Beginning Foraging

[spelk]

I rolled a Zorai Mage, with all three packs set to Magic. During some combat downtime I wanted to start a little foraging, so I found a weapons dealer who sold me a pick, but I can't seem to forage at all, because I'm missing something. I've saved skill points up, but they're only magic skill points and do not count against foraging, so, how do you earn foraging skill points if you can't forage?

Apologies for the newbie question.

Zhaan [Arispotle]

[genod]

You should be able to learn the forage starting skill from the mage trainer for 50 skill points. Or save up 50 from levelling your fight skill and learn it from the fight trainer instead, if you'd rather save the points in your primary skill.

[ayne31]

I guess you made the worst deal one can imagine as magic is the slowest of all skills to earn XP. For a starting pack of any skill (xcept for fighting) you need 50(!) skill points which is a pita to earn on magic alone. Usually you can skill up on fighting quite easily but without foraging you'll have a HARD time earning money for a weapon and armor as you aren't even able to craft it yourself.

I never said this so far but you better reroll your toon and take forage1 and magic2 if you REALLY want to start on magic.

A much better deal is to take forage1, and craft2. Why?

1. With forage1 you can farm endlessly the raw material sources in the camps and earn enough foraging XP within 30 minutes to be able to prospect your own sources. This yields even more XP AND makes you able to forage during downtime outside the camps too.

2. With craft 2 you can make boots and gloves which is not only protection enough to kill suckling yubos even barehanded without a sweat but it enables you also to take at least 1 mission per camp that earns BIG dapper.

3. With the XP you earn in fighting (you get your first 10 skill points as soon as you kill at least 2 Yubos), foraging and crafting you can buy within 3 hours the magic 1 pack from every trainer for 50pts AND this one iincludes not the heal-other but the acid1 (small nuke) spell as a bonus.

PS: By no means do I want to criticise your choice or claim that mine is the only solution - just the best I can imagine to avoid downtime and frustration.

[ilthor]

Agreed m8, it wont take long and you get a better made char for that. I for one had to take up craft and magic from fight and harvest schools and it took me all of last night of harvest at max 10 quality so i could build up a decent harvest set of skills, with a extraction of at least 25... which allows me much better yealds (better xp and better materials).

[spelk]

PS: By no means do I want to criticise your choice or claim that mine is the only solution - just the best I can imagine to avoid downtime and frustration.

Thank you for your insight. I did really want to make a pure mage at first, which is why I chose all Magic, I assumed I would have more mage skills and items to begin with. I never imagined having to start and forage and craft and such.

I could re-roll, but can I ask if with a little more effort on my part is it entirely possible that I could turn the tide and buy up the harvest and craft skills to become more economically viable, it would just take a longer time? I don't really want to continue with this character if she is considered 'gimped' - to use a MMORPG phrase - but I've spent a bit of effort to get her where she is and I'd like to try and make her into some viable if its possible.

[shrike]

I disagree quite strongly here. You can lvl magic faster than fighting with the right tactics (acid-acid-fear on roaming yubos, get mats from them for staff (10 eyes, 2 skin; 8 bones from other mob, f.e. ragus), kill sprightly yubos...heeeello, lvl 40).

Foraging can be lvled faster, that is true - but to lvl foraging effeciently you don't need it's starter pack. If you are a pure mage currently I would recommend getting to lvl 6 in fighting - a thing of 30 mins max - and buy the foraging start with you fight SP (from the fight trainer).
You will have serious SP problems with magic if you don't take 3 magic packs, though. That are spells worth around 180 SP!

[spelk]

You will have serious SP problems with magic if you don't take 3 magic packs, though. That are spells worth around 180 SP!

Thats encouraging to know. I wanted to go pure mage, I have used the acid and fear tactic and have spent most of my current skills boosting sap reserves and sap regeneration. I haven't used root in my combat tactics yet, I usually fear them instead, it seems more logical to have them run away from me rather than stand near me and still whack. I have raised fighter a little, from my first antics with the yubos. So I guess I'll continue with that to get hold of the harvesting skills. I can breathe a sigh of relief that I can continue with my character.

[ayne31]

I have to admit you show a quality that is essential of becoming (in any game) a good mage: Dedication

Good Luck!