What's crafting like?

kaibigan34

Title asks the question. What is crafting like in DAoC? Can you give me a comparison with other games out there of what its like?

Kai

Elnator

Crafting is similar to other games yet different as well.

In DAOC you cannot harvest resources, you have to buy them.  They are relatively inexpensive at first but as you increase in skill the better resources get quite expensive.  Thus it's best to either be high level so you can gather coin so you can train in crafting or be bankrolled by your guild.  Because it *is* expensive to master any crafting skill... very expensive.

There are also different crafting professions.... I don't play one but off the top of my head I remember:

• Weaponsmith
• Armorsmith
• Jeweler
• Spellcrafter
• Alchemy
• Fletching

I think there are others but can't remember them at the moment.

That said:

1. Like most other crafting systems you obtain components (already explained this).
2. Once you have the components needed you combine them to make the items you want.  Some items require you to combine 2 or more smaller items.  For example a Chain Mail hauberk would require you to first make a cloth hauberk for it's lining then you could combine that with metal to make the chain mail hauberk.  For a sword you'd have to craft a blade and a pommel and then craft the weapon.
3. Once you have crafted the item you can have a spellcrafter imbue it with various abilities, be they spell abilities, stat enhancements or both. 

The crafting system in DAOC is VERY repetitive and very time consuming.  Making high end items can consume quite a bit of time.  Fortunately last I had heard crafting is on the table for the next several patches to make it more enjoyable and more fun.  I don't know what those changes are since I no longer play.

On the "normal" servers it's hard to be a crafter because there are already numerous very well established crafters out there.  On the "Classic" servers, however, there aren't many highly skilled crafters yet so it is very possible to get going there.   High quality crafted equipment is very much in demand.   Crafted weapons and armor are among the best, if not the best overall, items in the game.

JulianDracos

Elnator pretty much covers it, me being a crafter, am going to give you a more negative view of crafting.

Here is the crafting process:

1.  Open up menus to find the item you want to make and move the icon to the interface
2.  Look up the ingredients you need to make it
3.  Buy the ingredients
4.  Click the icon for the item you want to make
5.  Stand perfectly still.
6.  Watch a green bar move across your screen.
7.  You will then either make the item or fail.
8.  If you fail you might loose material
9.  If you succede then most of them time you are going to need to make the item again.  Unless you are skilling up, anything less than 99% quality is worthless

The crafting system is totally random.  This means you can be at the top of your craft and make the lowest level item and still get low quality.  However, you won't fail.

Crafting is by far the worst aspect of this game.  It is boring, and profit is hard for almost all crafters.  Skilling up takes days.  At the higest levels of skilling up, you won't even pay attention.  You will read, watch TV, do homework, etc. 

You can make some really cool items and customize, but a certain expansion ruined crafted items being the best and coolest.  You can avoid this by playing on the classic servers.  One of the reason why the classic servers do not have enough crafters is no one wants to craft.  I, and many other crafters I know, almost never craft because we just can't stand to do it anymore.  Would I like to spend 2-4 hours playing the game, or spend that time crafting?  Playing the game is what wins out for most of us. 

Now with a minor mention of how much crafting sucks in DAOC, the good news.  Crafting is scheduled to be worked up in the next patch cycle.  So I am hoping that the crafting system will be overhauled and go live sometime in late June.  I hope they do it right this time and make crafting enjoyable and profitable.  I would hate to send them a flaming bag of poo. 

Elnator

Just a note:  I specifically said crafting was 'better' on classic servers.  TOA (The expansion you mentioned) isn't active there.

Arawon

Short answer: I would rather go to the dentist 5x than  develope a DAOC crafter. It's boring,slow, extreamly expensive, mindlessly repetative, an insult to DAOC crafters.Mythic promises a major enhancement with fall expansion. I'll believe it when I see it.FYI I love crafting...have had crafters in UO, DAOC,Horizon, etc etc.

Maxzius

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Originally posted by Arawon
Short answer: I would rather go to the dentist 5x than  develope a DAOC crafter. It's boring,slow, extreamly expensive, mindlessly repetative, an insult to DAOC crafters.Mythic promises a major enhancement with fall expansion. I'll believe it when I see it.FYI I love crafting...have had crafters in UO, DAOC,Horizon, etc etc.

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The only way I could have said it better was:

click.... (wait 40 seconds)
repeat

Echani

Actually there are a few errors in this thread so far.

The crafts are as follows.

1. Tailor - Leather and Cloth armor, Linings
   
2. Weaponcrafter - Swords, Axes, Hammers, Spears
   
3. Armorcrafter - Studded, Chain, and Plate Armor
   
4. Fletcher - Bows, Staves, Arrows
   
5. Spellcrafter - Gems for imbuing items with adds
   
6. Alchemist - Potions and tinctures of all sorts

The only craft that requires components be made prior to the eventual item anymore is Armorcrafting needing linings from Tailors for Chain, (Not sure about Plate, no ALB crafters here)

But the monotony is right on.  I have 4 LGM crafters and I'll tell you that the higher levels of crafting taking 1:30+ to make an item is insane.  Also fletching is a total waste of time as it sits with all the Dropped bows and staves and arties out there.

Only really good thing about crafting is Salvaging and Hinging, if going this route go Tailor and follow the following recipe.

Sit in front of Merch.
Make Boots and Gloves only till you hit 1050.
Make weapons till Metalworking hits 1050.

just my 2c worth.