Request for help with Wood Elf DoN Cultural

[Aruthil]

This site is an excellent resource, and easily earns it's reputation as THE place to go for Everquest tradeskill information. It's not, however, very newbie friendly.

Ok, imagine you've never been to a baseball game and you know nothing about the sport. You have a simple question... who's the best player on your local team? Now, you happen to know where the experts gather; the scouts and general managers and coaches all in one room, and you decide to listen in on their conversation hoping to get the answer to your question. This is what you hear:

"Well, McNally had an OPS of .897 when facing righties but his OBP was only .430 with RISP. Jones is up to 89 mph on his 2 seam but he's averaging a 2.72 whip, while Alonzo's GIDP percentage is actually declining because of Morran's lead glove at second."

This goes on for a while and, while it makes perfect sense to those guys in the room, no matter how much you try you're not gonna get an answer to your question.

Point being, I have a simple question that (I realize) has a not so simple answer. I've done my best to answer it myself on these boards, but I'm really just more confused then when I started. (I agree, Basilisk Teeth only dropping in VP sucks! Um... do I need them?)

Here's the issue at hand: I have a level 20 Wood Elf Warrior. I would like to use the DoN cultural outlet to make her some armor, starting with the Journeyman's stuff while I can still use it. It'd be nice if, when I hit level 35, I could re-equip myself with some Expert's gear. Fortunately, I have a 52 BST as my main, so anything tradable I can farm more easily and just use the shared bank slots to transfer it.

Now, what do I have to do? It starts with the tradeskill quest NPC, this I've gathered. I got my first book, and I was just about to finish the task for the Journeyman's book when the servers went down for the patch (killed 20 Legos in CB, looted 2 skins, killed 9 of 10 oracles, looted the scroll... 1 more oracle and I have that book, too.)

Once I have the books, then what? The items are smithed, which is a tradeskill I've never done before. Can I raise my smithing doing the DoN items? Or do I need to raise skill the traditional method untill I get to the DoN trivial levels (whatever those may be)?

It seems like such a simple scenario: I have a level 20 warrior that wants to make some armor for herself. But the more I try and research this, the more complicated it seems and the less I think I know what I'm doing...

And is it even possible to do this without having thousands of plat to burn? I mean, if I did I'd just twink the character in Magnetic or something and move on... Should I just give up now?

I'm trying not to be totally helpless here, but it's hard. I do plan on heading to Abysmal and getting my smithing up as high as I can there (54, I heard). Are there other tradeskills I'll need to do this? Cause if so I can raise those while I'm there (heard mention of needing Brewing, Tailoring, and JC so far, though in all cases I have no idea what for... can I even do JC if I'm not an enchanter??)

My deepest, heartfelt thanks in advance should anyone take the time to help me with this. If I've learned anything from trying to answer this myself, it's that the aswer is not a simple one. Therefore, to anyone who takes the time to work with me on this, my sincerest thanks.

-Aruthil Linsane
20 Woodie Warrioress <Defying Fate>
Povar (Morden Rasp)

[Secone]

http://mboards.eqtraders.com/eq/show...971&highlight=


Wood elf info:
The Ore-Modifying Drops:
Wood Elves: (Journeyman)Mistletoe powder, (Expert)polished serpent scale, (Master)small brick of Yttrium ore, (GM)metallic dragon scales

Armor & symbol trivials (wrist to chest):
Journeyman: 115 - 139
Expert: 182 -222
Master: 248 - 304
Grandmaster: 316 - 386

How to get better at blacksmithing? Look at the sig below.

[Eggszecutor]

DoN DoN DoN DoN DoN DoN DoN DoN DoN (Sung to imperial march tune)

DoN is pretty simple to do. It's just different than what we are use to so it seems complex (it was to me at first).

