Newbie Question: Are Sages of Any Real Use?

[ssor02]

I have been playing EQ2 for three weeks now.  Am a level 22 Sage and have just reached level 20 as a Conjuror.  I just discovered that I can use the Research tab of my K book to upgrade my Conjuror spells -- perhaps all the way from Apprentice to Master!  So far I have used it only to upgrade spells from Expert to Master, but I see that one of my spells still at Apprentice level can be upgraded to Journeyman.

Up to now, I have been scribing my own Conjuror spell scrolls, upgrading them from Apprentice to Expert if I had the needed rare or from Apprentice to Journeyman if I didn't.  Before I reached level 20 Conjuror and the Research tab became available to me, I had no idea what the Research tab could do.

So if every class for which a Sage can scribe a scroll can upgrade their own spells, etc., simply by researching them, what real need is there for Sages?

True, I do have a Research Assistant, who has been making Advanced Knowledge scrolls for me, but turning out objects from these scrolls requires tons of resources, and I have no idea yet of how well they will sell on the broker's market.  I myself really have no need of them, since I have been doing very well in the game simply by bringing up my AA points.  They seem merely to give that extra oomph that some players might want if they are going up against a tough boss, etc.

So I am beginning to doubt my choice of tradecraft, and my question still stands: Are Sages of any real use?  Perhaps I should choose a craft that isn't halfway outdated by the Research option.  My other toon is a level 29 Provisioner, and as I have learned, that craft was an excellent choice, since every toon benefits from food and drink, so it sells well.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Alenna]

ssor02 wrote:

I have been playing EQ2 for three weeks now.  Am a level 22 Sage and have just reached level 20 as a Conjuror.  I just discovered that I can use the Research tab of my K book to upgrade my Conjuror spells -- perhaps all the way from Apprentice to Master!  So far I have used it only to upgrade spells from Expert to Master, but I see that one of my spells still at Apprentice level can be upgraded to Journeyman.

Up to now, I have been scribing my own Conjuror spell scrolls, upgrading them from Apprentice to Expert if I had the needed rare or from Apprentice to Journeyman if I didn't.  Before I reached level 20 Conjuror and the Research tab became available to me, I had no idea what the Research tab could do.

So if every class for which a Sage can scribe a scroll can upgrade their own spells, etc., simply by researching them, what real need is there for Sages?

True, I do have a Research Assistant, who has been making Advanced Knowledge scrolls for me, but turning out objects from these scrolls requires tons of resources, and I have no idea yet of how well they will sell on the broker's market.  I myself really have no need of them, since I have been doing very well in the game simply by bringing up my AA points.  They seem merely to give that extra oomph that some players might want if they are going up against a tough boss, etc.

So I am beginning to doubt my choice of tradecraft, and my question still stands: Are Sages of any real use?  Perhaps I should choose a craft that isn't halfway outdated by the Research option.  My other toon is a level 29 Provisioner, and as I have learned, that craft was an excellent choice, since every toon benefits from food and drink, so it sells well.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

as your adventure level gets high so does the time to research at the end game level it takes almost a month to go from expert to master and going from apprentice to master would take even longer so yes I'd say the sage is a good choice

[Rijacki]

As you advance in levels, the amount of time to research each stage of an upgrade on a single spell increases dramatically. Scholars can make Expert version of spells/CAs reducing the amount of time needed to research to get from 'apprentice' to 'master'.

That's what the devs remind us when they claim tradeskills make desirable items in-game.

However, as many have discovered, at any level, if you want the Master, you can have it immediately by paying for research reducers. Paying for reducers from apprentice to master isn't that significantly less expensive that many players don't see it as a favourable alternative to obtaining the rare needed to have an Expert made.

[ssor02]

Thanks for your helpful answers!