A million questions... but I'll keep it down to a few.

[Kaldrin]

Okay, I just started by downloading the initial game package. I played around with a wizard a little. I did play at release and found that the crafting, while amazingly complex, was incredibly tedious. I also hated the trial for gaining the wizard class. I don't like character specific things that I have to group to accomplish... Anyway, I'm back because I was told the game had changed quite a bit. Now on to the questions. I tried reading all the guides and such, but it's a lot of information and these questions are the ones that I either didn't understand or couldn't find answers to outright. For the Master II skill/spell allocation at 14 and every ten levels. Is that it, or do you have the option to increase others through tradeskilling or purchase? Specialization in tradeskilling. How specialized can you get? Is it like the Adept and Master levels for skills or is it just a tradeskill level based thing and all 61st levels Scholars are the same? I'm not interested in expansions unless they mean something for my game. What levels should you look at any expansions?

[BungFoo]

The game is *very* different than it was when you last played. For one thing you get to pick your class when you make your character. Also crafting has been streamlined and sub-combines were removed. Master I's can drop from mobs. Master II's you can *only* get from leveling. Crafters can make apprentice I through IV and apedpt I through III. You can buy them on the broker or find a crafter to make them for you. There are some recipe books that you cannot buy, you can only get them from drops (or buy on the broker) so not all same level crafters can make the same things. However, there aren't any special crafter abilities that I'm aware of. The KoS and EoF expansions add quite a bit to the game. It would be worth picking up EoF, since it includes all of the previous expansions and is reasonable priced. EoF adds a new race and new starting area as well as new zones for all other levels. It's a really big and well made expansion.

[Gladiia]

KaldrinXanthin wrote:

Okay, I just started by downloading the initial game package. I played around with a wizard a little. I did play at release and found that the crafting, while amazingly complex, was incredibly tedious. I also hated the trial for gaining the wizard class. I don't like character specific things that I have to group to accomplish... Anyway, I'm back because I was told the game had changed quite a bit. Now on to the questions. I tried reading all the guides and such, but it's a lot of information and these questions are the ones that I either didn't understand or couldn't find answers to outright. 1**For the Master II skill/spell allocation at 14 and every ten levels. Is that it, or do you have the option to increase others through tradeskilling or purchase? 2**Specialization in tradeskilling. How specialized can you get? Is it like the Adept and Master levels for skills or is it just a tradeskill level based thing and all 61st levels Scholars are the same? 3**I'm not interested in expansions unless they mean something for my game. What levels should you look at any expansions?

1** Master II is once every ten levels starting at 14, and you will get to choose one of 4 options.  Master I is the best you can get outside of this, and those drop rarely, or can be bought on broker for a pretty high price (some of them occasionally go for pretty cheap, but most go for 1p-5p pretty easy)  Adept III can also be bought on broker, or crafted.  Adept I can be found pretty often as chest drops, and usually sell for pretty cheap until you get past level 50 for the most part.  Apprentice II can be bought at trainers, and app II-IV can be crafted - I would suggest never buying anything under appIV on the broker ever ever ever.

 2** For the first 9 tradeskill levels you can craft everything.  From TS level 10-19 you choose a group, where your options are still pretty high.  From TS level 20+ you specialize in one of 9 areas.

3** Get the RETAIL BOX VERSION of EoF.  This includes all expansions for the same price as the downloadable version, and has a couple of fun items that comes with it.  This is worth it starting at level 1, but more noticably at level 10.  There are new races you can play, and new starting areas as well.  You get achievement points starting at level 10 with EoF and with all expansions you will get twice the options and twice the points to spend on these - quite worth it, yes.

[Calthine]

BungFoo wrote:

Master I's can drop from mobs. Master II's you can *only* get from leveling. Crafters can make apprentice I through IV and apedpt I through III. You can buy them on the broker or find a crafter to make them for you.

Small correction. Apprentice II - IV are crafted Adept I are dropped Adept II does not exist Adept III are crafted Master I are dropped Master II are available for certain spells as the OP stated. On tradeskills:  there's no real specialization, a 61 Sage is a 61 Sage.  While crafting has been simplified (interdependency and sub-combines are gone) the major part of the crafting game is knowing the market on your server rather than becoming the bestest Sage. Expansions:  DoF is about lvl 45-60.  KoS is about level 55-70.  EoF covers all levels, and as noted above the retail box set has all three expansions plus the base game for one price. 

[Dewlix]

KaldrinXanthin wrote:

I'm not interested in expansions unless they mean something for my game. What levels should you look at any expansions?

If you are a slow leveler, or casual player who plays when they can, you might consider waiting a couple of months (November) when Rise of Kunark will be release, since that is going to be an All-in-One package too.  Just a thought for ya.

[Kaldrin]

Bogler@Kithicor wrote:

KaldrinXanthin wrote:

I'm not interested in expansions unless they mean something for my game. What levels should you look at any expansions?

