March to 300 Pep Talk?

[RonsterM]

After playing for over three years, Blacksmithing is my first REAL foray into the world of tradeskills. I'm currently at 273 unmodified and have Blacksmithing Mastery 3 and Salvage 1. I have my Grandmaster's Trophy (5%) giving me a modified skill of ~287. When I do my combines, I have a STR and DEX of 425 with other stats maxed at 340.

After taking Shadowscream to 267, I'm currently grinding out the road to 300 on Mistletoe Cutting Sickles. Personal tribute and Guild tribute is maxed. Other than that, though, life is NOT good. At least I don't think it is...

Let me say that I've searched high and low and can't find too much on this subject or much to cheer me up. The issue? It seems my luck sucks. I have read some places that say people have averaged one (1) skillup per 10 - 20 final combines in this range and on Mistletoe Cutting Sickles. My wife is in the same neighborhood as me (278) and is getting one (1) or two (2) skillups per 20 - 30 combines. I'm getting somewhere in the neighborhood of one (1) skillup per 40 - 60 combines.

When I do my Blacksmithing, I've done every manner of thing to improve the skillup rate to no avail. Am I missing something? I do my combines in the Guild Hall to reduce any imaginary lag that *might* affect my skillup rate. Again, I have my STR and DEX at 425 with Wunshi's and others maxed at 340. I always ensure my trophy is equipped for the 5% mod. I succeed with the VAST majority of my sickle combines (Trivial: 335), so I believe my skill and Mastery AA's are working. I have experimented with holding my tongue on the left side of my mouth AND the right side with no apparent improvement (/chuckle).

I know of a farm down the road that has chickens. Should I sacrifice several to the God of Tradeskills? Seriously, is there anything reasonable that I can do to possibly improve this? Am I just having a run of bad luck? Any advice or words of encouragement are appreciated!

Thanks!

[Wystler]

After playing for over three years, Blacksmithing is my first REAL foray into the world of tradeskills. I'm currently at 273 unmodified and have Blacksmithing Mastery 3 and Salvage 1. I have my Grandmaster's Trophy (5%) giving me a modified skill of ~287. When I do my combines, I have a STR and DEX of 425 with other stats maxed at 340.

After taking Shadowscream to 267, I'm currently grinding out the road to 300 on Mistletoe Cutting Sickles. Personal tribute and Guild tribute is maxed. Other than that, though, life is NOT good. At least I don't think it is...

Let me say that I've searched high and low and can't find too much on this subject or much to cheer me up. The issue? It seems my luck sucks. I have read some places that say people have averaged one (1) skillup per 10 - 20 final combines in this range and on Mistletoe Cutting Sickles. My wife is in the same neighborhood as me (278) and is getting one (1) or two (2) skillups per 20 - 30 combines. I'm getting somewhere in the neighborhood of one (1) skillup per 40 - 60 combines.

When I do my Blacksmithing, I've done every manner of thing to improve the skillup rate to no avail. Am I missing something? I do my combines in the Guild Hall to reduce any imaginary lag that *might* affect my skillup rate. Again, I have my STR and DEX at 425 with Wunshi's and others maxed at 340. I always ensure my trophy is equipped for the 5% mod. I succeed with the VAST majority of my sickle combines (Trivial: 335), so I believe my skill and Mastery AA's are working. I have experimented with holding my tongue on the left side of my mouth AND the right side with no apparent improvement (/chuckle).

I know of a farm down the road that has chickens. Should I sacrifice several to the God of Tradeskills? Seriously, is there anything reasonable that I can do to possibly improve this? Am I just having a run of bad luck? Any advice or words of encouragement are appreciated!

Thanks!

The only kind words I can offer is that the RNG usually levels out to the 1 out of 25-35 range for me across the the skills I've done and all the combines. That's over large numbers of combines (hundreds+)

Some days you eat the bar, some days the bar eats you. Take heart and plug away. We're all with you.

[KyrosKrane]

I have experimented with holding my tongue on the left side of my mouth AND the right side with no apparent improvement (/chuckle).

Try tickling the top of your mouth with your tongue as you combine. Just be careful of your gag reflex ... < evil grin >

Joking apart, though, you have about as good a chance as you can expect. Assuming funds are not a problem, sickles are a fast path (if a painful one, due to subcombines) to 300.

