Shadowscream nerfed as skillup path?

[Ixnay]

I have 250 in all trade skills excect smithing, and smithing is the final step needed for my Aid Grimel earring. I am a 65 human cleric and combine at 355 wis, 305 dex, and 305 str. My present smithing skill is 201.

After evaluating and trying all feasible skill up paths, including human cultural, I decided to try Shadowscream armor, especially based on the walk thru posted on this site.

I just spent two days of my spare time farming the components to do 100 Shadowscream combines and got ZERO skillup. I combined a combination of bracers and boots, and without a gearlock had a surprisingly high percentage of successful combines.

I announced my displeasure about this in guild chat, and was told by a guildmate that he recently did 200 Shadowscream combines and only got 2 skill ups. He then told me he heard that the Shadowscream skill up path was recently nerfed.

Has Shadowscream been recently nerfed as a skilup path? I don't mind putting in the time to max a skill, but I think it is insane and unfair that any skill would be many times harder than tailoring. It feels like I have spent months maxing my skills to get a quest reward that has been made impossible after I've gotten to the last step.

If you've done a large number of Shadowscream combines in the past week, please post your skill up rate.

Any advice on the best skill path based on my circumstances would be greatly appreciated. Cost is no problem, I would gladly spend 300kpp to quickly get my skill to the point I could finish the earring quest, but I have not found any plentiful source of PC or NPC buyable components for smithing as I was able to find for all other trade skills.

[xaanru]

No, you hit a hell level. Its pretty frequent, or seems to be. I had a 347 combine hell level trying to get from 199-200 smithing, and that was human old cultural, acrylia plate, sickles, black acrylia, etc. Spread out over months, in several zones...

Now this may also be perception, but i seem to have more of these long stretches when i gear up for big runs, then combine a bunch in one sitting.

Anyway, its probably not shadowscream, its most likely just bad RNG luck.

[Fluteria]

It seems like back luck to mee too. I recently got teh average 3 skillups out of 60 combines last week and my friend has been steadily increasing his skill with shadowscream (I think two more points last night and I doubt he did hundreds of combines...)

[Annalina Romanov]

If you're doing Shadowscream, you might as well run the Shadowscream Steel boot quest with the Rogue Guild Master in Shar Vahl. It'll take your mind off of skilling up and on the quest, and before you know it, you'll be getting skill ups.

-Annalina

[Greklak]

It's simply bad luck. I've done close to 350 attempts in the past two weeks and have gained 19 skill points. Keep it up and you'll work through this apparent hell level. You'll see.

[Nolrog]

The skill ups are based on your stat level (WIS/INT/STR) and the trivial factor of the item. AFAIK, there is not anything on the item that affects the skill up. You just hit a bad streak with the RNG. It's very frustrating, believe me, I know. You just gotta gut it out. There are numerous threads that people made that detail their efforts to go from skill x to 250, and how many combines it took them along the way. They usually have one or two skill points that take a bazillion combines, but they also have a couple that take 3 or 4 combines. Hang in there.

[Annaa]

I am in the exact same boat as you, just need to finish smithing to have 250 in all trades. I was at 194, and decided I would do enchanted velium bits. I farmed CC for a day or two, which is less time than I would have had to spend in Hollowshade for the same number of attempts. Anyway, I got 2 full backpacks of velium pieces, which gave me 10 stacks of attempts. I skilled up just about once per stack, I made it to 203. So, my advice is to try the velium bits. It's a little more expensive than shadowscream, but it sounds like money isn't an issue for you.

Update: Just did 7 more stacks of enchanted velium bits and went from 203 to 212. Nine points for 140 attempts is much better than I ever got on Shadowscream.

[Daikoku Ashikaga]

Am 220+ on 4 skills. 200+ on 2 others, and then there is tailoring.

I have always seen a major slowdown in the 188-210, last few pointss in pottery have come at 150+ combines each (few = 3)

Really I would rather ferm CC/Velks/ToFS then hollowshade Make some plat in those other zones


Dai

[Lixivia]

do ldon armor, it will get you to 212 a lot faster, you can usually find the tempers for sale in the bazaar, or temper piece anyway. it will cost you money, but its a lot better than farming SH, but cheaper than cultural

[wombat]

190-220 is a plateau level it took me 320/1skill up at 255 str to get me from 195-196 and 120/1 to get from 117-118. This doesn’t include all the 50-100/1 streaks and it was mainly Fine Plate before Gearlocks were around.

[Voltai Ausra]

LDoN helms are the easiest way to 212 smithing. Perhaps not the cheapest......**** those dwarves and the outrageous price for superb leather padding. 500+ plat for a stack. the sell back is right about 22 plat per though for the helms so the costs get offset somewhat. The best thing I've found though is simply advertise that you are about to do a smithing run and will be selling the results for cheap for the next thirty minutes. you can clear 50pp+ per item and break even. No one really wants to pay baz prices for LDoN armor unless it's gothic. why 30 minutes? it is generally the time I spend in pok running to and from the ore vendors making metal sheets and things that I want whilst doing combines in between. a lvl 65 shamman is your best friend as a melee class smith. Focus of the Seven and Strength of Diaku will last for about 45 minutes or so if the shaman is any decent sort. those will max out your strength and get you skillups faster.

from 212 onward.....prepare for the crawl! Shadowscream, velium bits, cultural armor and pop chain(hurricane is by far the easiest to farm. BoT and PoS). All take time to farm and the trivials of some cultural are out rageous

[Daikoku Ashikaga]

Tae ew Shields, post 212, especially if you can solo Dulak, farm iksar blood there, Tae ew blood goes for 1-1.5k, shields sell 2.5-4k and tribute for 4k (I think)

TP server prices.

Dai

[Hilgar]

I found that an easier and more cost efficient way than that of the LDoN way is the PoP Ethereal Smithed stuffs Chain and plate more likely.... only REAL problem is you need a GM brewer (or CLOSE to) that will make the tempers for you. All require a 220 modified skill, trivial at 212 (Massive Girdle of the Forge or a Belt from VT are needed)

[Pootle]

or the smithing hammer from Ssra. (15% mod)

I would gladly spend 300kpp to quickly get my skill to the point I could finish the earring quest,

Enchanted Velium Studs.... the way to go!

[Vaard]

Bah, i thought you were higher than 212...

do Ldon to 210, then use geerlok and do etheral to 212, then do shadowscream...

and yeah, 199-210 can be a hard run sometimes....