Smithing worth it?

[Urge]

I didnt work on Blacksmithing till i got hammer from XTC...think it took me 3k-5k to get to 192 from there till 222 or so i made ethereal sheets...weee. :twisted:

props to those who like to skill up on shadowscream tho.

Urge

[Zeralenn]

Having also blown several thousand plat making (really, failing at) Mistletoe Cutting Sickles in a vain attempt to level, I found I lacked sympathy for losing under 500 plat in five hours. I blew that and more on my first failed sickle.

Tonight I'm meeting a guild enchanter for an ore enchanting party, one of the first of many. I'm going back to cultural...

...Zera

[Zopharr]

If you want to smith to make things, then smith. The joy you get from creating things will sustain you through the long, painful and expensive road until you can make a profit.

If, on the other hand, you simply want to grub for plat, try farming materials for tradespeople and selling them in bazaar. You'll get some plat faster, and as it costs only your time it will be all profit.

If spending 274pp on a tradeskill seems outrageous to you...smithing probably isn't your cup of joe.

[Chenier]

The First Guy wrote:

I went from 406pp to 132 within 5 hours...

You say that like it's a lot of money to loose at a tradeskill. Don't talk to any tailors soon. ^_^

I dropped 120 plat on four skillups the other day. I was lucky; I got five succesfull combines and two or three failed. And I know I haven't scratched the surface.

I spent 30kpp this morning on blue diamonds - half of which are now gone (2 Tunare belts and 3 Tunare sleeves as a result, no skill ups) and regularly spent 30k preparing hundreds of robe combines - a combine that when successful, costs at least 600pp.

Try brewing. Or something.

[xaanru]

It's all about speed to 250 skill, vs profit along the way. My smith was at 191 skill, when the trivial level changes were announced. I managed to rummage together enough paddings to get up to 199 skill. I had about 2k in the bank at this time, from adventuring, and some rezzes for donations.

Post patch, I went 347 combines without a skillup. But I made a LOT of cash. Acrylia BP was selling for 3500pp, and I could pick up windstones for 25-50pp each, and similar prices for acrylia. Also, was making slow steady sales in Imbued field plate armor.

Eventually, I broke 200, and slowly started climbing in skill again. At 209 skill, I added sickles and black acrylia weapons to my mix of items I make. I am currently at 219 skill, nearly a year later.

However, I have made somewhere over 200kpp from smithing, and my cleric looks like he was twinked by a lvl 65.

I plan to start making Heraldic armor soon, and expect the profits to get even better.

I have tried, a few times, to rush my progress. I made Imbued field plate bracers, and sold them back to the merchant. Lost SEVERAL thousand platinum this way, and only got a couple skillups.

If I wanted 250 next week, I could probably get it, but it would empty my bank account. I prefer the slow, profitable method.

BTW, the 15% smithing hammer changes everything. Failures go down, you can skill up on ethereal rings, and sickles are profitable from before the ethereal even trivials. Unfortunately, I don't have access to it. The one person I know who does, is one of the two 250 smiths on my server, and (as far as I know) had not even started smithing when the trivials were changed.

[Railina]

If you're doing tradeskills for the sole purpose of turning a profit, you're playing the wrong game.

There are many things you can do in EQ which will yeild a better return on investment than any tradeskill (if your goal is plat profit):
Leveling
Buy low/Sell high
Camping rare spawns
Farming tradeskill components
Selling summoned focus items
Fishing

Do tradeskills for fun, and do them for a long time, and *maybe* you'll be sufficiently skilled to take advantage of a new recipe. or maybe not.

[Sithro]

Thanks guys! I think I wont Blacksmith anymore for a while. I mean I like making them but it costs too much to do. But farming sounds good! Also the summoned items idea is good too! Might try it! I will also do cooking and baking becuase there cheaper and I wont run out of food and water... I might make pp on the way though. Lol

[kuronekosama]

I was 209 per may 8th and I just hit 250 a couple of days ago.

I spent maybe 30-40k

Since around 228 though I've been able to make heraldic armor

With that, I've made approx 750k-1milliong in gear and cash


So, you'll spend lots of pp to get high up there, and then once it's profitable, it's an avalanche of pp ^^ (At least, it has been for me ^^)

[KyrosKrane]

For the record, it IS possible to make a (small) profit on smithing along the way. When I was making banded armor (and later, ornate and fine plate) for skillups, I would head to newbie zones like East Commons and advertise my wares. Something like:

Master smith will make you banded armor on demand! 1pp per AC, any piece, delivery in thirty minutes. Discounts on full suits!

At various times, I was able to sell a full suit, or sometimes just a few pieces. In either case, I was making a comfortable profit margin (per piece sold) while still skilling up. It definitely didn't cover all the costs of my skillups, but it did help defray the costs of smithing.

With Ornate and Fine Plate, I was able to play up the vanity aspect. Fine plate can be dyed, and ornate has a nice look. This is now much less of a selling point due to the dying system, but it's still something to point out.