There are two steps doing DoN Cultural (tailoring or smithing).
Step 1: Craft the Armor
Step 2: Craft the Augumentations (Optional)

Step 1
In order to craft your cultural items (regardless of difficulty level - Journeyman's, Expert's, etc) you have to have the Ancestral Cultural Armor Book (In your case "Ancestral Wood Elf Armor). I'm not sure if there is still a level requirement in order to fashion the items. You may have to worry about that too. I don't know those req. off the top of my head. There's a quest you have to complete first if you don't have this book (which I think you do).

Ok. So you have your Ancestral Wood Elf Armor Book. Now you want to use it. Easy! If you want to work on smithing, you need to purchase 1 Compacted Backpack, 1 High Quality Firing Sheet, 1 Huge Block of Clay and 1 Sculpting Tools. They should be found on a vendor in Kelethin (I think there is a vendor on the same platform as the "newbie lift" that sells the needed stuff - He sell's my DoN tailoring supplies). Combine all those items and your book in a Kiln and you will receive a 10 slot backpack full of molds that you can use for your cultural armor. If your interested in tailoring, combine your book with 1 Quill, 1 Compacted Backpack, 1 large bottle of ink, and 1 roll of parchment in a book binding (bought at the Compacted Backpack vendor) and you will get a 10 slot backpack filled with tailoring patterns.

That's the complicated part. Now the easy part. In order to make the armor, you have to make cultural sheets. The ingriedients needed for the sheets vary on the difficulty level (Journeyman, Expert, etc.). In your case, you want to make Journeyman's Wealdstone items, so you have to craft journeyman's wealdstone mithril sheets. (If you are doing tailoring, you make swatches instead of sheets). For each sheet (or swatch) you have to obtain one farmed item. In your case, you have to obtain "pouch of mistletoe powder". Make the sheets and then you can use your molds to make the armor.

Check up some of the recipies here to get more information regarding each piece of armor and the sheets needed to craft the armor.
i.e. search for "Journeyman's Wealdstone"

Step 2 is optional. You can do quests in order to obtain "journeyman's or expert's books". These books work just like your Ancestral book does, except that it is done with the "tailoring" method (i.e. quills, parchment, etc.). The result from these combines gives you "symbols" which are auguments for your new cultural armor!

Answers to some of your other questions
-You can raise your skill doing DoN, but it's probably cheaper to make metal bits and other low level smithing stuff. Check out the "How to learn a certain skill" section of this website for more info on that. Smithing is pretty easy to skill up. Besides, you get so many molds, that you can make multiple attempts at a certain piece of armor if you have to.

[Flehmen]

DoN is pretty simple to do. It's just different than what we are use to so it seems complex (it was to me at first).

Amen,

Plus the database isn't entirely finished and is hard to search for a particular race and deity combo. (You guys are doing a great job though, I'm not complaining!)

I'm a woody bard and am making the wealdstone plate myself and found that once I figured out that it was wealdstone I was making the database was much easier to search, just search for wealdstone then select the piece of armour you wish to make and click each of the ingredients in the list to find out what you have to do. (You say you're already pretty much done with the books.)

The other part was creating the molds, which was described above. But I just checked and notice that the molds are now in the database too.

One point of clarification, you can't( or at least I couldn't) get the Expert's symbols book until after lvl 34. He told me I was too young or some such.

[Aruthil]

Ok, based on the responses here and doing even MORE research (it's scary, this stuff is actually starting to make sense... ) here's what I think I know, PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.

I am a level 20 Wood Elf Warrior worshiping Tunare, wishing to make myself some Journeyman's level plate amor, which is apparently called Journeyman's Weadstone (Cuirass, Greaves, Bracer, etc.)

