Swirling shadows

[Spektor]

So anyways, I've done several hundred combines trying to get from 188 to 189 using shadowscream...

I've GM'd several tradeskills (including tailoring), none of which were this painful.

I'm going to try and keep it up, but I was wondering if there is anywhere better than Twilight Sea to get swirling shadows? I average 8-9 shadows per island clearing, which results in me spending a sick amount of time here.

If I get tired of doing this, is there any way (aside from sickles and acrylia) to get skillups?

[Zeralenn]

Swirling shadows

There have to be a gazillion posts on this subjects, but the easiest place to get swirling shadows is in Shadeweaver's Thicket, around the tunnel entrance to Paludal where the lesser shades spawn. If you have AoE anything or can swarm kite, just gather up anything that moves in the area (everything is a PH for lesser shades) and nuke hell out of anything that so much as twitches.

They're all less than level 10 up there so you can do these en masse.

...Zera

[Boleslav]

You do not mention your race. Some cultural smithing recipes are an alternative to Shadowscream Steel, while others are not.

Boleslav Forgehammer
Palaidn of Brell in his 65th Campaign
E'ci - Sacred Destniy

[Spektor]

I'm a Wood Elf, I'm pretty sure that viable cultural stuff cuts off well before 200

[Spektor]

Update! 610 combines later, skill is 190! Someone PLEASE tell me there is a better way to do this. It took me 2 weeks to setup that many combines.

[Mullen]

Dont lose hope!

The RNG is a fickle monster, I started shadowscream at 187 since I had some of the components and didnt feel like doing fine steel for the last point (mistake). Took me 96 combines to hit 188

However, did a run the other night with 100 combines and got 7 skillups from 194 to 201. You have to decide that its just something you are going to do until its done, no matter how hard it is.

Best of luck to you.

[Spektor]

See, thats the thing, I was stupid and left smithing to last. Ive got at least 240 in all tradeskills (except tailoring which is 233 and smithing at 190). I'm working on the Aid Grimmel quest, and I've put too much time in to give up now. But the RNG has never been this bad to me. It kicked me around a bit during tailoring, but that was livable since almost everything was vendor bought. If only I had the XTC hammer!

[adetia]

If you have a hefty supply of cash and just want to blaze through it, (and I do mean hefty), consider the velium bar portion of the JC component of the Aid Grimel quest. (ESPECIALLY if you are a race that has no cultural option like Erudite)

Its roughly 800pp per combine but skillups averaged about 1 in 10 for us from 198 to 210 and then again from 212 to 220. I, like you, was about as sick of doing shadowscream, and after one particularly stubborn point, I needed some inspiration so I bought enough velium bars to do 20 combines, and when I got REALLY lucky with my first skill up session, I was hooked at the idea of putting an end to my smithing misery.

Again, this is only if you have alot of cash to spare, but I know a growing number of smiths who have been using this method to top off their smithing at least far enough to complete their tradeskill earring, and then do other choices such as breastplate washing, sickles, shadowscream etc to finish getting to 250.

[Catranizi]

What is the resale price of the bar of enchanted pure velium to vendors? Can you recoup a fair portion of the 800pp per combine?

[adetia]

No. As the bar is nodrop, you cannot recover any of the outlay.

[Boleslav]

Breastplate Washing?

What is that?

Boleslav

[Ilona]

Breastplate washing is the first part of the Aid Grimel quest.

[Spektor]

Ow. Assuming all went well, it'd cost somewhere between 250-300k to do it that way. I mean... I do have the money to do that, but there is no way I'm spending more than like, 60k for any tradeskill, and I haven't yet.

This is so frustrating. Why must smithing be the hardest tradeskill to raise!?

/cry

[Catranizi]

I had a hard time going from 191 to 197. About 100 combines for each.

From 197 to 220, I was averaging about 15 combines per points.

I usually buy 100 swirling shadows, go to hollowshade, farm appropriate substances, combine, repeat.

100 shadows is about 10k on TM.

[Sealody]

100 shadows is about 10k on TM.

****... I'm not selling them high enough then.

They generally go for 60-80pp/each on rathe.