Crafting grind from 80 up

What is the best method to gain the most XP for a dragon that is level 80 in craft?

From 60 to 80 I was benefitting from making cobalt bars in Last Stand, and now at 80 mithril does not seem to give me as much XP for the time it takes and the work I do to gather it. Is there another way or should I continue making cobalt for now?

I would be grateful for any advice. :)

Mithril Bars

I'm a biped not a dragon , but if they are the same without lots of teched gear , shop bonuses etc, I've found harvesting the tier you just finished is still better xp for about the first five levels of every tier.

I did cobalt untill 90 or so then switched to mithril to finish up.

What about Obsidian or even Marble to level on.

i recommend leveling to 100 on obsid, whatever you can make and decon for the highest xp.
char has a complete craft cave in teh middle of a field that never runs out (at least on blight) and obsid only requires one resource as opposed to 2 for metal....

Doesn't run out on Chaos either.

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Originally Posted by Loc

What about Obsidian or even Marble to level on.

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you get alot more xp on metal bars than making bricks.

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Originally Posted by Blue Hasia

you get alot more xp on metal bars than making bricks.

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QFE. Just tried this. Even making spellshards after, the xp is just painfully slow. So much slower than metals. Id suggest asking around for people making metals for resources (like lairshaping or construction) Ask if you can help gather the plat if they will gather the mith and you can smush together the bars for xp.

At level 80 flat, chances are you may not yet be optimal at mithril smelting or scalecraft to make scales. If not, go back to Cobalt for another few levels. Be sure you have done all the craft skill training quests so you have the +80 smelting passive skill, +80 stoneworking, and the +80 scalecraft. Also, if you can get a full set of t5 craft scales, triple teched will help you get to optimal on mithril several levels sooner.

Exp is faster on metal, but to really make use of this you need silos and machines near the resource fields.

So for mithril (which at level 80 you are probably not yet ready for anyway) you need ideally 4 silos, a smelter, and an anvil or scaleforge (Scaleforge best since you will get a skill boost to scalecraft). Fill 2 silos with mithril ore, 1 silo with platinum ore, then make bars, placing bars into the 4th silo. Then burn thru the bars making focus or dex scales (for Mithril only scales). You could get away with only 3 silos if you make bars then make scales alternatively. (3 silos easiest if they are of the same capacity)

Be sure you have at least one scaleform for each skill stepping. Example chest and head forms require 800 minimum skill, 1000 optimal skill (6 bars at optimal), wings and hindlegs require 900 minimum skill, 1100 optimal skill, back scale requires 950 minimum skill, 1150 optimal (guesses from memory). The point is to be sure you are using a formula you are just optimal at making to get the best exp/bar used. In making a single scale you should consume 6 bars, and get 3 back on the decon step. Net result 3 bars used for crafting+decon exp. When making/deconning at less than optimal, the exp/resource drops quickly, meaning it's a waste to do it like that. Exp/resource is calculated by making and deconning 1 scale, (craft exp + decon exp)/(bars to create - bars recovered in decon). You always want this to be as high as possible. At less than optimal (but I get more exp this way!) you might use 8 bars, only get 2 back, so 6 net bars used. And while the total exp was greater, you used double the resources when the exp gained was not double (deconning and only getting 2 bars back also yields less decon exp than if at opt). Trust the math, not a first impression. (this is a common argument with crafting newbies who swear to god that they get better exp on harder to make stuff even when not optimal)

If you do not have some silos at your disposal, then just do marble, making strength or power scales. Follow same tips given above, always craft something you are optimal at making. Since they are single resource items, you will get less exp, but can get away with just using a single stack tarbash disc, no lower bulk/higher stacks disc needed nor are any silos.

Thanks for the help :)

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Originally Posted by Guaran

At level 80 flat, chances are you may not yet be optimal at mithril smelting or scalecraft to make scales. If not, go back to Cobalt for another few levels. Be sure you have done all the craft skill training quests so you have the +80 smelting passive skill, +80 stoneworking, and the +80 scalecraft. Also, if you can get a full set of t5 craft scales, triple teched will help you get to optimal on mithril several levels sooner.

Exp is faster on metal, but to really make use of this you need silos and machines near the resource fields.

