How do I find a skillup path with systematic research?

[Anja]

My spell research is at 193, and since the institution of the new "systematic" spell research I've been unable to increase it. Is there a way to skill up for those of us who weren't at max skill prior to the change?

I've been collecting components as I play for several months now. My collection is one of this, two of that, five of something else, and not enough of anything to make a worthwhile tradeskill run. Checking Bazaar, most of the components that are available sell in triple digits and are, likewise, one or two of this and a few of that.

I can't make the level 65 GoD spell I need due to the high trivial (351) compared to my current skill, and I can't figure out a skillup path to save my life. Any of the spells I'd normally make (level 61 and 62 PoP spells) to skill up are extremely expensive to make compared to their vendor cost, and no one is willing to buy those in Bazaar when the Ethereal Parchments to obtain them by quest routinely rot.

What am I missing? Is there a post explaining this process somewhere? Is there a skillup path in all the confusing subcombines?

[Amaljia]

You should try the new binding powders. If you do a search for binding powder on the site you should get quite a big list. Look around and see which is the most appropriate for your skill and start getting the specific binding powder. They drop more frequently from caster mobs and are on a global loot table. The combines you do with 1 binding powder can net you 2 skill ups if you're lucky. They are inexpensive (if you farm your own) and much more easier than actual spells

Hope this is making sense..it's 5 am here so my brains still fuzzy :P

[Anja]

Thank you so much! It does make sense and is exactly what I was looking for!

[Windru]

research skill up path

I too just found the binding powder path. I was relying on gathering hides, but was going broke making the subcombines for the spells (I was about 206 when I learned about the powders). Since then, my chanter has gone up to 241 making the Enchanted Spell Parchment. I have now graduated to the Refined Enchanted Spell Parchment.
As you will find on this site, you will have to make 1 spell (or if you like to be complete, 2 spells, the single cast and the Mass cast). I usually just make the Mass Focus xxx Spellcaster's Empowering Essence. It allows you to make 5 essences at a time, instead of casting the single spell 5 times.

You said you were 193 skill (iirc). You might be trivial with the Simple Binding Powder, so the next step is normal "Binding Powder". It is the dropped component for the "Enchanted Spell Parchment". This result is a blank parchment similar to "A Piece of Parchment".

You then use the resulting "Enchanted Spell Parchment" with a "Quill of the Archane" and a corresponding "Ink of..." to make an expendable scroll named "Scroll of..."
Scroll of Static Strike uses "Ink of Druzzil Ro"
Frost Strike - "Ink of E'ci"
Fire Strike - "Ink of Ro"
Scroll of Poisoning - "Ink of Saryrn"
Scroll of Pestilence - "Ink of Bertoxxulous"

Each of those Scrolls gives you the 2nd chance at a skill up as was mentioned by Amaljia.

I would use up whatever batch of Binding Powders that I came across, then convert them into the Pestilence scroll (which is the highest trivial of the scrolls). This took me to 236 after I hit 232 using the bp's. Then I switched over to the next one, Refined Binding Powder. With my next batch of 20 RBP (I tend to work in batches of 20, but that's just me), I got to 241 making Refined Enchanted Spell Parchment and Refined Scroll of Static Strike.

Windru Peacekeaper - 61 druid
Bofor Shinystone - 63 enchanter
Cazic server

[Rawlden]

If you can't farm enough powders to make a decent run, the other option is to use the Bazaar. I know on Drinal and Xegony people are asking outrageous prices for Refined and Intricate powders (some are on the order of 3-4K!) but if you go into buyer mode and offer a reasonalble price you will get some for a lot less than what the sellers are asking.

Don't bother collecting or buying anything beyond Intricate. (i.e. ornate, runed etc,) Intricate Binding Powders will take you to 300 (312 is the triv on the Intricate Enchanted Spell Parchment) but you have to be 65 before you can make the spell to make the Intricate essences. And Refined Scroll of Pestilence can take you to 295.

[Flaight]

I don't know about you guys, but... from 230 ish it got SO slow... painfully slow. When I go through 1 stack of BPs (that's 50), sometimes I only get 0 to 2 skill ups, rarely 4-5. Jesus! That meant the Refined BP part alone took anything between 6 to 9 stacks (lost count). Obviously the earlier part is a bit better as you can make Strike line after making the Enchanted scrolls, so you can kinda double the progress, but once you get over that it's a torture.

The funny side of it, though, is that I use those Strike scrolls for a laugh. The other day I was chain clicking the whole 50 of them on a mob in a group and everybody was like WTF Somebody thought it was a DoT.

You know what's weird though. Those strikes have pretty high level cap for clicking on them, and I'm thinking, by the time you reach that cap they're useless. They only do like triple 10 or so damage. I can't get my head around the mindset of this design.

Anyway, I digress....

[Dvinn]

Forget about farming binding powders...fawget aboud it!

Just hit all the merchants you can after a patch or PoK zone reset. Also the merchants in out of the way zones like sunderock can be good. Learn where all the vendors are. PoT, Katta, Gunthak...are just a few of my favorite haunts. Sometimes I spend more time vendor diving then playing EQ.

Skill ups are too weird. I've always believed the RNG is broken. To get around it I usually do 5 combines then either buy or sell something to a vendor, I've found that I often get a skillup right after using the vendor.

[Windru]

acquiring powders

I usually take my 61 druid on a run through South Ro, slaughter the sandies near the oasis, loot all, head to north ro, and repeat the killing on the sandies near the sro zone line. Then I head to commonlands and track for hillies there.
I save the FS weapons for my alts who are doing smithing, (basically free HQ ore), sell the junk, and on 1 circle of SRO to CL, I can get 300-500 pp at a time. Since I am a druid, I hit all the vendors near the druid port spots, looking for any binding powders. Mostly, I will pick up refined or better for my 63 chanter, who is 251 research now as of this writing. After vendor diving, I'll hit the baz with whatever cash I have left from that run, I'll look to buy out what I can afford.
Flaight, I think you had a bad run with the RNG; or else my chanter had a great run...his latest batch of 40 refined powders netted 39 successes, and those 39 netted 38 refined scrolls, with a total of 10 skill ups to 251.