Is there a complete beginners guide to crafting?

Archived Post

I've read a number of threads here, but I'm still confused. Here's how I understand crafting so far.

1. Choose a crafting 'profession'. I've chosen Arms - Ordinance
2. If you change profession, it resets your crafting skill to 0
3. Forage for components or
3a. dismantle items at a crafting table, where you're giving some kind of rank out of 5
4. Obtain books classed as insights, but have no idea what they're for or how you use them
5. Purchase blueprints blindly because there are no details on the stat increases the item will provide
6. Craft the item
7. Dismantle the item as it doesn't do anything useful for your character

I think that about sums it up. Have I missed anything?

Seriously though, it seems a really convoluted way of doing stuff. I'm sure it makes sense once you 'get it', but I just haven't made that mental leap yet.

Archived Post

1. Choose a crafting 'profession'. I've chosen Arms - Ordinance

Different professions have a tendency to give different stats. You choose a profession and a specialty (ordinance on your case). The specialty is cosmetic only; different item names and stories, same stats. Changing either profession or specialty resets your skill to one.

3. Forage for components or
3a. dismantle items at a crafting table, where you're giving some kind of rank out of 5

There is an icon on the bottom right corner of the map. Click on it to highlight all crafting nodes relevant to you.

When dismantling items at a crafting table (called research), notice you can dismantle more than one item at once. Try to keep the ranking at five. Between 1 and 100 skill, you'll get up to 10 skill points for each research. From 100 skill onwards, you'll get up to four skill points for each research. The higher the rank, the more skill points you get. Once you hit 200, it seems that getting to rank five becomes harder (you need to research more items).

4. Obtain books classed as insights, but have no idea what they're for or how you use them

Insights signify a major discovery. Certain blueprints (for example, for transforming one crafting material into another) cost insights.

5. Purchase blueprints blindly because there are no details on the stat increases the item will provide

The developers confirmed this is a bug that should be fixed some day... Sometimes the item description mentions which stats it reinforces.

7. Dismantle the item as it doesn't do anything useful for your character

This is actually a very nice mechanic. Once you get some crafting materials, you can craft something, then immediately dismantle it for skill points. Leveling your profession is relatively easy. Not everything can be researched though (bags and consumables cannot, for example).

Seriously though, it seems a really convoluted way of doing stuff. I'm sure it makes sense once you 'get it', but I just haven't made that mental leap yet.

Hope I helped :-) One last important tip: if you're standing at your bank and you have mats in it, you can use them to craft. No need to transfer them to your inventory first. As far as I understand, people usually store all of their mats at the bank to save inventory space.

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How do I get my experiment to improve to 5/5. I need to get some of the components needed to buy the blueprints; you know the items you get only from deconstructing items which then allow you to buy more blueprints at the store.

Often my experiment is only 0/1 or 2/5. I assumed with a science of 211 I would get better at deconstructing lower items. I guess not.

Sure could use some help here.

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Crazyriver wrote:

Often my experiment is only 0/1 or 2/5. I assumed with a science of 211 I would get better at deconstructing lower items. I guess not.

As I said originally, once you get to 200 skill getting that 5/5 is much, much harder. You need to research several items at once (you can research up to four at the same time). Since I got to 200 I usually only get up to 3/5, rarely to 4/5.

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"One last important tip: if you're standing at your bank and you have mats in it, you can use them to craft. No need to transfer them to your inventory first. As far as I understand, people usually store all of their mats at the bank to save inventory space."

Thhis may be a dumb question but what are "mats"? Thanks.

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"mats" is short for materials, general catch all phrase for any crafting components.. pretty much in any game.

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dtelad11 wrote:

There is an icon on the bottom right corner of the map. Click on it to highlight all crafting nodes relevant to you.

That'll be useful, thanks

Try to keep the ranking at five.

Thanks.

Insights signify a major discovery. Certain blueprints (for example, for transforming one crafting material into another) cost insights.

Ah right, so they're like another type of component then?

The developers confirmed this is a bug that should be fixed some day... Sometimes the item description mentions which stats it reinforces.

K, I'll keep my fingers crossed that it gets fixed soon, and I'll try to read the descriptions more closely.

Hope I helped :-)

Yup, it did help a bit. Maybe I'll start an alt and just mess about with the stuff until it makes sense.

Thanks.

Archived Post

Crazyriver wrote:

How do I get my experiment to improve to 5/5. I need to get some of the components needed to buy the blueprints; you know the items you get only from deconstructing items which then allow you to buy more blueprints at the store.

Often my experiment is only 0/1 or 2/5. I assumed with a science of 211 I would get better at deconstructing lower items. I guess not.

Use more items at the same time. Also, you need better and better quality items of an apropriate level to get the same rating as you progress through the Tiers*.

*Tier 1 = 1-100, Tier 2 = 101-200 etc.

Archived Post

Ah right, so they're like another type of component then?

Nopes. Components are used to craft stuff. Insights are used to purchase blueprints. Once you have the blueprint, you no longer need insights to maintain it. They're like a type of currency that stays in your inventory.

Use more items at the same time. Also, you need better and better quality items of an apropriate level to get the same rating as you progress through the Tiers*.

Oh, and I think quest items have a tendency to be worth more. Not sure though...