So for mithril (which at level 80 you are probably not yet ready for anyway) you need ideally 4 silos, a smelter, and an anvil or scaleforge (Scaleforge best since you will get a skill boost to scalecraft). Fill 2 silos with mithril ore, 1 silo with platinum ore, then make bars, placing bars into the 4th silo. Then burn thru the bars making focus or dex scales (for Mithril only scales). You could get away with only 3 silos if you make bars then make scales alternatively. (3 silos easiest if they are of the same capacity)

Be sure you have at least one scaleform for each skill stepping. Example chest and head forms require 800 minimum skill, 1000 optimal skill (6 bars at optimal), wings and hindlegs require 900 minimum skill, 1100 optimal skill, back scale requires 950 minimum skill, 1150 optimal (guesses from memory). The point is to be sure you are using a formula you are just optimal at making to get the best exp/bar used. In making a single scale you should consume 6 bars, and get 3 back on the decon step. Net result 3 bars used for crafting+decon exp. When making/deconning at less than optimal, the exp/resource drops quickly, meaning it's a waste to do it like that. Exp/resource is calculated by making and deconning 1 scale, (craft exp + decon exp)/(bars to create - bars recovered in decon). You always want this to be as high as possible. At less than optimal (but I get more exp this way!) you might use 8 bars, only get 2 back, so 6 net bars used. And while the total exp was greater, you used double the resources when the exp gained was not double (deconning and only getting 2 bars back also yields less decon exp than if at opt). Trust the math, not a first impression. (this is a common argument with crafting newbies who swear to god that they get better exp on harder to make stuff even when not optimal)

If you do not have some silos at your disposal, then just do marble, making strength or power scales. Follow same tips given above, always craft something you are optimal at making. Since they are single resource items, you will get less exp, but can get away with just using a single stack tarbash disc, no lower bulk/higher stacks disc needed nor are any silos.

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Great examples Guaran, except it's 12 bars to make each scale and getting 6 each back on optimal decon. I've found it much easier to grind stone scales than metal. Sure, each metal scale gives you more xp... but you get a big quantity advantage working stone (2:1 for metal versus 2 for stone). Using the single stack disks for stone seems to provide xp faster than doing metal unless you're carting your resources a long way to put into silos. If you've got triple teched quarrying/stoneworking/scalecraft scales, doing marble in the mid 80's or so works just fine, and on Chaos there are t6 dragon shops in Crimson Lair in the north hills around Last Stand, a short flight from the marble field :). That's my 2c anyway ;).

I'd have to agree with Khalon.

Doing marble is much faster, even though the xp is lower. Working with multiple resources you're spending an hour or two filling 3-4 silos. In the same amount of time, you could get more xp from the single resource.

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Originally Posted by Khalon

Great examples Guaran, except it's 12 bars to make each scale and getting 6 each back on optimal decon. I've found it much easier to grind stone scales than metal. Sure, each metal scale gives you more xp... but you get a big quantity advantage working stone (2:1 for metal versus 2 for stone). Using the single stack disks for stone seems to provide xp faster than doing metal unless you're carting your resources a long way to put into silos. If you've got triple teched quarrying/stoneworking/scalecraft scales, doing marble in the mid 80's or so works just fine, and on Chaos there are t6 dragon shops in Crimson Lair in the north hills around Last Stand, a short flight from the marble field :). That's my 2c anyway ;).

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Yeah the actual numbers were from memory. Marble-Mithril uses 6 bars + 6 bricks, the all metal and all stone scales are 12 bars or 12 bricks respectively.

On an alt dragon of mine I went from lvl 23 ish crafter to 100 in a matter of days, and all I did was stone scales, making, deconning, making, deconning. I was 100 adv already, had triple teched t5 crafting scales, which helped alot.

Working stone means single resource, and if you are high enough level crafter, only a single set of craft scales. Very simple.

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Originally Posted by Guaran

Yeah the actual numbers were from memory. Marble-Mithril uses 6 bars + 6 bricks, the all metal and all stone scales are 12 bars or 12 bricks respectively.

On an alt dragon of mine I went from lvl 23 ish crafter to 100 in a matter of days, and all I did was stone scales, making, deconning, making, deconning. I was 100 adv already, had triple teched t5 crafting scales, which helped alot.

Working stone means single resource, and if you are high enough level crafter, only a single set of craft scales. Very simple.

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This is what I did from level 80 to 100, dig obsidian, craft bricks, craft scales, deconstruct, craft scales, ect and back to digging obsidian.

what dragon sez - i think obsid is the perfect way for anyone to finish getting to 100 crafting on -
what with the extensive, unguarded, close field in char with the craft cave useable by all races right in the middle and dralk only a drop off a cliff away, you would be foolish to level on something that takes 2 resources to make.....

I crafted Cobalt from 80 -> 98, then did mithril. Then again, I never used any silos or potions or anything... :3

I did gems so I could add coin to hoard at the same time.