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Is crafting useful?
SomeOldBloke
Member UncommonPosts: 2,167
As I've stated in previous posts I'm planning on switching over to LotRO (from WAR) when the expansion comes out on teh 18th (I've already pre-ordered the MoM complete edition) and have pretty much decided on a Minstrel as over the last 6 years of MMOs I've moved away from pew-pew and enjoy attempting to keep people alive while in groups and having the ability to heal myself when I solo.
Back to the point... I've already read up on crafting on the official LotRO site and also read a couple of guides on other sites so I understand the principle and mechanics of the crafting process. My main question is, is crafting worthwhile in Lord of the Rings. I'm used to 3+ years of WoW and now WAR were crafting is fairly meaningless as all of the good stuff is from drops and most crafted items are just vendor trash.
As a Minstrel, can I pick a useful Vocation that will benefit me and others or just become an Explorer and sell everything?
Thanks in advance for any advice you give...
Comments
I would say that if you are looking for a useful craft away from the weapons/armour arena--go with Historian--at least with a scholar profession, you can make your own healing potions which cannot be bought form vendors
The best crafted gear is always useful, and is only eclipsed by difficult to obtain instance or raid gear. As a ministrel, getting into jewelry or becoming a tailor are both good options. You will be able to make useful stuff as you level, and in endgame the gear made from critted one-shot recipes sell for good money (at least in Shadows of Angmar, but I expect Moria to be no different). Make no mistake though, mastering a craft is a long tedious process and you will not make money until you have mastered it. If you want to make more money while leveling stick to gathering ore and selling it on the AH.
Weaponsmith is another option (ministrels use a 1H weapon), armorsmith a so-so option (ministrels can't use heavy armor, but do use a shield). Scholars craft a variety of different consumables but I hear it's one of the more awful grinds in the game.
I would recommend tailor actually, since over the next fews week there will be an unusually high demand for medium and light armor due to the warden and rune-keeper. So the low level gear you make will sell for higher than usual. The only vocation where you can both tailor and harvest items needed as a tailor is Explorer.
Crafting is useful. I was fortunate to select Explorer (Forester - gathers and processes wood and processes hides/Prospector - gathers and processes metal ores/Tailor - manufactures armor and other sewn goods) for my first char. With the ability to collect wood and ore and process them as well as leather, the Explorer is a solid, self-contained option. My second char was a Tinker (Prospector/Jeweller - makes jewelery and other items from metals/Cook - makes foods from ingrediants collected from the field or bought at Auction Hall or from vendors), which worked OK but not as well as the Explorer.
Since then, I've run every vocation except Woodsman and Yeoman. Woodsman I'd stay away from as woodworking doesn't seem (in my experience) to be very profitable. It does make a useful 2nd option for an Armsman, but my Armsman is primarily a Weaponsmith. Yeoman relies on cooking and farming for direct income, or buying leathers for the Tailor, and IMO it would be very tough to make money while buying leather.
For a solo char, I'd suggest Explorer 1st and either Tinker or Historian as a good #2 choice. Armsman and Armorer would be a good vocation for a 3rd char, with the 1st and 2nd feeding them materials. The only exception would be if you were joining a Kin immediately that could help some of the "2nd tier" crafters (a crafter that relies on others for materials) collect materials. As long as you were secure in that Kin support, any vocation but Woodsman looks functional.
If any Woodsman would care to explain how their crafts generate them sufficient income, I'd be glad to read and learn.
What we do today defines us into tomorrow.
Both my lvl 50's are probaly out fitted in 80% crafted gear over 95% of the time. Some of my jewelry and weapons are drops and occasionaly I will put special armor/jewelry on for grouping.
I miss DAoC
Crafting is useful in LOTRO and for a first character I have to say Explorer is the way to go especially as a Mini (which is my main). You will be able to craft your own armor (light or medium) and make money from the ore collecting (sell as raw you will make more that selling the processed version). Wood and wood working is very hit and miss. You can make a little extra coin from it.
The armor is solid and as mentioned is often only eclipsed by raid/instance gear. With Explorer you are a do-it-yourself factory. The nice part is too, if you make main character explorer, you will be able to feed your future crafting alts, saving time and money.
"It is easier to be cruel than wise. The road to wisdom is long and difficult... so most people just turn out to be assholes" Feng (Christopher Walken)
I would suggest Explorer on your main and then Tinker on your alt. Even if you don't decide to level your alt you can still make food and tokens for your main. The only problem you might have is getting the crafting quests out of the way. The last one will almost always take a group effort.
If you plan on leveling your alt then by all means go the scholar route. The nodes for scholars are usually in areas that you'll have to fight stuff in, usually men or undead since it's only in ruins.
Crafting will keep you in good gear until you're level 47. After that it's raid gear and sets. Some of them are worth it and some are not.
Thanks for all the responses... Explorer it is
In LOTRO I kept buying crafted items from other players in trade or in auction house (purple stuff) so yes crafting is useful and once I bought stuff it would take some levels before a loot or quest reward could replace it (if I didn't search for better ones in AH in the meantime).
I would add you can still get plenty of money in LOTRO through loots, wear top items and level up without crafting at all, but you'll miss an occasion to socialize because crafters are sorta interdependent, I need other people to boil the hides (they will do that freely because LOTRO community isn't so greedy or because they improve their skill in the process) I gathered to use them for tailoring for instance.
On a side note, crafting in LOTRO is funnier and more complex than in some other mmorpgs (won't bring up names
) because you have to figure out things and plan, there's a tier system, and you must accomplish quests for your craft masters before he'll bestow new abilities on you, you need to visit the dwarfs to use their facilities for upper armours (makes sense in the lore). And you must find a workbench of your speciality to craft things and you'll get an animation and sounds showing you crafting stuff so it's quite fun and realistic (nope you can't just stand in the ass of the world crafting with your hands moving
). You have the bonus thing that'll improve your critical success when crafting or give an item with critical chance too.
I made good money selling ore and hides id est raw material through the auction house (as a guardian getting the trash in need of heavy armours I chose amourer = armoursmith + ore gathering + tailor), and purple crafting tools with bonus for other players, I tried to sell lower yellow armours and was reasonably successful. I can't say about high level crafting because I'm still 40 (superb game where I don't feel like a hamster running in its wheel to the next level
).
By far the best starting vocation is an explorer, if you cant make it, you can buy it, and with explorer you can gather wood and ore to sell and in turn buy what you need. Although I have every thing GMed but woodworker, I find I make most of my money selling either raw materials or consumables. For tinker its Glorious tokens, also Blackberry tarts, mash, and sometimes delicious steaks. My historian grows my blackberries as well as sells potions, battle scrolls, bow chants, and even spare materials. Im fortunate enough to be in a great kin where we rift alot, so my 2 main toons have rift gear, so crafted gear never really entered the equation. With consumables there is no "fail". You will never fail to create a tart or a scroll or a potion. With jewellry etc, there is the fail option, you are out a recipe, a shard, and what ever materials you used and have an item you probably cant give away (except tools). With the coming of Moria and epic gear, I have no idea where crafting is headed. I did not do the beta, so I dont know what is in store for us. Every player that has the best gear still needs consumables, they either make it themselves or buy it from AH. Yes, I will never have that 7 Gold Etched Beryl sell, but with minimal effort I have a steady income and am ready for Moria. Hope this helps.