LDoN Smithing vs. Enchanted Velium Bits

[Turner_USA]

If one is sitting at skill 188, should I farm velium to get to 220 with enchanted velium bits OR should I start LDoN smithing first and move onto velium bits when I hit 212?

Velium bits seem about 20pp a combine while LDoN is around 30-40pp

[Rewde]

Velium bits seem about 20pp a combine while LDoN is around 30-40pp

Velium bits are about 18pp a combine, and you can't recoup the cost, basically throwing money at it.

LDoN armour, depending on what you are making, can run from 50pp on up. The padding you need costs 25p a pop, the sheets, if you don't make them yourself are 30p a pop, if you make em, 20p a pop if you don't fail any. depending on what you are making you use 1 to 3 sheets. On the positive, you can recoup some of the costs by selling the armour back to the vendors.

Good luck on whichever route you choose.

[Xorithra L`Amante]

If you want faster skill ups, do LDoN. The tribute values aren’t bad… you’ll have a goodly amount when you’re done. LDoN is great if you’re doing adventures and while it is more expensive per combine, you can sell back to vendors if you don’t want to tribute and probably be around or less than the cost of velium… PLUS you’ll probably have to do less combines per skill up which overall makes LDoN a route to seriously consider.

I started velium right after fine plate as well and got so sick of it that I switched over to LDoN in the late 190s. I’m glad I did. Went to 210 and finished off 212 with the free points, then did a final bout of farming… so happy I’ll never farm velium for smithing skills again

Good luck!

[Obina]

I believe that the EVB is not remembered by the interface. Means you must combine by hand. Yuk! I suggest to do LDON till 212 as the others. Ok this last reason is trivial, but who wants to click? 212 to 220 is tough enough.

[Silound]

I believe that the EVB is not remembered by the interface. Means you must combine by hand. Yuk! I suggest to do LDON till 212 as the others. Ok this last reason is trivial, but who wants to click? 212 to 220 is tough enough.

I thought that was recently changed or was slated to be changed when it was acknowledged that EVB are a widely used and viable skillup route?


EDIT:: My bad, I checked back and it was listed under FF Write-Up Part One. Maddoc said it was possible, but never said it was done. May or may not be in the works then.

[Maisie]

I was just doing EVBs the other day, I got the message that I had learned it, but then it was not available in my UI../shrug

[Aalar]

Doing LDoNs for smithing tempers is about the most painless farming in the game IMO. You get good exp - loot - some cash - LDoN points for great equip & augs - AND temper components. Sign me up.

I have managed to gather several hundred various tempers after doing 150 LDoNs. Also got a bunch of good augs.

BTW - I have yet to take smithing beyond 188 (FS) - though it is coming.

Aalar

[JMorgana]

Personally, I LOVE the ease of EVB even though you lose all the costs over the farming and making sheets, etc...of doing LDoN armors. Costwise, I'd go for the LDoN stuff, but if you have the cash to spare I'd take EVB's over them any day of the week.

[Nolrog]

Velium bits seem about 20pp a combine while LDoN is around 30-40pp

Is that if you farm your own LDoN tempers or buy them? They can be very expensive if you buy them (then again, velium is very expensive if you buy it too.) I did (am doing) EVBs, because I don't have to committ myself for 2 hours to pick up a stack (usually less) of the temper ingredients. I can farm velium for 30 minutes or half an hour (whatever I have) and not have to worry about finding a group, getting the adventure, focussing on winning it, hitting forage every time the button pops up, etc.

[Turner_USA]

...

Well I am doing a few things.

I have a druid twink that I just get adventures and lose on purpose. Sit there and forage for 2 hours to collect pieces. And on my main I farm velium. I am still trying to decide cost wise which is the best route to take.

Either pay 18pp per combine for EvB's or pay some other amount for LDoN's. I am just not sure what the merchant buy back price is for LDoN armor.

[Kieroth_whiteleaf]

Zeralynn's guide is a MUCH better authority on this, but on average I notice about a 30pp loss per combine for LDoN armor. I'm aware that some sells decently in bazaar, but I don't have the time or patience to deal with that.

Some pieces have less loss, some have more. It *seems* that the more sheets involved, the lower the loss, but I haven't really done much number crunching.

SFG

[Angelsyn]

Well... if you have GoD, you can use LDoN armour for tribute. Can't do that with EVBs.

[splunge]

Actually, youre probably better off in the long run selling LDON armor to vendors and make Forged Picks for tribute.

[Alenna]

hitting forage every time the button pops up, etc.

LDoN pieces are looted as far as I know.

[Xorithra L`Amante]

LDoN pieces are looted as far as I know.

They can be foraged and they also drop off mobs. In just about every theme, the exception being Ruj, foraging yields more than the drops (foraging on average about 5 in two hours, drops are typically a little less). SO, if you can forage and can convince your group to give you the drops, you just about double your yield =) Ruj is the best for drops though (and overall amount in a theme).