>Just my views here (still off topic, but all us Bards seem to dabble in
>trade skills anyway):
>
>After fighting my way up to level 11, mostly solo, and barely getting
>enough plat to afford my songs at each level, I was told that I should
>work on trade skills to make the money I needed. Ok, that's well and
>good then.
>
>Next skill, tailoring. Here's something that actually makes a little
>money. At least enough to pay for the patterns (since I hunt my own
>skins). But what did I find? No market--everyone wants banded armor.
>Patchwork is useless except for the lowest levels, and most of them
>either ignore auction, or have already got what they wan. Ok, I'm still
>making enough off of the merchants to at least get somewhere. Up to 21
>in this skill and seeming to be stuck there (still get alot of failures
>and I can't do studded yet).
Tailoring patchwork goes trivial at 26 skill, from then on you need studs.
This will be a money drain, as there is no way you'll make the several
plat each that you'd need to to break even.
>
>Time for blacksmithing to learn to at least make the studs for my
>tailoring skill. As far as I'm concern, this is a complete loss for
>now...the cash I spent on it set me back as a tailor because I couldn't
>afford the patterns for the longest time. Although I was able to get
>studs made up with a little patience. Skill here, about 18.
Smithing takes serious money to get up. I have a mage (purpose made
to do trade skills, after I lost my stuff to a bug) with a 110 int and 90
cha. Plunging 60 plat into him (the excess made from pottery, that I
didn't transfer to my bard, because the I had regained what I had before
the bug) I got him to 38 skill. Some to the sites suggest 40+ skill to
do well on studs. Of course, you don't use up files, even in failures,
so it's a little cheaper than it was when those guides were written.
>
>Ok, finally despairing over getting enough cash to even _think_ about
>affording banded armor, let alone getting a magical weapon (yeah, I am
>still using my Mino), I turned to brewing. Even figured out some of the
>recipes without spoilers (though I turned to those after a while), and
>found that it was even worse than cooking. I lost even more cash at this
>than I did at cooking (though blacksmithing cost me even more). I even
>got up to 25 in brewing.
Again, you need to sink the cash in to reap the end benefits (gone now).
I've heard startup costs of 6-10 pp
>
>So, what does that leave? Hmmm, I can spend several days fishing and
>eventually I'll make enough plat to afford good armor. Or I can keep
>hunting lions, wolves, and bears in EC for tailoring, like I have been.
>I was thinking of trying pottery, but in light of what I've been hearing,
>I'm glad I didn't try to waste my money on that.
Again, pottery took startup capital of 15pp to get to master skill level,
and make the rediculous amounts of cash (30pp per hour)
>
>Frankly, it looks like Verant wants lower level folks to be dependent on
>handouts from higher level folks. I find it rather sad that I can barely
>get necessities on my own each level up to level 10 and now that I'm
>level 11, I really need banded to survive and I can't afford it, nor does
>it look like I will ever afford it soon.
Originally, before the bug ate my stuff (anyone sick of me talking about
that yet? :) I earned all my income from hunting.
At level 9 I took my first darkweed snake, very dangerous work. They
are underhunted in the East Commonlands, because most classes can't
deal with the poison (regular poison, 5hp per tick damage, OUCH). High
blues will give you a pasting, low blues are medium-tough. As well as
being underhunted they have decent loot, Giant Snake fangs sell to NPC's
for 4g6s (at 95 cha), as do Venom Sacs. They don't always drop them,
but you're getting exp at the same time.
At level 11 you start by weaving Anthem and Warsong, then wait 'til you get
poisoned. If you get poisoned early, and he's hitting you hard, run
for the zone, screaming like a little girl, he's high blue and he's about to
hand you your head. If you get him down a ways before being poisoned,
switch to Warsong+Hymn weave. When you finish him, you'll be
poisoned, and losing 2hp per tick (6 seconds, or there abouts). If you're
close to dieing, and you don't get your lute in your hands quick you
can die after winning. Don't loot yet. First, sit down (down to 1hp per
tick) then switch to your lute. (You do have the hotkeys set up with
the necessary inventory slots, don't you?) Down time is longer than
we're used to, due to the poison.
Whenever I was on at odd times, and didn't feel like finding a group
(if I'm only going to be on for an hour or two, it doesn't seem fair
to them or me) I'd head to the N.W. corner of the E.C. by the Inn,
DWS's are very common, and you can pull to the wall to cover your
back.
When I left the east coast at 14, I had ~90-100 plat in the bank,
a snakeskin jerkin, all my songs to that point, snakeskin gloves
and my nice scimitar (didn't trade that in 'til 16). I went to
paw from there, and N. Karanas (you CAN kite griffawns if you're
careful, nice exp, nice loot, they replaced DWS's as my goto
prey during the times my friends weren't on)
You can survive without banded for several more levels. I did.
Riian, a 15 then 16 level druid hunted with me in Paw. We both
had an ac of 302 before buffs, yet we were able to take
High Shaman Lenrel, a Splitpaw Noble and a regular shaman
on all at once. I came close to dieing that time, but I learned
the layout of the room he spawns in, and was able to creep
in, target the noble (blue) lament him, target the shaman (exp
green at 15) lament him, target Lenrel, bellow, and run
for the door, then the anteroom door, and out to the room we
fought him in. Picked up a RTS, and bunches of other good
loot down there. Getting to High Shaman Ren Rex is easier
but the layout favors a slightly bigger party.
Of course, at 16 I went on a buying spree, spent most of my
cash on some nice stuff, and ended up losing it to a bug
coming out of befallen the next day :(
If you don't want to deal with the poisonous snakes, go straight
to paw now, you can hunt the gnolls outside the entrance and
just inside easily with lament. They seem to always have a few
silver, and often a rusty weapon.
Just because others get a huge boost from twinking, don't
believe you have to have what they do to succeed.
Tindayen, 16th level bard
Swifthawk, 6th level shaman