshard and Yttrium made tinkering a fairly easy skillup path. I absolutely agree with the assessment on Spell Research though. Here is how I would rank them, from hardest to easiest:

1) Research (Anyone who has ever done it knows)
2) Fletching (Vendor buyable to 282, after that it just sucks for a non-ranger/druid)
3) Tailoring (Only ranked below Fletching because of the sunshard ore skillup path)
4) Smithing (MCS's are extremely time consuming with all of the subcombines)
5) Tinkering (May have to be adjusted with the change to cultural component availability)
6) Jewelcrafting (Vendor buyable to 290, sunshard ores to 300)
7) Pottery (Vendor buyable to 300, albiet not ridiculously cheap)
8) Brewing (Picking mushrooms isn't fun, but other than that, very easy)
9) Baking (Lots of subcombines, but they yield 10+ each)

Unfortunately, I have no personal experience with either Alchemy or Poisonmaking. Since I don't have an accurate assessment as to their difficulty, I had to leave them off of my list.

[Lennyn]

Tinkering was by far the most evil of all tradeskills until Sunshard Ore came out.

The non-stop farming in PoInnovation must have been thought of by some sick, perverted sadist dev.

[Wyvernwill]

I never understood why people farmed PoI for tinkering.. Sure woks, etc... but cultural... the chain was entirely vendor purchasable, where as plate required drops. Doing in the purchased way was a touch more expensive, but a joke for difficulty.

[RogueGoddess]

Hardest (cost, time, rarity of ingredients)
1. Tinkering
2. Tailoring
3. Smithing
4. Jewelcraft
5. Fletching
6. Poison
7. Pottery
8. Brewing
9. Baking
Easiest

[goopotato]

Researching

Hardest (cost, time, rarity of ingredients)
1. Tinkering
2. Tailoring
3. Smithing
4. Jewelcraft
5. Fletching
6. Poison
7. Pottery
8. Brewing
9. Baking
Easiest

Researching would be somewhere near Tinkering and Tailoring (although I GM'd tinkering first out of everything, go figure).