When to start BD cultural?

[TheCraftyBard]

Hello, everyone... long-time forum troll here, but first-time poster. Before I ask my question, I'd like to send out a huge thanks anyone reading who is responsible for keeping this site up and running. Without EQTraders, tradeskilling would simply be a frustrating, tiring, boring, time-consuming waste of EQ play time. Thanks to this site, however... it's still all those things, but to a lesser degree.

My question is... what is a good skill level to start attempting the "new" (BD) cultural combines, and expect a reasonable degree of success? My smithing skill is 195 (base, I've got a Geerlock too), and he's a High Elf Wizard... if you're curious.

There's no shortage of blue diamonds on vendors nowadays, and spending an hour or so killing orcs in Crystal Caverns to get Velium doesn't bother me. Foraging for Morning Dew is a royal headache... though I've got a Ranger with a forage skill of 115, holding a Foraging Machette, so clicking the hotkey every minute or two while keping myself busy in another window (MSN Messanger, Solitaire, etc) is no big deal either.

In other words, a few failures per success are fine. Simply producing the armor for friends and twinks is my eventual goal, much more important than seeing the magic 250 pop up, or making money in the Plane of Bazaar.

Nothing has made me happier than being able to pull decent armor for my friends out of nowhere for so little cost. I think that's why smithing is my skill of choice.... either that, or I'm just a glutton for punishment.

Thanks in advance.

[Zacatac]

I would recommend you do some Imbued Koada'dal Mithril items first before you start into the BD sets.

Even at 250+ GM hammer, I can have bad days. Last night 0/2 on BP and 1/2 on legs.

[Ndaara]

i had planned to wait for 230 skill with my high elf smith but i got impatient. I started BD cultural at 213 skill and haven't stopped yet =) success rate was low, but i did have success. I was correct that 230 skill would make the success rate much closer to tolerable. The RNG hates my poor mage (she's the smith) so if SHE can make stuff with decent success, ANYONE else should do fine!

ps: i do have my actual smithing stats from 212-237 (current skill). i'll post em if you'd like to see.

[Bennan]

I would like to see them Ndaara. I am at 225, and gunning for 230 as a skill level to start making BD myself.

[Ndaara]

you got it =) i also found my notes from 203-207 but i apparently wiped 208-211 from existence. Must have been great fun =)

if i abbreviated anything oddly, just ask. it all makes sense to me =)

203 skill - 6/19/02

koada dal mithril armor:
boot imb/ench - 3/4
legs imb/ench - 4/6
legs ench - 1/1
girdle imb/ench - 1/1
bracer ench - 1/1
vambraces imb/ench - 3/4
pauldron ench - 1/1
bp imb/ench 5/5
visor imb/ench 1/1

mistletoe sickles - 2/20

helm imb/ench - 2/2
gloves imb/ench - 3/3
cloak imb/ench - 1/1
bracer imb/ench - 2/2
pauldron imb/ench - 1/1

chain tunic imb/ench - 1/1
chain neck imb/ench - 1/1
chain legs imb/ench - 1/1

gorget imb/ench - 1/1

shadowscream collar - 26/29

acrylia plate bracer - 1/1
acrylia plate greaves - 1/1
acrylia plate visor - 1/1
acrylia plate vambraces - 0/1

204 skill - 11/10/02

shadowscream collar - 18/18
acrylia plate bracer - 1/1

205 skill - 11/10/02

acrylia plate boots - 1/1
acrylia plate gloves - 1/1
acrylia plate vambraces - 1/2
acrylia plate greaves 4/5
acrylia bp 3/3
acrylia plate collar - 1/1
acrylia plate helm 1/1
acrylia plate visor 1/1

koada imb/ench boots 2/2
koada imb/ench helm 2/2
koada imb/ench pauldron 2/2
koada imb/ench vamb 3/3
koada imb/ench gauntlet 1/1
koada imb/ench bracer 1/1
koada imb/ench collar 1/1
koada imb/ench visor 1/1
koada imb/ench girdle 1/1
koada imb/ench greaves 4/4
koada imb/ench cloak 2/2
koada imb/ench bp 2/3

206 skill - 2/5/03

koada imb/ench gauntlets 1/1
koada imb/ench bracer 1/1
koada imb/ench greaves 0/1

207 skill - 2/5/03

koada imb/ench bp 0/1
koada imb/ench greaves 1/1

208 skill - 2/5/03

212 skill - 4/10/03

acrylia plate greaves 5/5
acrylia bp 5/5
shadowscream collar 11/11
shadowscream bracer 3/3

213 skill - 5/22/03

acrylia plate greaves 5/5
acrylia bp 4/4
imbued koada bp 3/3
imbued koada greaves 3/3
blessed full mithril bp 1/3 !!!
shadowscream boots 6/8
tae ew chain tunic 1/2 (wysp)
tae ew chain legs 1/2 (wysp)
tae ew chain boots 0/2
mistletoe cutting sickles 1/8

214 skill - 6/1/03

mistletoe cutting sickles 4/10
acrylia plate greaves 4/4

215 skill - 6/10/03

acrylia plate greaves 4/4
blessed full mithril bp 2/3 !!!
blessed full mithril bracer 0/1
imbued/ench koada bp 3/3
imbued/ench koada vambraces 1/1
blessed full mithril greaves 0/2
blessed full mithril boots 0/1
tae ew chain legs 2/3
tae ew chain tunic 1/1
imbued/ench koada boots 1/1
imb/ench koada helm 1/1

