Looking for market experience

[Stugein]

Howdy again, folks. Been awhile.

I'm looking for experience with saleable product for weaponsmiths. I'm talking outside of special orders. The only non-rare item I seem to have any luck with are the imbued common dual-wields. Are there any other weaponstyles that you see that you move fairly regularly?

Also, what would you see as logical and reasonable additions to the weaponsmith's arsenal (har har) of goods that could breathe some life back into the profitability of the profession? Bring back good metal thrown weapons (knives, axes, etc.) or other consumables? Maybe some cross-profession dependance like arrow-heads? Oooh...or maybe modification/retooling of non-playermade weapons! Like sharpening or imbuing of dropped weapons. That'd be slick.

I've heard rumblings of consumables for weaponsmiths in the future, but as of right this moment there aren't a ton of players clamoring for our services. In addition to learning what sells well now I'd like to hear idea on improving our situation going forward. For a game that has combat as such a fundamental part of the experience we should be at the forefront of the crafting scene, arming our comrades as they go out to slap around evil (or good)!

[Stugein]

Ok, well let's roll with just one of those ideas then.

What are your thoughts on imbuing (adding effects) or sharpening (adding points of damage or damage rating) to non-player crafted weapons? As a service I think it's a wonderful idea for weaponsmiths. Of course folks would have to think ahead and not attune their weapon if they plan on getting it improved by their local weaponsmith....but I still think it's a good idea to provide some sort of dynamic workflow to the profession.

[kieroth_whiteleaf]

As far as the market is concerned, ON OCCASION I sell an imbued common. But basically, my weaponsmith exists for writs and my stubborn insistence on getting 70 in all tradeskills.

SFG

[Stugein]

As far as the market is concerned, ON OCCASION I sell an imbued common. But basically, my weaponsmith exists for writs and my stubborn insistence on getting 70 in all tradeskills.

SFG

Yup. I might move a common imbued item once per week at best. I've never been able to sell a rare weapon without a ridiculous cut in the cost. Special orders are the only way rares go.

Do you have any ideas on making weaponsmithing more profitable or their services more desireable? How about some of the suggestions above?

[kieroth_whiteleaf]

Well, the attune system is a double-edged sword (pardon the pun) for weaponsmiths.

While it IS a good thing for us in the context that it makes our goods sellable - the lack of resale ability gives us a quasi-monopoly on the market (aside from dropped/raided/quest style drops), it also prevents most of the ideas I would have for a consumables market. In one of the games I run, we have a system where a weaponsmith can take a weapon and give it temporary 'buffs" with a small number of charges.. usually enough to get them through a day or so... which means the weaponsmiths have a steady stream of business. This type of system is impossible under the current constraint, since you can't "give" your weapon to the weaponsmith to get it "buffed".

The other problem is in the adornments thing - Most of the suggestions I'd have for weaponsmithing would directly conflict with the principles of adornments, so I'm sure they wouldn't fly.

The major problems with weaponsmithing as a concept are:
- You've got a maximum of two slots to work with. In many cases, such as clerics, you're losing a slot to jeweler or armorsmith (symbol or shield). In others, you only have 1 due to 2handed weapons.
- The "2" slots you have also assumes that the player needs METAL weapons. The woodworker does all the wood weapons, which consist primarily of clubs/cudgels (commonly used by priest classes, although many also use hammers) and batons (commonly used by brawlers) and staves (brawlers and mages). This means your clientele is GENERALLY going to be a scout or a non-brawler fighter (yes, there are exceptions, but this is your majority) - that's roughly only 50% of the overall playerbase (assuming equal distribution of classes).

For an armorsmith, it's extremely common to lose a slot or two per player, but you have 7 slots overall so it's not a big deal. For my own main, who groups primarily in SoS at the moment, at 62 I had one piece of armor that beat the rare chain my armorsmith could beat. That left 6 more I had to "buy" from my armorsmith.

One slot lost is a HUGE hit to a weaponsmith - One of my current weapons are better than just about anything my weaponsmith can make (I haven't checked rares, but I THINK it's cutting it pretty close), which means my weaponsmith will get only one "Sale" compared to the armorsmith's 6. If my character was using 2handers instead of dual wield, there'd be a zero gain there.

What MOST games seem to lean towards (at least in those where tradeskills are expected to be viable) is a general "blacksmithing" skill which accounts for weaponsmithing and armorsmithing. This would cause a major problem if implemented this late in the game, so IMHO what I think we're going to see over the long term is weaponsmithing either becoming progressively less viable as a profitable skillset OR a weapon degradation style system that would pretty much piss off every adventurer in the game.

We're pretty much screwed. I really don't see much in the way of viable solutions.. I'm not normally one to complain about something without providing a solution, but I just can't see one.

SFG

[Lordebon]

Actually Kieroth_Whiteleaf, you could do a system as you were talking about in the beginning. Only, instead of having them bring the weapon to you, make weaponsmiths be able to create special oils or whetstones or something that temporarily imrpove some ability. But then the problem is, does that step on alchemist toes, hehe?

[Serenya]

They could also take a page from WoW's playbook. An 'enhancement' window that looks like the trade window, but one player moves in the no-trade item, whilst the crafter moves in the enhancement. This would require that the crafter, instead of directly imbuing the item, makes an imbue that can be attached. Or, if what he is doing is something like 'sharpening' that it simply be a skill check I suppose.


Alternatively, weaponsmith made 'sharpening tools' that the player can then apply herself? I don't know, just searching for ideas here.

[Lordebon]

Aye, they could do something like an 'enchancement' window, but I'm pretty sure all the code for that would have to be brand spankin' new -- theres nothing even close to that, that I know of.

As for the sharpening tools... anything would have to be a buff on the character and not the item. The way the EQ2 system works is this item is this and that's it. Individual versions of the same item are always the same and have to be -- if something has to be different, it has to be a different item. So modifying the weapon simply isnt a possibility for them without a *major* overhaul of their item system, which I don't see them doing

(All thats from my knowledge, not from a Dev or anything).

[kieroth_whiteleaf]

Most of the "buffs", as I see them, would either step on the toes of the weaponsmith or the adornment person. Not saying it couldn't be done, just saying it'd cause some toe-steppage.

SFG

[Argyuile]

Mabye slotted items. Where the slots can be filled with things the weaponsmith can make. Could bring you on par with Armorsmiths. A sword with 6 slots. Then you could sell the sword and 6 things to put in the sword.