If you are a slow leveler, or casual player who plays when they can, you might consider waiting a couple of months (November) when Rise of Kunark will be release, since that is going to be an All-in-One package too.  Just a thought for ya.

When you guys say all in one package, you mean all the previous expansions are included with the latest one?

[Norrsken]

KaldrinXanthin wrote:

Bogler@Kithicor wrote:

KaldrinXanthin wrote:

I'm not interested in expansions unless they mean something for my game. What levels should you look at any expansions?

If you are a slow leveler, or casual player who plays when they can, you might consider waiting a couple of months (November) when Rise of Kunark will be release, since that is going to be an All-in-One package too.  Just a thought for ya.

When you guys say all in one package, you mean all the previous expansions are included with the latest one?

Yes, boxed EoF. Not the digital download.

[Josgar]

NEVER BUY EXPANSION DIGITAL DOWNLOADS Always buy the retail ones... Get the EOF all in one pack box its 40 dollars and includes the base game and all expansions

[Kaldrin]

Calthine wrote:

BungFoo wrote:

Master I's can drop from mobs. Master II's you can *only* get from leveling. Crafters can make apprentice I through IV and apedpt I through III. You can buy them on the broker or find a crafter to make them for you.

Small correction. Apprentice II - IV are crafted Adept I are dropped Adept II does not exist Adept III are crafted Master I are dropped Master II are available for certain spells as the OP stated. On tradeskills:  there's no real specialization, a 61 Sage is a 61 Sage.  While crafting has been simplified (interdependency and sub-combines are gone) the major part of the crafting game is knowing the market on your server rather than becoming the bestest Sage. Expansions:  DoF is about lvl 45-60.  KoS is about level 55-70.  EoF covers all levels, and as noted above the retail box set has all three expansions plus the base game for one price. 

Hmmm... tried to figure to get html editing so I could split up this quote, but couldn't find it. Anyway, on the App through Master Is. Is there a reason why Adept II does not exist? I'm actually looking at being a sage on my current Wizard for my own benefit and producing other things for the pure benefit of gaining xp. I guess if I notice a particular item being more sought after from the brokerage, I'll probably produce those too.  In most games this is pretty much common sense. I was just wondering if one can make a pure artisan character and actually 'make a living' at it.

[BungFoo]

No idea why adept IIs don't exist. Also, you can buy apprentice IIs from your class trainer in your home city. I know people who are very high level crafters and are comparatively low level adventurers. To pull that off you either need to play the broker very well or have alts that you can gather for yourself with. A level 20 adventurer isn't going to last long trying to gather in Enchanted Lands let alone Bonemire

[DwarvesR]

BungFoo wrote:

No idea why adept IIs don't exist. Also, you can buy apprentice IIs from your class trainer in your home city. I know people who are very high level crafters and are comparatively low level adventurers. To pull that off you either need to play the broker very well or have alts that you can gather for yourself with. A level 20 adventurer isn't going to last long trying to gather in Enchanted Lands let alone Bonemire

Adept 2 was the old M2.  "Back in the day" when rare harvests were actually rare, and Masters didn't drop like candy (People would brag in their bio's that they had all Adept 1's back then.  Having even a single Master 1 was a huge deal, and more than 2-3 Adept 3's was downright incredible.  Have I mentioned that the guy in full ebon armor was a raiding god?  But I digress. . . . )

 All right, back on point. . . back when Adept 3's were vanishingly rare, and M1's were the proverbial hen's teeth, the "training options" were the Adept 2's.  Said so right in their descriptions "This spell is of Adept 2 quality."  That was the only way the AD2 existed.  Once those were phased out in favor of the M2's, though, they were just plain gone.

Also, the statement that a level 20 adventurer can't find places to harvest in the higher tier zones is false.  There are non-aggro harvesting areas in all tiers.  Bonemire isn't one of them, but the mobs in Bonemire are spaced out well enough that I've seen level 1-9 characters harvesting there even in the aggro areas.  I've harvested there a few times on my level 51 dirge/70 jeweler, and it's really not that big a deal.  It's just a matter of finding the areas that ae either non-aggro or with few enough mobs to allow you access to the nodes.

[Kaldrin]

Jonna@Befallen wrote:

Also, the statement that a level 20 adventurer can't find places to harvest in the higher tier zones is false.  There are non-aggro harvesting areas in all tiers.  Bonemire isn't one of them, but the mobs in Bonemire are spaced out well enough that I've seen level 1-9 characters harvesting there even in the aggro areas.  I've harvested there a few times on my level 51 dirge/70 jeweler, and it's really not that big a deal.  It's just a matter of finding the areas that ae either non-aggro or with few enough mobs to allow you access to the nodes.

Cool. I suppose there's maps out there all over about where to harvest in some guides or something.