216 skill - 6/30/03 !

imb/ench koada greaves 1/1
blessed full mithril visor 0/1
imb/ench koada helm 1/1
blessed full mithril bracer 1/1

217 skill - 6/30/03 !!

blessed fm boots 1/1
blessed fm gorget 0/1

218 skill - 6/30/03 !!!

blessed fm gorget 1/4
blessed fm visor 1/2
blessed fm greaves 1/3

219 skill - 6/30/03 !!!!

blessed fm boots 0/1
imb/ench koada bp 1/1
imb/ench koada bracer 1/1
imb/ench koada pauldron 1/1
blessed fm bracer 1/6
blessed fm bp 1/1
blessed fm vambraces 1/3
blessed fm gauntlets 0/3
mistletoe cutting sickles 3/13

220 skill - 7/3/03

mistletoe cutting sickles 2/7

221 skill - 7/3/03

blessed fm bracer 1/3
blessed fm boot 0/1
blessed fm collar 0/1
large acrylia plate bp 1/1

222 skill - 7/5/03

large acrylia plate bp 6/6
large acrylia plate greaves 6/7
sm acrylia plate bp 6/7
sm acrylia plate greaves 5/5
blessed fm boots 2/9
blessed fm bracer 0/5 blargh
blessed fm gauntlet 1/2
blessed fm bp 1/5
acrylia plate bp 3/3
acrylia plate greaves 3/3

223 skill - 7/18/03

small acrylia plate greaves 2/2
mistletoe sickles 8/35

224 skill - 7/23/03

mistletoe sickles 22/53
acrylia plate greaves 5/7
full mithril greaves 1/3
full mithril bp 1/3
full mithril bracer 3/3
full mithril boots 0/1
full mithril pauldron 1/1
shadowscream collar 17/17
acrylia bp 2/2

225 skill - 9/4/03

mistletoe sickles 3/11

226 skill - 9/4/03

mistletoe sickles 1/6

227 skill - 9/6/03

mistletoe sickles 2/4

228 skill - 9/6/03

mistletoe sickles 9/28
blessed fm boots 1/2
blessed fm bp 2/3
blessed fm hat 0/4
blessed fm greaves 2/4
large acrylia plate greaves 6/8
large acrylia splinted cloak 1/1 TRIVIAL
large acrylia bp 1/1
blessed fm arms 2/3

229 skill - 9/10/03

mistletoe sickles 1/8

230 skill - 9/10/03

mistletoe sickles 2/3

231 skill - 9/10/03

mistletoe sickles 9/32
acrylia plate greaves 6/7

232 skill - 9/12/03

acrylia plate greaves 12/13
mistletoe sickles 18/31

233 skill - 9/14/03

mistletoe sickles 20/44

234 skill - 9/21/03

mistletoe sickles 9/19

235 skill - 9/24/03

mistletoe sickles 4/5

236 skill - 9/24/03

mistletoe sickles 1/1
imbued koada'dal mithril cuirass - 2/2
imbued koada'dal mithril greaves - 1/1 TRIVIAL
imbued koada'dal mithril cloak - 1/1 TRIVIAL
blessed FM BP - 1/1
blessed FM Greaves - 1/6
blessed FM boots 1/1
blessed FM hat 1/1

237 skill - 9/26/03

blessed FM Belt - 0/1
blessed FM Pauldron 1/1
blessed FM vambraces 0/1
blessed FM bracer 2/2
mistletoe sickles 12/20

edit: my .sig's a bit out of date, sorry hehe

[Meirril]

Just sharing my opinion. If you can afford it, skip doing Koda'dal armor. Making a bracer takes 5 and 1/2 morning dew (this is a 1 sheet combine) compaired to the 1 and 1/2 moring dew you'll use on a BD cultural combine. Also, velium bricks you can farm and are priced alot lower than bricks of Mithril. While the cost of a BD cutlural anything is higher than a Koda'dal armor peice, I think the extremely difficult to get morning dew is alot more valuable.

p.s. if there are any people trying to sell essense of moonlight on your server for more than 20pp, don't give them any business. Now that people are actualy hunting zones that drop it, the value should go down not remain high. I'm waiting for the people who are trying to sell 200+ of them to realize their vendor loot.

[Ndaara]

I agree, Meirril. Morning Dew is why I started Blessed Mithril so early. I could easily buy all the Blue Diamonds I wanted from NPC merchants, but even with a foraging mule up a many hours each week I still couldn't keep enough in stock to work on koada'dal armor.

That darn Dew is what had me in tears, took us almost a year to save up 4 stacks of the stuff, and then 7 attempts at koada armor used up 3 of the stacks. Bleh.

Mostly that Koada armor is commission only. I do keep a couple of pieces on my bazaar trader but they move very slowly.

[Bennan]

Thanks for sharing Ndaara, I feel alot more confident about trying out some cultral at 230 now.

[Bennan]

My Results...

Well I went and made some Brellium last nightm at a skill of 229 with 255wis and geerlock in hand. Took me about 4 hours to get everything together and this is how I went;

B.P 1/2
Legs 1/2
Bracer 2/3
Boots 1/1
Helm 1/1
Gauntlets 1/2
Visor 1/1
Pauldron 1/2
Belt 1/1
Vambrace 1/3
Gorget 1/4

And dinged on the last combine to 230.

I have been after a full set for my warrior, ever since the release of the Cultral BD armours. And whilst I only have myself to blame (not really putting the time in) for taking so long. An Everquest goal has been completed.

I hope the above figures are helpful