Some quick questions (HQ ore and padding)

[Morani]

Can anyone give me a rough idea of the number of leather paddings needed to go though Fine Steel from about 160? I'm trying to build my stock.

I've been able to find someone stating that large bricks of HQ ore can be bought for ~17 plat each. The price page for Smithing supplies does not show prices for small bricks or small pieces of HQ ore purchased from the merchant. Does anyone know these prices off hand?

...
I had another question but it's gone and left no trace…. <grrr>

[Hibashira]

Depending on str/int/wis, I believe the rule-of-thumb number is 20-30 combines per skill ups at its worse. At sub-200, I think 20 cps is a good target.

[Tuga]

Sorry friend, fine steel plate uses medium quality folded sheet metal, made from a block of medium quality ore, runs around 25 plat a block. I really, really wish it could be made with HQ ore since you can convert fine steel weapons to it, but alas it can't. Good luck and good smithing.

[Silound]

At 255 str, working with closest trivials and starting with 1 sheet then 2 sheet and so up, I used approxiamtely 100 paddings total from 157 to 170. 171-188 I used about 150 paddings, but also a bit of shadowscream interspersed in those combines. Overall, I say if you have 300 padding and 255+ str, you should be able to pull it off. Also, if you want more free advice, I farmed all the decent palces, listed here in order of preference:

Silk locations:
Innothule Swamp (only place you will need, too many spiders for any worries)
Feerrott
East commons
Pelts:
Marus Seru (farmed here first and used Greayhopper Hides to get to 95, less fails on padding)
Stonebrunt Mountains
East Karana


Silound
Minstrel of Prexus

[Calabar]

Can anyone give me a rough idea of the number of leather paddings needed to go though Fine Steel from about 160?

Answer: More then you have.

I don’t remember the numbers, but I had stacks and stacks of padding. I was sure I had enough. I didn’t. So I farmed a few more stacks. It still wasn’t enough. I farmed some more. I ran out with just 3 more points needed. I committed lizard genocide in Marus Seru and finally hit 188 smithing with about 5 padding to spare.

The problem with trying to estimate the amount of padding needed is you never know when you’ll hit a wall of 200+ combines without any skill ups. Hopefully the RNG will be kind to you.

[Kradlum]

Another place for silks is Shadeweavers thicket - start killing those Lesser Shades now for their silks and you should get a stack of Swirling Shadows ready for when you start Shadowscream (or to sell if you don't intend to do that).

[Morani]

Thanks for all the advice. I knew the padding was going to be a large number, but I wasn't sure if I was looking at something like 300 or 1000+. I think I'm just going to plan 300 and see how it goes. If I need more I can get them but at least I should be SOMEWHAT close (baring the RNG being cruel).

Sorry friend, fine steel plate uses medium quality folded sheet metal, made from a block of medium quality ore, runs around 25 plat a block. I really, really wish it could be made with HQ ore since you can convert fine steel weapons to it, but alas it can't. Good luck and good smithing.

Quite right. However, my smithing is only at 132 right now so I have a lot of HQ ring in my future. I'm trying to figure out what the cost of making HQ rings from bought small bricks (since normal ore is cheaper to buy small bricks and turn them into large ones rather than just buying large bricks). Once I have that figure, I can decide if my fine steel farming is worth my time or if I should spend it dumpster diving to get the money and BUY the stuff.

Pelts:
Marus Seru (farmed here first and used Greayhopper Hides to get to 95, less fails on padding)
Stonebrunt Mountains
East Karana

MS and EK I'm familiar with but Stonebrunt???? What and where? I'm there right now farming the fine steel and the only things I know of are the tigers but they don't seem numerous enough to be worth the mention. Please enlighten me.

[andyhre]

Stonebrunt is a nice little vaguely Asian themed zone in Odus. It's on the other side of the Warrens from Paineel. It is one of the "optional" zones so you may have to go into the Advanced patcher option and click a button to get it. It's now the route to Gunthak, so I guess it's becoming a crossroads

I spent level 24 and 25 there (Ranger), killing Kobolds (a little) and leopardesses/leopards (a lot), and made a good deal of money on the pelts, as they never drop ruined (though sometimes they give leopard skin which seems to have no use). I think one can graduate up to tigress/tigers, but they were still red (or occasionally yellow) to me. if you decide to visit the Kejek city, stay away from the Graniteback Gorillas, who did not like me although I'd never once harmed a primate. fortunately, I was able to root and run all the way to the Warrens zone line to clear the aggro, as there was no way I was going to successfully solo the gorilla.

If you can forage, people will also happily exchange platinum for any bamboo you forage up, though it is fairly rare.

[Rendael Brigh]

MS and EK I'm familiar with but Stonebrunt???? What and where? I'm there right now farming....

He said he is there so he knows where it is.

Just kill in the first little valley anything that roams / moves.
The annoying little kitties will pop up just like in EK.

[Anaxo]

And sheesh are they annoying! The kejekan tigers always try to bite me when I'm running through the mountains to the gulf, even though I have this big tough elemental trailing me and sparkly clothes I've taken off dragons that are much, much bigger than they are. You'd think they would learn.

[Morani]

as they never drop ruined

:shock: Is that POSSIBLE???? Ok. That's worth it. And I can even get experience still off them...

He said he is there so he knows where it is.

She. Thank you anyway.

Fortunately, I hunt with a Ranger to it's only the Primates that are uppity.