The SOF Tradeskill Quest!

[RymeEM]

I have seen them drop very rarely everywhere in the zone, but when I have camped the mobs in the big huge open room on the west side, they seemed to drop like candy - mostly from the steamworks there it seemed. Got about 4-5 of each color there in an hour +. Elsewhere in the zone I seemed to average 1 per hour.

Thanks will give it a shot after raids tonight. I must have cleared the area with four reactors for 6 hours today and not one dropped.

[Aldier]

Group was camping up in the Foundry area working on the sublime aug task and we had 2 yellows drop in about 45minutes of fighting.

[Calahan]

Caster version not bard usable?

Hello,

I am currently at the 5th task for this quest, and enjoy it (just need to get a group together again to kill some undead in Hills of Shade).

Regarding the final item with the mana regen, I am wondering though, why it is not bard usable? Hybrids got the option to use the caster version, however, bards are the only hybrids that are excluded. I would really prefer the mana regen from this item over the health regen - mana regen items are hard to get.

That is one reason why I had been using my Coldain Prayer Shawl in the past for a long long time, because of the 3 Flowing Thought.

I do not see, why bards should get an overly benefit from this, since even the Coldain Prayer Shawl had three mana regen at the time, and this item only has 2 mana regen.

It would be great if you could consider this, Ngreth.

Thanks for the great work,

Cal

[Phelis]

......It does not matter what has been done before, yadda yadda.....

Reguardless. Getting all of your tradeskills to levels in excess of 250 is no small task. Getting them to 300/ALL even more so.

Why is it that for such a massive undertaking it is to level all of your tradeskills, that the reward for the tradeskill quest(which in and of itself is no small matter) is so gimp?

I won't argue or debate, and i'll be happy with my finished product for this quest, if from nothing else pride of ownership, but im just curious why exceptions cannot be made in the reward for a quest that has pre reqs which require such a MASSIVE undertaking.

[Pootle]

I am going to be on holiday from tomorrow (Fri 14th) untill new years eve!

I will try to update the walkthrough if I get time! I may do a rewrite if i can download the whole thread into word.

Have a great Frostfell everyone and GL with the quest!

[thestormes]

I've been in Steam Factory for 5 days now. I tried various areas, various killing groups and I give up. Even with the respawn changes there's no way I can clear a "room" so if there's some trick to this someone please reply or PM me so other people can figure it themselves if they want.

I've tried two areas. First was here in the far, far, NE corner.



Is this even possible to combine here? Not that it matters since I can't clear the full room. Although if it is, I could try and get another group to help clear as at least it is easy to pull the room.

So, I moved to where I suspect it's meant and has been talked about.



Again, no way to clear the room because of density and splitting time. I assumed you need to clear one of the four "rooms", for example the one in the yellow box. Then I thought maybe I only had to kill the operators at one panel (for example the red box) and some mobs around the generator and within 50 units of where I could stand. That didn't work.

So, any advice would be appreciated.

[Ngreth Thergn]

I've been in Steam Factory for 5 days now. I tried various areas, various killing groups and I give up. Even with the respawn changes there's no way I can clear a "room" so if there's some trick to this someone please reply or PM me so other people can figure it themselves if they want.

I've tried two areas. First was here in the far, far, NE corner.



Is this even possible to combine here? Not that it matters since I can't clear the full room. Although if it is, I could try and get another group to help clear as at least it is easy to pull the room.

So, I moved to where I suspect it's meant and has been talked about.



Again, no way to clear the room because of density and splitting time. I assumed you need to clear one of the four "rooms", for example the one in the yellow box. Then I thought maybe I only had to kill the operators at one panel (for example the red box) and some mobs around the generator and within 50 units of where I could stand. That didn't work.

So, any advice would be appreciated.

your picture is the correct idea.

Did you try on Wednesday or later after the patch to see how respawn changes helped?

Also check those sub rooms for which has the lowest population, that will of course be the easiest.

It definitely does have to be one of the 4 generators in the lower picture you gave. The other picture is not a valid room. The quest text says the "main power generating room" which is the one with 4 generators in it.