This is what I need to do:

1.) Obtain my Ancestral Wood Elf Armor book. Quested by turning in a Zombie Skin, Darkbone Marrow, Crushbone Battle Beads, and Rotting Orc Tooth. (DONE)

2.) Turn my book into molds for smithing. This is done by combining, in a Kiln:
a) Ancestral Wood Elf Armor book
b) Compacted Backpack (vendor purchased)
c) High Quality Firing Sheet (vendor purchased)
d) Huge Block of Clay (vendor purchased)
e) Sculpting Tools (vendor purchased?)
A successful combine of these ingredients will, if I'm reading things correctly, result in a backpack full of various armor molds, plus I get my book back, although it will be slightly aged. Now, since this is combined in a kiln, do I need to know pottery to do this? Can I fail this combine? If so, what's the trivial?

3.) Make some Journeyman's Wirewood Mithril Bars. This is done by combining, in a cultural forge:
a) Pouch of Mistletoe Powder
b) Small Brick of Mithril
c) Fier'Dal Smithy Hammer
A successful combine yields 1 bar, or 3 bars if 3 Mistletoe Powders are used, or 6 bars if 6 Mistletoe Powders are used, plus the hammer back. The Pouch of Mistletoe Powder is dropped only off one of two named brownies that wander LFay (that's rediculous) that my level 20 war could not possibly solo. They are droppable, but not stackable. (I foresee hours of my Bst in LFay... why oh why could I not just need barbed bone chips??) The trivial for this combine is Smithing (62).

4.) Turn the bars into Journeyman's Weadstone Mithril Sheets, by combining in a cultural forge:
a) Journeyman's Mithril Bar
b) Flask of Water (farmed off madmen in Oasis if yer cheap, or bored)
c) Fier'Dal Smithy Hammer
Succesful combine yields one sheet, plus the hammer back. Trivial for the combine is Smithing (15), possibly No Fail.

5) Forge a piece of armor. For example, we'll say Journeyman's Weadstone Bracer, by combining in a cultural forge:
a) 1 Journeyman's Mithril Sheet (2 or even 3 for other pieces)
b) 1 Large Brick of Mithril (vendor purchased)
c) Bracer Mold (made in step 2)
d) Fier'Dal Smithy Hammer
Trivial for Bracers is 115, for Boots, Gloves, and Helm 120, Sleeves 134, BP and Legs 139.

6) Obtain the task for the Symbol book. In Crushbone, kill 20 Orc Legionnares, loot 2 orc hides, turn in orc hides, kill 10 Orc Oracles, loot 1 Illegible Scroll, turn in Illegible Scroll (have 1 Oracle left to kill). Result is Journeyman's Book of Wood Elf Culture.

7) Create symbol patterns by combining in a vendor purchased book binding:
a) Journeyman's Book of Wood Elf Culture
b) Quill (not "A Quill")
c) Compacted Backpack
d) Large Bottle of Ink
e) Roll of Vellum
Result is a backpack full of 20 patterns for each visible slot (2 stacks of patterns for wrists) and the book returned.

8) For each Symbol I wish to make, I then create the appropriate water, by combining in a Jeweller's Kit:
a) Jade Shard
b) Blessed Water of Tunare
This is combine is trivial Jewelry (56), and results in Journeyman's Water of Tunare.

9) To make the final Symbol, I combine in any forge:
a) Journeyman's Wrist Symbol Pattern
b) Journeyman's Blessed Water of Tunare
c) Warbone Chips
Succesful combine yields Journeyman's Wrist Symbol of Tunare, a Type 11 augment. The trivial for the symbol depends on the armor slot, and is the same as the armor piece of the same slot (so in this case, 115 for wrist).

10) Combine the Journeyman's Weadstone Bracer with the Journeyman's Wrist Symbol of Tunare in the usual LDoN/Guild Hall aug pools to get the final piece of armor.

ok, did I get it all right??

Also, out of curiosity, can you combine, say, an Expert's Wrist Symbol of Tunare with the Journeyman's Weadstone Bracer? not sure why you'd want to, just curious....

