Hey all, I do not know if this is the same for everyone or if it is just me. But here are my experiences with smithing.
Getting to 205 skill (where HQ augs become trivial) is time consuming, is a pain in the ass, and very expensive. On the other hand, I am pretty sure I currently am selling the most HQ augs of all the smithers on the server (Sorun/Fulgor) and have made back the money spent so far to get this skill, and a little more on top.
For 205-250 skill, I am encoutering all sorts of problems. While dalium/mithril/obisidian ores were rare, Ghostmetal and Warpmetal is just awful. Currently, the average drop rate between those helping me mine and myself is about 2-3 ores per hour, 4-6 hours per stack. For small armor (ghostmetal/warpmetal) it takes 1 ores per ingot. 3 ingots for a combine. It is about 20 combines per skillup. That's 60 ores per skillup (and that seems a little low, I'll have to recheck my numbers once I get more ore). So for one skillup you need to spend 12-18hours mining. Multiply that by at least 10 skillups (im only at 210 skill with +7 hammer and still not trivial) = 120-180 hours of nothing but mining (one charachter) to get 10 skillups. Once I reach trivial, I'll have to make Medium armor which is 2 ores per ingot and then 3 ingots per combine, 6 ores per combine, x 20 combines = 120 ore (24-36 hours). Multiply that for 10 more skillups and we're at 240-360 hours.
For the money aspect. The current price on these ores is 1k/stack. These prices are not dropping, and I dont see them dropping with the rarity of the ore (in fact I wouldn't be at all surprised if the price increased.) Now for the income aspect, there is none. If buying the ore, it costs (3x50 =150pp for the ore, 10pp for the miscelenious combines, 25pp per stabilizer (assuming your not paying for the bonechips and the ectoplasm, which is ludicrious as its 80 bonechips and 40 ecto for one stack of stabilziers and there's just no way your going to farm that much on your own when you need backpacks of stabilizers to skillup. Tthe current prices for these is 10pp/stack) = 75pp. Thus making the cost of a small piece of Warpmetal/Ghostmetal Armor 235pp. In order to account for the fails in combines and all that, You'd want to add some more. However, I have been tryign to sell these armors for 200pp, and no one wants them. Once I start making Medium armor, it'll be even more Expensive.
Now I am not sure what the solution here is, perhaps getting rid of the level requirement so it can become twink gear, adding some stats to it, letting it be augd with 2 augs (is that possible?) or what, but something needs to be done. Not to mention that once I want to start making deepmetal armor, I have to mine in First Ruins, which means I need a beefy group (ouch? they hurt!) protecting me while I mine. I went there once, and for mining an hour I didn't get a single ore. Also, I dont think I can really be in the group while mining, as im not sure 5 others would want to let me leech exp while all I do is mine.
If you look at tailoring, while their drop rates aren't all that much better (from what I understand, I don't tailor so I don't know.) for the most part like the big greymoss problem people keep referring too, they are ablel to get exp while farming the greymoss. The tailord gear up to that level sells. There is some sort of income with the money being spent. They're ingredients are dropped, and dont require backpacks of nonsense (I have enough iron ore to rebuild every building in the world!). With blacksmithing, it seems I am about to drop at least 15k, probably closer to 20k+ into smithing and hope in the end it pays off. (On top of all the money made so far from selling HQ Augs and assuming I am mining all the ore and not buying any, which means 20k + 300+ hours).
At the moment the only real way to make money with smithing is the Augments. The Armor/Weapons is miniscule to nothing in the income field of smithing. I am sure once I get to the point where I can make exceptional augs I will have some sort of income again, but I am not sure how much I would be able to charge, how much time it will take (I know it is supposed to take a while, but 300+ hours to not even get to grandmaster from 210 skill?), or whether or not I will make back my money, or even make some sort of profit before everyone has exceptional augs.
Again, I am not entirely sure what needs to be done here, but something just isn't right imo and something does need to be done. Thanks for taking the time to read.
