Crafting for idiots, written by an idiot.

[Tenroc]

Okay this is a guide to trade skills for beginners/casual players (idiots) written by a casual player (idiot). I used to think the trade skill system sucked and I kinda had tunnel vision on how trade skills were "supposed" to work after playing other MMORPGs, but once I realized some common sense things I really got my trade skills rolling with minimum investment of time and gold.

So to start off with there are collection skills and there are actual crafting skills. The collection skills are butchering (you chop up defeated animals) scavenging (you go through dead people's pockets) salvaging (you destroy unneeded gear to get talisman materials) and cultivating (you grow potion materials). You kinda need to do this to get a start on the actual production skills which you make talismans and potions. Okay, that's what you learn from wiki and pretty much "the rest of the Internet".

The best way to get started (and get some enjoyment out of the game) is to make multiple characters. I enjoyed playing tanks and ranged dps... So create one of each and make one a butcher and the other a scavenger. I recommend these archetypes because I found killing stuff repetitively for butchering/scavenging to be easier and quicker with these classes.

Now create a healer and a ranged/spell dps and make them into salvager/talisman maker and cultivator/apothecary.

Now get out there with your two gatherer's and start killing stuff. This is kinda necessary 1) to get started making stuff and 2) since your renown is no capped at your level there's no point in PvP once your renown is capped at your current level. So you have a good chance to go farm a bit at each level.

Okay some notes that I should share. Since no one told me.
Apothecary:
Make sure your butcher is killing spiders and lizards since lizards drop scales (armor potions) and spiders drop venom (toughness potions) pretty much the most popular potions in the game outside of healing potions.

At some point (if you play a tank) make sure to go to the auction house and get the seeds/spores for resist potions. Your tank likely has enough armor, but his spell resists are likely lacking.

Cultivating: use miracle grow. It's in your add ons right from the start (part of the ror files). Yes it acts weird now and you can't put soil, water and fertilizer in it. What it will do is give you an interface that lets you one click harvest and one click replant prior seed. This means that you can be out fighting battlegrounds, scenarios, farming exp, etc etc, with little interruption.

Also, grow tons of gobswort. You're going to want to extend the duration of any potion you make.

Lastly, especially with low level materials DO NOT use dirt, water, fertilizer. They have little impact (again mostly at lower levels) and are a monumental waste of money (especially at lower levels when your saving for your first horse),

For talisman making; it doesn't matter what your scavenger kills as long as it's humanoid (trolls count). The talisman materials that drop appear to be completely at random. Also, never sell anything green or better on the market or to a vendor. Mail it to your talisman maker / salvager instead. You need to salvage as much as possible to keep leveling that skill up. Also remember that blue items will yield blue talisman mats and purples make purples. So with a little luck you should be able to make a purple/ blue talisman which sell decently on the market.

So while you're butcher/scavenger are put farming mats they are also farming green or better gear items to feed your salvager.

Okay a last word about leveling up both apothecary and talisman making..... As long as one "material" in your combine is close to your current skill level, you have a normal chance to skill up. This is important when making lower level stuff for your lower level characters (example: making a low level armor pot for your dps character, you add a level 150 gobswort to extend its duration and it also helps to push you towards level 175).

A final note (thanks for reading all of this): this is a very general guide and again I'm just a casual player. If you have more specific info to add to this thread please comment!!! Also if your order and have any questions about what I wrote feel free to PM/ mail me in game.

Oldiron-talisman making/salvager
Uthbak-scavenger
Carlsbak-scavenger
Teslafire-grower and potions
Hotlibrarian-butcher

[Tenroc]

Quick edit/note. What do I need to combine to get "instant" healing potions instead of heal over time pots?

[Winterly]

Quick edit/note. What do I need to combine to get "instant" healing potions instead of heal over time pots?

Some ingredients say "healing" and others say "restoration" I forget which one creates the instant ones though.

Edit: The ingredients with "healing" in their description make instant healing potions. Restoration is over time.

[Elven]

You can check the site Arsenal of WAR site for item names. Here's the link for Healing ingredients from cultivating.