Don't be afraid to combine anything you can get your hands on. I noticed from your Magelo profile that you're human. Humans have several cultural armors that are good for skillups -- look for the old Heraldic and Seafarer's lines. Also, Magnetic and Bazu smithing should be good for a few points, up to 282. Personally, I found that variety helped to break up the monotony of skillup runs and made the dry stretches easier to bear.

[RonsterM]

Makes no sense. Tonight I got five (5) skillups from less than 40 combines!!! That return definitely goes a long way to even things out a bit. If I could only have a night like tonight about... ...hmmm... ....4.4 more times?!!!!

Thanks for the support!

[eqblackrose]

Makes no sense. Tonight I got five (5) skillups from less than 40 combines!!! That return definitely goes a long way to even things out a bit. If I could only have a night like tonight about... ...hmmm... ....4.4 more times?!!!!

Thanks for the support!

I would still consider those chickens.

[Rissenn]

You can try magnetized armor. do the cheap combines, break it down to parts again and keep combining. Eveny now and then you sell a Breastplate or a pair of legs to keep your costs low.

With your skill I would alos consider letting people know of it and to do Meldstone combines for cash, and also do the Cultural DoN items on order.

Might not get many combine orders done, but I have gotten everything from 500pp to 40K for 5 combines ( ) and am at around status quo for how much I spent vs how much I payment have gotten from combines. And I always let the customer decide how much they want to pay, I never force a sum on them.

Something you can also do is talk to the people who seem to have a lot of magnetized parts for sale in bazaar and offer to make it into armor for them for free.

Just a few ideas thrown out..

[Airl]

On the road to 300, I hit one drought where I went over 100 combines without a skillup. Let me tell you, that was depressing when you consider the time to do all the subcomines for 100 sickles.

On average, I was content if I got a skillup every 30 combines.

[Angelsyn]

I did lots of different things, besides Sickles.

Hurricane smithing
Tae Ew smithing
Nightmare smithing
Elemental smithing
White-Gold Inlays
BD Cultural...

Yeah, Essences of Sunlight for Human Cultural are a little harder to get... but at least you don't have to collect tons and tons of Morning Dew.

[Merlaina]

Pep talk eh?

You want a pep talk? I'll give you a pep talk!

Cheer up little buckaroo. Sure, things might seem down now, but your luck is destined to change! You've gone this far... you've committed... you've tossed your hat over the wall. You've shown you have the patience to be a real tradeskiller!

Everyone has doubts. Everyone gets pretty high, then has a run of bad luck with pain components to collect and thinks "why the hell am I doing this again?". The answer is simple: it doesn't matter anymore! It's become a mission, nay, a jihad: either you will win or the RNG will win. It's a test of wills. You've crossed that line, and there's no going back.

Now I want you to go back out there little soldier and show me what you're made of! Show that metal you mettle! Now go, and get 10 skill points in the next week. That's my challenge to you.

Now... someone give me a pep talk.

[Gortx]

I went through 145 sickles earlier tonight without a single skillup... at 540 strength no less.

It was... depressing to say the least.

[Gortx]

Just did 70 some shadowscream combines, no skillups either... I think I'll wait a while, its just too frustrating.

[Veril]

Give up.. Give up now. Abandon your dream of 300. You will never achieve it.














Or....keep going mate! don't the the %^$""^$£ RNG gwt tiy down

[Ysall]

You can add 10 more STR by using Tribute in your home town to raise the cap.

As for the long runs without skill-up. Well I'm afraid that statistically, just taking one tradeskill from 250-300, you are almost certain to have at least one run of 100+ combines with no-skillup.

However, the good news is that statistically, you will also have at least two occasions where you get double skill-ups within 5 combines of each other.

[Merlaina]

There is hope!

I did a run of 60 shadowscream the other day and got 9 skill ups. There is hope! /ducks

[Kahmon]

Just keep at it. Slumps can be broken in big ways. Last week I went from Tailoring 273 to 283 on just 54 combines. After that was a streak of over 90 with no skill-ups until my latest batch where I got 3 skill-ups in 25 combines. I had similiar streaks with smithing, but just kept on going til finished.