Getting to 205 skill (where HQ augs become trivial) is time consuming, is a pain in the ass, and very expensive. On the other hand, I am pretty sure I currently am selling the most HQ augs of all the smithers on the server (Sorun/Fulgor) and have made back the money spent so far to get this skill, and a little more on top.
For 205-250 skill, I am encoutering all sorts of problems. While dalium/mithril/obisidian ores were rare, Ghostmetal and Warpmetal is just awful. Currently, the average drop rate between those helping me mine and myself is about 2-3 ores per hour, 4-6 hours per stack. For small armor (ghostmetal/warpmetal) it takes 1 ores per ingot. 3 ingots for a combine. It is about 20 combines per skillup. That's 60 ores per skillup (and that seems a little low, I'll have to recheck my numbers once I get more ore). So for one skillup you need to spend 12-18hours mining. Multiply that by at least 10 skillups (im only at 210 skill with +7 hammer and still not trivial) = 120-180 hours of nothing but mining (one charachter) to get 10 skillups. Once I reach trivial, I'll have to make Medium armor which is 2 ores per ingot and then 3 ingots per combine, 6 ores per combine, x 20 combines = 120 ore (24-36 hours). Multiply that for 10 more skillups and we're at 240-360 hours.
For the money aspect. The current price on these ores is 1k/stack. These prices are not dropping, and I dont see them dropping with the rarity of the ore (in fact I wouldn't be at all surprised if the price increased.) Now for the income aspect, there is none. If buying the ore, it costs (3x50 =150pp for the ore, 10pp for the miscelenious combines, 25pp per stabilizer (assuming your not paying for the bonechips and the ectoplasm, which is ludicrious as its 80 bonechips and 40 ecto for one stack of stabilziers and there's just no way your going to farm that much on your own when you need backpacks of stabilizers to skillup. Tthe current prices for these is 10pp/stack) = 75pp. Thus making the cost of a small piece of Warpmetal/Ghostmetal Armor 235pp. In order to account for the fails in combines and all that, You'd want to add some more. However, I have been tryign to sell these armors for 200pp, and no one wants them. Once I start making Medium armor, it'll be even more Expensive.
Now I am not sure what the solution here is, perhaps getting rid of the level requirement so it can become twink gear, adding some stats to it, letting it be augd with 2 augs (is that possible?) or what, but something needs to be done. Not to mention that once I want to start making deepmetal armor, I have to mine in First Ruins, which means I need a beefy group (ouch? they hurt!) protecting me while I mine. I went there once, and for mining an hour I didn't get a single ore. Also, I dont think I can really be in the group while mining, as im not sure 5 others would want to let me leech exp while all I do is mine.
If you look at tailoring, while their drop rates aren't all that much better (from what I understand, I don't tailor so I don't know.) for the most part like the big greymoss problem people keep referring too, they are ablel to get exp while farming the greymoss. The tailord gear up to that level sells. There is some sort of income with the money being spent. They're ingredients are dropped, and dont require backpacks of nonsense (I have enough iron ore to rebuild every building in the world!). With blacksmithing, it seems I am about to drop at least 15k, probably closer to 20k+ into smithing and hope in the end it pays off. (On top of all the money made so far from selling HQ Augs and assuming I am mining all the ore and not buying any, which means 20k + 300+ hours).
At the moment the only real way to make money with smithing is the Augments. The Armor/Weapons is miniscule to nothing in the income field of smithing. I am sure once I get to the point where I can make exceptional augs I will have some sort of income again, but I am not sure how much I would be able to charge, how much time it will take (I know it is supposed to take a while, but 300+ hours to not even get to grandmaster from 210 skill?), or whether or not I will make back my money, or even make some sort of profit before everyone has exceptional augs.
Again, I am not entirely sure what needs to be done here, but something just isn't right imo and something does need to be done. Thanks for taking the time to read.