[BungFoo]

I didn't mean to imply that it's impossible to harvest in high level areas as a lower level character juts that it would be more difficult than harvesting in the low level areas.

[DwarvesR]

KaldrinXanthin wrote:

Cool. I suppose there's maps out there all over about where to harvest in some guides or something.

Tier 1 is pretty easy to find non-aggro areas, no matter where you are. 

Tier 2 -- Antonica and CL both have large non-aggro harvesting areas.  Most popular seem to be North and East of the Crossroads in CL or also making the circuit of the "bowl" that the druid rings are in.  There's some aggro out by the druid rings to watch out for, though.  In Antonica the area between the Oracle Griffin Tower and . . . the keep you get the jboots quest in. . .wow, been too long since I've been there.  Anyway, that area's quite good.

Tier 3 most popular spot seems to be near Tower 3 in Thundering Steppes.

Tier 4's biggest non-aggro areas are to the east of the docks on the peninsula out to the KoS spires in EL.  you can also be reasonably safe just right off the docks, though there is the occasional aggro wasp to watch out for.  In Zek if you can thread through all the aggro to get up to the Three Toes Lake area, it's non-aggro up there and has more nodes than you can clear before they repop.

tier 5 -- Near the entrance to Rivervale is a section with non-aggro stuff.

Tier 6 -- Sinking Sands Oasis just to the left of the docks.

Tier 7 -- Some areas of Tenebrous Tangle are non-aggro.  Bonemire has good mob spacing, so it's doable in spite of the aggro.

I've not really harvested in the EoF zones, so I can't really point you to any good spots there.  Sorry.

[DiatribeEQ]

Jonna@Befallen wrote:

KaldrinXanthin wrote:

Cool. I suppose there's maps out there all over about where to harvest in some guides or something.

Tier 1 is pretty easy to find non-aggro areas, no matter where you are. 

Tier 2 -- Antonica and CL both have large non-aggro harvesting areas.  Most popular seem to be North and East of the Crossroads in CL or also making the circuit of the "bowl" that the druid rings are in.  There's some aggro out by the druid rings to watch out for, though.  In Antonica the area between the Oracle Griffin Tower and . . . the keep you get the jboots quest in. . .wow, been too long since I've been there.  Anyway, that area's quite good.

Tier 3 most popular spot seems to be near Tower 3 in Thundering Steppes.

Tier 4's biggest non-aggro areas are to the east of the docks on the peninsula out to the KoS spires in EL.  you can also be reasonably safe just right off the docks, though there is the occasional aggro wasp to watch out for.  In Zek if you can thread through all the aggro to get up to the Three Toes Lake area, it's non-aggro up there and has more nodes than you can clear before they repop.

tier 5 -- Near the entrance to Rivervale is a section with non-aggro stuff.

Tier 6 -- Sinking Sands Oasis just to the left of the docks.

Tier 7 -- Some areas of Tenebrous Tangle are non-aggro.  Bonemire has good mob spacing, so it's doable in spite of the aggro.

I've not really harvested in the EoF zones, so I can't really point you to any good spots there.  Sorry.

EoF areas are also extremely well done for great harvesting needs....at least from what areas I've been to....example: Tier 1: Greater Faydark area.  Super easy to run from node to node, little aggro unless you're insanely blind (re: Not paying attention at all)

Tier 2: Butcherblock Mountains.  Again, a really solid area with decent mob vs. node placement.  You'll occassionally run into problems (if you're like me and have to farm everything for supplies), then you'll have to clear a mob or two.  Otherwise, BB has plenty of nodes and almost as good of access to all the nodes.

Tier 3: Steamfont.  Little harder access to the nodes, but an extremly wide variety of areas to farm in.  You'll find yourself a little more "busy" clearing the occassional roamer that patrols near you & your nodes, but still, it's not that bad.  Specially if you can invis/stealth through areas & place yourself out of harms way, that'll let you get even MORE access than normal for the lvl.

From here on out, I don't know, as Steamfont will take you to 45th lvl (am 41st lvl here).  But you *will* "peg out" your skill up potential (i.e. no longer get any skill ups from harvesting) by the time you're ready to leave the area, so no worries there.

[Kaldrin]

Okay, I thought of something as I started a new character last night on the server my friends are on: Does not the combat level determine the max skill you can have for your harvesting, or is it whatever is the higher of your combat & tradeskill levels? Never having had my tradeskill higher than my combat level I don't know...

[Gromdall]

It's the higher of your adventurer or tradeskill level that determines the harvesting skill cap.

Same thing with Woodworker made Harvesting tools, these decrease the time needed to harvest a particular type of node.  There is one tool for each type of node, although the shovel does work for roots and ush nodes.

There are also Tinkered tools that are better in that some of them work on more than one type of node and the highest level version takes 2.5 seconds of the time required to harvest a node.  These work off your tradeskill level only though.

[Kaldrin]

Thought it might have been that way.