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double posted

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I too am looking for an easy guide to crafting, as I'm finding the process to be convoluted and over complicated. I was spoiled by the COH streamlined format, and have decided to avoid crafting in CO by all means necessary until I find something geared to the casual gamer.

Case in Point, I clicked on the blueprints for Protector of Fists and spirit of fire techniques...now what? I can't find them anywhere.

I get these messages:


You've learned how to develop Protector of Fists Technique.

You lost 9 Resources

You've learned how to develop Spirit of Fire Technique.


Just getting a bit frustrated with the whole concept, that's all.

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Cyphier wrote:

Case in Point, I clicked on the blueprints for Protector of Fists and spirit of fire techniques...now what? I can't find them anywhere.

Crafting has two steps: first, you learn the blueprint at the trainer. Then, you can go to a crafting table, and actually develop the item. Click on the table. A window will open with two tabs on top, "Research" and "Development". Research is used to dismantle items; this is described earlier on this thread. Development is used to make new ones, using materials ("mats"). If you click on development, you'll see various categories (such as "bags", "transformations" etc). These categories contain items you can make.

Procuring the mats is also described earlier in this thread.

Oh, and I agree with you completely. crafting is confusing and unintuitive. The only reason I figured it out easily is because I'm familiar with the mechanic from other MMOs.

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thanks for this thread. I'd like some crafting guidance too but it seems in short supply. I get how the skill points work, blueprints, insights, etc... Honestly, the biggest problem that I'm having is trying to decide which one I should choose. The specialty I choose based on the concept of my character never seems to yield items with stats that are useful to my hero. For example, I've got a Force power character who's around level 10. His concept is that he's an alien from another planet who followed the Qualaar here to Earth and joined in in the defense. He was a scientist on his home planet and he's a hero here because of powers he derives from his home world's technology and differences in his physiology compared to Earthlings. I chose Science > Exposures for crafting. Because he's a Force power user, Endurance and Ego should be his primary stats but so far nothing I'm able to craft supports those stats. I thought that crafting was supposed to lend an origin element to the character but clearly choosing which just sounds cool to me for my characters isn't getting me anything useful from crafting...

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^ I'm having a similar issue. I chose roughly the same thing (I believe it was Exposure, anyhow) and have an electricity-based hero.

> The Power Changes seem to benefit many different power sets, including bows, guns, blades, some dark, some light, ect, but no Electricity
> I can craft a number of guns and blows. Granted, electricity users don't exactly need a physical weapon
> I noticed that Science can only research (I'll probably end up saying disenchant given my years of WoW) science-based itemry into materials, and the rest basically have to be used or sold. I understand that much

I suppose it would be nice if I could see a "preview" of each of the specs and sub-specs to see how I can best advantage myself. I don't think choosing wrong would be as grave as, say, choosing blacksmithing as a priest, but it would be easier to take some pride in my "profession" if I knew what I was getting myself into.

Archived Post

I suppose it would be nice if I could see a "preview" of each of the specs and sub-specs to see how I can best advantage myself. I don't think choosing wrong would be as grave as, say, choosing blacksmithing as a priest, but it would be easier to take some pride in my "profession" if I knew what I was getting myself into.

Ask, and you shall receive:

http://forums.champions-online.com/showthread.php?t=36725

Arms
Utility Major: 1) END, 2) EGO, 3) INT
Utility Minor: 1) CON, 2) END, 3) EGO
Defense Major: 1) CON
Defense Minor: 1) STR, 2) DEX, 3) REC
Offense Major: 1) STR, 2) DEX, 3) REC
Offense Minor: 1) CON, 2) STR, 3) DEX

Mysticism
Utility Major: 1) EGO, 2) INT, 3) END
Utility Minor: 1) EGO2) PRE3) INT
Defense Major: 1) PRE
Defense Minor: 1) EGO, 2) END, 3) INT
Offense Major: 1) REC, 2) DEX, 3) STR
Offense Minor: 1) PRE, 2) REC, 3) STR

Science
Utility Major: 1) INT, 2) END, 3) EGO
Utility Minor: 1) INT, 2) END, 3) CON
Defense Major: 1) PRE/CON
Defense Minor: 1) INT, 2) END, 3) EGO
Offense Major: 1) DEX, 2) REC, 3) STR
Offense Minor: 1) REC, 2) DEX, 3) CON

And the subspecs are all the same.


Oh, and btw, priests with blacksmithing make perfect sense in wow ;-) Due to jewelcrafting.

Archived Post

dtelad11 wrote:

Ask, and you shall receive:

http://forums.champions-online.com/showthread.php?t=36725



And the subspecs are all the same.


Oh, and btw, priests with blacksmithing make perfect sense in wow ;-) Due to jewelcrafting.

I saw that but wasn't sure if it was accurate. I guess that I should be training in arms to get access to End/Ego gear... Not very in keeping with my character though.

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brokenbottle wrote:

I saw that but wasn't sure if it was accurate. I guess that I should be training in arms to get access to End/Ego gear... Not very in keeping with my character though.

Hmm... I guess you can either take an arms sub specialty that feels "science"-y, or damn the stats and stick with science.

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In the stickies at the top of the page you will find a thread called "crafting - a guide to ordnance"

It has screenshots of most of the patterns from ordnance, so you won't be buying them blindly.
It answers pretty much all of your questions.

That is all.