Barbarian Smithing... am I wasting my time?

[angrif77]

My shaman has been working on Smithing lately. His skill is around 164 and I'm about to start making fine plate that requires 2 folded sheets. The fine plate has been a fairly cheap step so far as the sell back price is good and with my automated hammer I succeed 90% of the time. I'm starting to wonder, however, if smithing for a barb is worth it. I've been hearing that the barbarian cultural doesn't sell well at all. I know there is at least one GM barb smith on my server as I've seen Artificer's ringmail for sale a few times in the bazaar (but rarely). Would I be wasting my money for little to no chance of actually selling the cultural armor? Perhaps I should take up another skill. Any thoughts?

Angrif Starwolf
55 Barbarian Shaman
Vazaelle
164 Smithing
103 Alchemy
124 Brewing
122 Baking

[Zopharr]

1) If you tradeskillprimarily to make money - don't. You can probably make more plat leveling and selling dropped items/trading. On the other hand, if you tradeskill because you like it and hope for some plat as a side effect, have at it.

2) Find out who the other barb smith on your server is, if he is still active and if he is a "public" smith - i.e., he will make to order, do combines or the like. Odds are, if he does, he has most of the barb smithing market locked up: people who want the armor and have the plat have already gone to him, and he has a reputation (presumably a decent one) so if anyone else is looking for a barb smith they will probably find out about him before they find out about you.

3) If he is not active, or has thrown away his smithing hammer, then you will get a larger share of the market. But the existing market will most likely be: established players making barb twinks, and people with barbs as their main just getting up to the position in eq (level and/or plat) where they can acquire the stuff. No idea how big that is on your server.

4) There is always other stuff to make - the Tae Ew chain, the night terror chain and perhaps plate.... These will all put some plat in your pocket, though not scads.

5) My experience is that most money in smithed items is made shortly after new recipes and/or drops become available. Mistletoe Cutting Sickles for 4-6 weeks after the POTC quest became known. Tae Ew chain was selling very fast and very high rates for a week or two after the blood drop rates were increased. Night Terror Chain for couple months after PoP came out. BD armor, as that initial rush of rich people bought it.

Demand for all of these slows down, though, and profit margins drop. You'll make plat to pay for your C3 fix and an occasional toy, but plat-wise your best bet is to get to 230+ in time for the next set of smithing recipes-which may or may not come out.

6) If you *really* want to make money at smithing, you may want to take a look at another race - depending on the supply of smiths on your server. Some races may not have any smiths. Even if there is, say, one dwarven or two human smiths, you may make more with cultural sales from those than a barb, especially if there is already an active one on your server.

[Zhorn]

I am in a similar situation myself (in a way).

I am skilling up my smithing (207 atm) with the plan to make armor for friends/a planned bard twink etc, and maybe even a small bit of profit here and there....
(I've already made a friend Two cultural plate bracers and a mask... DON'T ask how many BD's that ate... Thank God he supplied them!!)

However, there is a 243 Barb smith on my server already.
When I spoke to him he said the market for Tundra Helanic (Barb Cultural Plate) was quite small as most warriors worship Rallos Zek.

I would have thought Artificers bracers (AC 12 +5 wis +30 hp/mana +5 all resists) would be a good seller but he reckoned even that market was small.

He also wasn't over-joyed at the idea of competition to his monopoly and reckoned it would force him to drop his prices to the level of other races cultural armor....

HOWEVER, Tae Ew gear is quite nice and there is a decent market for it (especially shields/Tunic) and any race smith can make it.

So yes while the Barb Cultural market is quite small there are LOTS of other things to make

Also like I was saying... if I create a Human or Half-elf Tribunal Bard they can wear the Plate armor stuff too!! $$

[Lupoman]

i jus HATE the fact that there is really no way to skill up 190 - 230ish or so using cultural!

shadowscream will make ya go nuts, especially those shadelings and the annoying no drop stuff they have (shadeling silks are plentiful tho for leather padding if ya skillin on FP or The >250 barb cultural, I get about 300 or so silks jus to get 2 stacks of shadows.) and the windstones for acrylia, well i wont go there....

[Zhorn]

Lupoman, try the Shadows in Twightlight Sea on the island by the Castle with the Portal to Fungus Grove on top.
Drop rates can be streaky but I normally get 1/2 a stack or so for a clearing (10 or 15 mins work maybe).

It's real easy with 61 Shaman Pet but still very doable at 59 I would say.

They lifetap for 150 so put on full MR gear and buff MR (which helps pet resist). Haste pet and give him a Regen.
Slowed they don't lifetap so often (and they drop lots of weapons to give to pet). Named also drop some minor lewts.

Just don't get too many adds at once! 4+ unslowed shadows lifetapping you and you go down FAST.

Once I have lots of wailing and shrieking stuff banked I go bind at the castle in TS and then just Spiritstone back to a Forge if I get bored waiting for Repops. Then Gate back and clear them again.
If others are waiting to camp them though, you're better off staying and farming them as they pop.

[Gailedon]

I know that a greater shadow still has the potential to kick my butt at 47. It's pretty touch and go and I have to gate if I get an add.

[Mimoza]

well, dont go to the island at 47 - park pet on the shore below the castle, and pull one shadow (burst of fire rocks!) at a time to there - slow, dot, watch hasted buffed pet kill it.

to have a chance to make a successful landing on the island, better be 58 and have Tirgir's insect.
even better, be 60 and add Torpor to Tirgir
61 rocks, since you have a 58 warrior helping you a LOT! )