Q- regarding aligned steel and clickyquests

[Parvusimmedias]

Ok, I know that the aligned steel ore requires that you go through the 400 "freebie" combines (4 tiers @ 100 combines per tier) to be able to refine the aligned ore into bars of aligned steel. However, is that same "character flag/skill" from refining required to be able to use the bars and make them into sheets and whatnot? Basically, all I have left for my Freshman smithing trophy is the Platinum-bladed long spear, and I bought the refined steel. Can I make it without having to do the refining quest?

[Sharrien]

Yes you can. Once you have the refined metal from buying it, doing the refine quest yourself or turning it in to the npc for refining, then you can use it in any recipe.

[Flehmen]

Parv,

Once you have the ore/whatever you can turn it into the quest giver and they will give you back two or the refined item. You can then use it as any other ingrediant in a receipe. The only advantage to doing the quest is that eventually, when youv'e made enough refining combines, you can get 3 refined items back each time.

So, short answer is, yes, you can use it if you buy in the baz.

[Parvusimmedias]

Ugh. So rather than do those 400 waaaay trivial combines for my brewing trophy, I could have given the haffer my tea leaf, and she would have given me the two mountain teas?


/puts mouse finger back into ice bucket

[Zaltak]

400? I though it was 500:-O

[Rasky]

600 OR 700 if you are starting at a 0 skill level.....

[Winenose]

If you would just look at how easy it is to do the "farm components" quest for the same thing.. You can use regular tea leaves / wheat / dark matter / aligned ore / whatever else that drops in abundance in natimbi off green con mobs. You would probably complete the quest faster if you farm natimbi and then use the dropped stuff. You need around 10 or less of the farmed items for the other quest.

[Parvusimmedias]

Depends on your point of view. A 57 cleric gets eaten trying to solo Natimbi. And I can't forage.

[Mystic Lioness]

But the short answer is yes. You can still get refined materials in every category without doing the quests if you hand the materials to the appropriate NPC.

You also have the choice of doing the quests and refining them yourself.

[Doomspark Deathfire]

I think that you can combine the two quests as well - if you have some to hand in, it will cut down on the number of combines you have to do. And vice versa.

But - I haven't tested this for myself. I think I read it somewhere on this site, but I cannot remember where g'zactly.