Skillup Path

[Wolfysins]

I'm trying to skill up an alchemist to at least 20. He's currently 15. I suspect shortly after he gets to 20, that I'll need him 30, but that's another issue. Basically I'm doing what every other craftsman is being forced to do -- level an alchemist, because I can't find anyone supplying the liquids I need in a volume I can afford to refine my lumber needed for skillups.

I tried making spells. What a royal pain in the butt!

So... how do I get a scholar to level 20? And just how nasty is it going to be getting an alchemist to 30?

Is refining the way to go? Or am i just going to have to suffer what it takes to make spells?

Are fighter essences a lot less work than spells and runes? I didn't look at those yet.

[Morie]

I don't know what the market is like now, but I made spells to 20. They were good experience and sold well. Essences are only slightly easier (no quills or paper), but I couldn't give them away.

Either way you have to make ink, which is really the painful part.

[Amaranthe]

In a nutshell, levelling is painful. Not so much at the start of a tier, but as you reach the end of the tier is becomes a mind-numbing grind. The vast majority of your combines are going to be the ones you get at the first level of the tier, the refines. By x7th level you will be getting very little xp per combine.

My advice: Once you hit x0th level, make stack upon stack of ink. The first 2-3 levels of a tier go pretty fast since the resins, et al still give good xp.
Once you have one millllllion inks, grind out warrior skills to push you through some more levels.

That's my plan for when I hit 30 anyways...

[TraderJoe]

For the fastest skill-ups you should try to make 1 of each new item if at all possible. The bonus "Discovery" experience from each can push you through the x6 - x9 levels much faster than making 50 of the same scroll.

Yesterday I pushed my alchy from 14 to 20 in under 3 hours by making about 12 finished combines per level. Granted I was taking advantage of the additional bonus exp from Sony's oops this past weekend but still, 12+% exp per new spell / potion / piece of jewelery using the inks and such I had stockpiled made it a really fast run. This will be harder in levels 36-39 and 46-49 due to fewer "New" recipes to discover (Jewelery and scrolls no more)

[Aguirre]

Since you mentioned lumber I am guessing your main is a carpenter or woodworker. Just don't do it! It is really not worth your trouble. Try your black market or crafting channel. Actually alchemists components are about the only easy thing you can readily and easily buy on the market.

I did the same thing and now alchemist prices are totally within reason 1.5-2sp. If you're a power gamer maybe, but the extra time you spend on your main instead will put you closer to 50. It only gets slower at 25 or so... Untimately because the components seemed within reason, I went jeweler, and now I rarely use him.

I can't imagine spending all that time keeping 2 crafters at equal levels etc.

I'd rather buy the stuff than make it myself. It saves time and ultimately money since both carpenters and woodworkers can be profitable.


If you don't mind slowing down your main's progress for the alt at EVERY tier, then it is probably ok. For me, I wanted to be ahead with my main.

[harvyst]

I don't know what server you're on, but join your cityname_crafter's channel and ask for your local t3 alchemist. Pay them the going rate, or offer raws, and you will probably get a bite.

I know I sell loads of t3 liquids at the server's going price (1.5sp) every night when I go into merchant mode. Last night, someone asked about neolith. Now I was on my way to my home to set up shop to sell about 10 stacks of neo, and another 6 of thyk resin, another 6 of wash and of oil...

So I tell him where I am, and he comes over... he's there before I finish setting the prices. I hit "start selling", and he buys me out.

Gah :)

Had to make more :) I like to have a presence every night, people know I sell liquids at fair prices, so I get lots of custom orders from people who see me on the broker every night. :)

Most of my customers are very nice to work with. I sell t3 for 1.5sp. I also do trades for stacks of raws. I had one guy try to sleez out on the deal for raws, saying "well I thought you would do it just for xp". No dice, I refused to give him the liquids till he provided the raws. Just a hint - nobody wants to grind on liquids 'for the xp'. There are much faster ways to level. I will do free combines for my nearest and dearest friends, I do trades for those who have no money, but I will never ever make another liquid for that sleezeball who wasted an hour of my time. He cussed me out, said I was greedy... and yet every few days I see him buying stuff of my merchant for the same price he said was "extortion". Whatever. I'm not getting terribly rich off of this, I make enough to have it be worthwhile, but not enough that I want to devote my entire EQ experience to doing liquids.

I guess it's like life. Most people are charming to work with. But there are a few rotten apples who go on your "ignore" list....

[harvyst]

Oh yeah, there is no easy skillup path once you hit 27. It's all grinding on the warrior essences, and the ink is a real pain in the arse to make, and they don't sell very well. I end up giving them away to friends. Or selling back to the vendor.

It takes me 1 1/2 hours to make 1 stack of ink. Now I estimate it is probably 2% xp per essence, so that's 50 inks per level, that's roughly 4 hours 45 minutes to make enough inks, not including the combine time to do the actual essences themselves.

So let's say you want to go from 25 (where getting xp off refines is not useful) to 30... that's 4 hours 45 minutes per level, 5 levels, so 23 hours and 45 minutes or nearly a full RL day just doing alchemy combines.

Then repeat for 35 to 40, 45 to 50.

Fun, eh?

[Aguirre]

I feel for you. I've also had the same bad experience with a few sages. Though I've had great experience with regular customers. We either trade labor (quills/paper for patterns) or they give a bit extra resources to make up for the labor.

1.5sp is a very good price, and I think someone asking you to do combines for just exp is not really acceptable unless you are offering that....even if you just hit 20 and get great exp from it.

Labor is the toughest part of EQ2 tskills for me, then alchemist liquids, then resources.

I buy whatever fluids I see for under 3sp and have tried to keep 8 stacks of wash,oil,resin. I keep 4 stacks of temper since I don't use it much. Anytime they are 3sp and over and I either ask in the crafting channel or do a last resort check in the black market.

note: this is after I made some so-so money to get around 10-15gp from levels 22-25.