[Archus]

That is the room I cleared. I know Ngreth says some other rooms have lower density, and I didn't really scout them out with invis, but I know the density of the 2 eastern rooms, and even if the western rooms have half the mobs, I don't see where you could safely start a camp actually INSIDE one of the rooms. You would get aggro from the entire room (or most of it) the minute you pulled, so you'd need an enchanter (probably two). Next time I'm in Steam Factory, I'll invis up and do a full scout job.

Having said all that, I already posted that (pre-increased respawn rate) it took 1 full group and 1/2 a bot group of Demi-geared toons to clear the room, and (just barely) give enough time for two people to run up and do the combines before repops. Now, you will not get it cleared on your first pass due to time needed for splitting, but once the initial room is 'broken', you should be able to have time on the second or third pass to do the combines. Again, this was all pre-patch. It may be easier now and doable with a single Demi-geared group. Camping at the end of the east hallway seemed safest for us. Gives the puller plenty of room. Hope this helps.

[tank287]

Density in those rooms has not changed. Mob repop time did not change. Checked several other spots (cogswheel brownies near ZI) and no repop time change. So no change in the steamfactory in regards to what was posted in patch notes.

[thestormes]

That would explain things then. Ok, I know where I am supposed to be but it's my opinion that it's not 1 groupable - certainly not with non raid toons/weapons. You're looking at killing around 20 mobs. Once I finally broke the room, I wasn't even close to clearing it before they respawned on me today.

[Archus]

That would explain things then. Ok, I know where I am supposed to be but it's my opinion that it's not 1 groupable - certainly not with non raid toons/weapons. You're looking at killing around 20 mobs. Once I finally broke the room, I wasn't even close to clearing it before they respawned on me today.

Yah, as I said in my earlier and more detailed post, its 18 mobs and 20 minutes seemed to be the respawn timer (it may have been 18 - I didn't time it exactly), and this was barely doable by 6 toons and 3 bots - Demi-geared.

[Brael]

That is the room I cleared. I know Ngreth says some other rooms have lower density, and I didn't really scout them out with invis, but I know the density of the 2 eastern rooms, and even if the western rooms have half the mobs, I don't see where you could safely start a camp actually INSIDE one of the rooms. You would get aggro from the entire room (or most of it) the minute you pulled, so you'd need an enchanter (probably two). Next time I'm in Steam Factory, I'll invis up and do a full scout job.

If you can't safely start a camp from a room other than the south eastern room you could always try starting there and crawling towards the west. It would take you a bit longer to reach the area but at the same time it would allow your group to break it somewhat safely. Also, if I remember NPC placement in that area correctly there's a couple spots with two or fewer mobs. If you have a Bard they could hold both mezzed while the group moves in and begins to kill.

[tank287]

Yah, as I said in my earlier and more detailed post, its 18 mobs and 20 minutes seemed to be the respawn timer (it may have been 18 - I didn't time it exactly), and this was barely doable by 6 toons and 3 bots - Demi-geared.

Felt like 13 mins last night when they was beating me like a step child. Wouldn't be so bad if they wouldn't chain cast their little single target DDs (much hate for wrench toss and that other one the suits throw out, be nice if they were interruptable ffs), once slowed they're not too harsh just when they proc their proc a couple 3 times back to back makes it invigorating. Have to go back tonite and finish gathering the 4 gems for guildy will try to time it. I seem to drink more and more each time going back in this zone so will probably come out XXX beer-thirty give or take a tick lol.

EDIT: Mobs in centerish of zone were repopping in about 20mins but the further out from center you got they rolled back to the 13 min timer.

[Archus]

If you can't safely start a camp from a room other than the south eastern room you could always try starting there and crawling towards the west. It would take you a bit longer to reach the area but at the same time it would allow your group to break it somewhat safely. Also, if I remember NPC placement in that area correctly there's a couple spots with two or fewer mobs. If you have a Bard they could hold both mezzed while the group moves in and begins to kill.

I'm not sure which part of the rooms you mean, but I have found assist radius to be annoyingly large. Thats why I didn't think there was any area that could be invis'd to and broken. A crawl might work, but if you are having problems keeping mobs down, crawling could be deadly if you get repopped on at a bad time.

[Brael]

A crawl would be deadly if you're repopped on sure, that's why you have to keep moving if you were to do that but at the same time... it's less deadly than trying to break the easiest room in all likelyhood. Next time I'm in there (probably later tonight) I'll take another look at mob placement for those spots with fewer things to deal with.