-Aruthil

[zorblag]

3.) Make some Journeyman's Wirewood Mithril Bars. This is done by combining, in a cultural forge:
a) Pouch of Mistletoe Powder
b) Small Brick of Mithril
c) Fier'Dal Smithy Hammer
A successful combine yields 1 bar, or 3 bars if 3 Mistletoe Powders are used, or 6 bars if 6 Mistletoe Powders are used, plus the hammer back. The Pouch of Mistletoe Powder is dropped only off one of two named brownies that wander LFay (that's rediculous) that my level 20 war could not possibly solo. They are droppable, but not stackable. (I foresee hours of my Bst in LFay... why oh why could I not just need barbed bone chips??) The trivial for this combine is Smithing (62).

This be very close to right. The only change would be that if you want to make 3 bars you would need to use a Large Brick of Mithril in place of the Small Brick (and use the 3 Mistletoe Powders) and if you want to make 6 bars this would take a Block of Mithril rather than the Small Brick (this time using, as you said 6 Mistletoe Powders). Troll sympathizes with you about the Mistletoe Powder, but on the plus side your masters level ingredient be much more pleasant than them could (you know, for 40 levels from now).

Also, out of curiosity, can you combine, say, an Expert's Wrist Symbol of Tunare with the Journeyman's Weadstone Bracer? not sure why you'd want to, just curious....

-Aruthil

Happily the answer to this be yes. The reason that you might want to do this be that maybe you managed to get access to the parts needed to make the aug or the armor but not both for a certain level. Now you have the ability to upgrade your old armor (assuming you were using the cultural) at least partially rather than having to wait until you get the parts for both.

Troll no will promise that everything else in Aruthil's post was accurate, but those two things Troll can help clarify.

Troll wishes best of luck with the tradeskilling (and the bashing that will likely accompany it)!

-Zorblag Troll

[Flehmen]

G'day,

Good stuff, to the best of my knowledge that is the whole ball of mistletoe powder. It is a pretty simple progression of skills. Guess I'll have to work on my JC.

Lvl 34 myself so can farm the mistletoe powder if I can find the little blighters. Guess I need to find a bored guildie ranger type to come help me. At least, at the moment, the Underbrush brothers supposedly insta-pop.

Take care, and good brownie hunting.
Flehmen

Ok, based on the responses here and doing even MORE research (it's scary, this stuff is actually starting to make sense... ) here's what I think I know, PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.

Also, out of curiosity, can you combine, say, an Expert's Wrist Symbol of Tunare with the Journeyman's Weadstone Bracer? not sure why you'd want to, just curious....

-Aruthil

[Aleksandros]

Some small consolation for the Journeyman level wood elf armors - the Mistletoe Powder is not Lore, and is now Stackable. Seems Thistle Underbrush had a sudden suicidal impulse when I was wandering through LFay early this afternoon and tried to pants Jabontik - was subsequently turned into brownie pate, and had the new stackable Powder on him. I have yet to see if the powder drops off any other critters in LFay, but can confirm that it is NOT dropping from any of the Mistmoore outcasts, the dark elves at the southern camp, Equestrielle the Corrupted, the wandering brownie scouts, or the brownie guards, farmers and "plain" brownies or spiderlings in their village.

Update: Went all around LFay, and with the exception of the Fae Drakes and Gnomes, made a massive dent in the local population - not a Mistletoe Powder to be found anywhere but the Underbrush Brothers in a clearing of the zone, down to the last Shadowed Man and mummy Even whacked Thistle again when he ran past me, and the little bugger didn't even drop one this time...

[andyhre]

One note.. I finally started doing this this weekend and it appears there is zero need to do the journeyman armor if you don't want to. I got the Ancestral Armor book by doing the simple quest, then when to the grey and got the shissar drops and made an expert's chain chest item. I found the resources explaining this to be somewhat hard to comprehend, myself, so I hope to write something up soon and post.

Andy

[Lnnolanwil]

I have been farming shissar scales (for Master level woodelf smithed augs) for 3 hours for 6 drops.

This doesn't look like a viable skilling up path to me ;-(