I'm looking for some good guides, preferably vendor only guides/the things killing give exp/loot at 60-70 guides, for tradeskilling in this era. For example, I've noticed that a lot of smithing guides seem to go from Banded Mail (115) to Fine Steel which has terrible farms associated without mentioning the only vendor requiring Ornate Chain Mail (142), which, with a +15% skill item, gets you very close to the 165 required to combine Enchanted Velium Bits - which will take you to 220 and is an easier farm than endless silks and hides. Anyone got some suggestions of guides they like, or good tradeskill tips and tricks or websites?
All tradeskill recipes can be viewed at MQEmulator.net. The holy grail of tradeskill info is EQTraders.com. The forums are a good source of older info if you are wiling to spend time searching. More specifics need more info. One person's easy path is another's terrible farm. High Quality Ore isn't really sold on vendors: vendors carry a limited supply. When they run out you are out of luck until the server resets. I've never found any on a merchant. Ever. You can farm it from mobs or via converting fine steel weapons into small bricks and pieces of HQ ore. This guide is still relevant for PEQ. Check for availablity of cultural needles and sewing kits. A couple more ideas: Breaking down Magnetic armor into Magnetic Bricks trivials at 135. Fishbone Dart Tool (146) is another use for Velium Bits. Magnetic Bricks into Magnetic Patch Plate trivials at 162. Magnetic Bricks into Magnetic Bolts trivials at 202. Magnetic Patch Plates and Bolts make armor trivialing up to 282. Brick of Ethereal Energy into sheets and rings trivials at 212 but requires 220 skill (180ish-190ish with +15% item) Aligned Ore and Shimmering Aligned Ore from GoD zones make oodles and oodles of recipes in a huge level range. Like Magnetic armor, you gain skill from subcombines and later, the final combine. Most expansions have high skill recipes using high level mob dropped items. Pick where you want to farm and farm it.
Smithing is impossible without farming. I think the magnetic path is the best past banded as it drops every other mob in OOW zones. Tailoring is the other one that needs farming. The most convenient route there past picnic baskets is Othmir Fur Caps. A round of otters is like 20+ furs and they respawn in 10 minutes. The rest can be done into the 200 range with vendor bought items. Just depends how much cashish you have. Almar's guides for OOW are another good place for tips.
If you're into GoD content, specifically Kod'Taz+, save every meldstone you come across. I'm not saying it's the best option out there, but I went from 50 (do your freebies in Abysmal) to 250+ just combining meldstones and water for qvic plate/chain mats. There is no minimum required level to attempt the combine, the skill-ups came fast, and the successful combines actually might be useful if you're headed the route of M`sha farming one day! But to echo above sentiment, Blacksmithing is a chore no matter which way you slice it. I definitely came across hundreds of meldstones many years ago as I was leveling in KT and Yxxta (pre OOW days) so this option is perhaps a bit dated. Still, they seem to drop quite a bit when I'm just passing through KT+ areas and if you look at each one as a +1, you'll grab 'em!
EQprogression is at the same era we are at right now. Their website is currently a GOLD MINE of OoW and under content and guides, that are being currently updated! https://www.eqprogression.com/blacksmithing/ Heres the smithing guide. Its very similar to what is mentioned above, but with sewing kits. Anyway I always check these when eqemulator or eqtc dont have the answers is want.
im at 143 in blacksmithing and if i try the combine i get the "you are not skilled enough" message... ( i dont remember if i did the abysmal starting quest tbh... i will check that)
That's because the "no minimum level" statement is not true. https://mqemulator.net/item.php?id=62490&view=usedinrecipe Min level is 241. A combination Magnetic and Aligned is your best bet after the nerfing of the out of era drops. Assuming that you are doing GoD/OOW content.
I am struggling to find the right container for increasing the research skill, is there really no way to make spells anymore? I followed the guide on eqprogression but it has you making research materials but when I try to combine words into spells I get a message about not being able to combine in this container. I tried to buy the old book of dark bindings to combine words in but there is no combine button anymore... anyone able to shed some light?
That old system of research is no longer available on PEQ. As you found out, those containers no longer have a combine button. Use recipes made from the new consolidated research containers: Spell Research Kit, Tome Binding Kit, Prayer Writing Kit, Hybrid Research Kit, Song Writing Kit. LoY era swatches use the correct container and also use many of the old world research runes/words/pages/whateveryoucallthemageitems. Many of the Solutions recipes are entirely vendor bought, though expensive at the high end.