[Perseverence Rewarded]

I started tradeskills with the intention of making money. I have done so. I have paid for all my skills by selling what I made but I have only made what I spent plus about 15-20k extra over 4 months.
I no longer do tradeskills to make money. I do it now for the prestige. All my online friends are very impressed with what I can produce and my guild mates actually are now starting to want to help me farm items :shock:
I gave away 15 Nightmarewood Compound Bows and 2 Tae Ew Shields to my guild mates. When I get a bunch of Fetid Slime I will give away several Night Terror Chain Tunics as well. Everybody is jumping on my band wagon now that they see what can be produced.
I do expect to make some money in the future but it does not drive me any more. Being the best at tradeskills does. It's a great feeling when my friends need me.

[Glatius2]

I have given away to guildmates and friends at least 4 or 5 Tae Ew shields, 1 almost complete set of Tae Ew chain, 6 or so Tae Ew chain tunics, a pair of Hurricane chain arms, several sets of Tae Ew chain legs, a Night Terror chain tunic, a Night Terror chain arms, a Tae Ew dagger, a Tae Ew two handed sword, and two Night Terror Plate breastplates.

Frankly, it seems that the chain wearers in particular are benefited by the Tae Ew and PoP crafted armors.

[Railina]

Frankly, it seems that the chain wearers in particular are benefited by the Tae Ew and PoP crafted armors.

It's an optimal illusion.
Plate wearers are still wearing their BD cultural plate, which has at least equal stats and significantly less ridiculous requires in terms of materials, time, and req level. Since BD chain was complete crap compared to things that were and are easier to get, while PoP and Tae Ew chain are much better Work:Reward, chain wearers for whom BD wasn't an upgrade (or not a worthwile upgrade) are upgrading to much better gear now.

compare:
Fine Heraldic Breastplate
MAGIC ITEM
AC: 51
STA: +5 HP: +40 MANA: +40
Recomended level of 45
WT: 3.0 Size: LARGE
Classes: WAR CLR PAL SHD BRD
Races: HUM HEF BAR FRG
(cost: 3 Celestial Temper, 1 Royal Temper, 3 Velium Rings, 4 enchanted High Quality Rings, Mold, leather padding)

Hurricane Plate Breastplate
MAGIC ITEM
AC: 51
DEX: +9 WIS: +10 INT: +10 HP: +65 MANA: +50
SV Disease: +5 SV Magic: +13 SV Poison: +5
Required level of 46, Recommended level of 61
WT: 8.0 Size: MEDIUM
Classes: BRD CLR PAL SHD WAR
Races: ALL
(cost: 6 Huricane Temper, 8 Brick of Electrified Copper, 1 Vial of Distilled Mana, 1 Grey Diamond of Storms, 1 Superb Leather Padding, one Blank Emblem, Mold)

with:
Fine Seafarer's Ring Tunic
MAGIC ITEM
AC: 30
STA: +5 HP: +40 MANA: +40
Recommended level of 45
WT: 3.0 Size: LARGE
Classes: RNG ROG SHM
Races: HUM BAR HEF FRG
(cost: 3 Celestial Temper, 1 Sea Temper, 3 Velium Rings, 3 Large Brick MQ Ore, Leather Tunic, Chain Pattern)

Huricane Chain Tunic
MAGIC ITEM
AC: 41
WIS: +10 DEX: +9 HP: +55 MANA: +60
SV Disease: +5 SV Poison: +5 SV Magic: +13
Required level of 46 Recommended level of 61
WT: 6.5 Size: MEDIUM
Classes: RNG ROG SHM
Races: BAR DEF DWF ELF GNM HEF HFL HUM IKS OGR TRL VAH
(cost: 3 Huricane Temper, 3 Brick of Electrified Copper, 1 Vial of Distilled Mana, 1 Grey Diamond of Storms, 1 Blank Emblem, 1 Chain Tunic Pattern)

Now compare the number of Rec level 45 or less 51 AC plate BPs in the game with the number of 30 AC chain BPs. Then compare the number of Rec level 61 or less 51 AC plate BPs with the number of 41 AC Chain BPs.

So yes, i guess you could say that chain wearers benefited more from PoP/Tae Ew than plate wearers. But i think you will agree that if the BD chain had been as *relatively* good as the BD plate, then chain wearers would benefit just as little from PoP and Tae Ew smithing as plate wearers.

[Meirril]

Most of the cultural chain isn't as good as all melee wearable alternatives. However, high elf cultural chain is kinda nice for caster classes who want to have a diffrent look... :twisted:

[Sithro]

Actually, I'm High Elf and I were a Netted Kelp Tunic for a different look. Lol, it's better than nothing... Although my mage does look like a druid. I think I might Blacksmith to help friends, and maybe over time my skill will get better. Also, when I hit around lvl 40 I will go hunt for acrilyia and make that armor. I think it will be alot harder but alot cheaper just to farm for what I needed.

[Bennan]

At the core of every decision you make in EQ, you have to factor in that EQ is a *game*.

And we all play (hopefully) games to have fun. Use that as your basis, if you derive enjoyment from tradeskills, then thats the way to go.

Skills like Smithing, are time intensive, so they are somewhat of a challenge for the average player to GM in.

For me fun in EQ = Tradeskills, and thats what I based my decision on to stop doing XP etc.

There will always be some money in most skills, and in smithing it is possible to net considerable profits over time. The only hurdle here, is that most markets have had quite a few smiths reach a stable skill level to make things such as Cultral, and after selling a fair few items have moved on (or are still going) so the demand is not going to be the same. But there will always be at least some demand, new players and/or new twinks are always around the corner.

Good luck in whatever you choose.