https://neverwinter.gamepedia.com/Artisan is this page up to date ? Some of the wording isn't but are the numbers (specifically for the lowest rarity Artisans) ?
Is there a difference between Dismissing someone before or after hiring them when it comes to when next they might show up as a potential employee ?
At early levels if the success rate isn't 100% the solution is to get better tools or level up. What does that look like at the end of Artisan progression ? Within a given level of rarity for Artisans, are there some who won't be able to achieve 100% success rate for all recipes in the game because their starting proficiency is too low ?
Answers
Do You know how many % points the difference is between the lowest Proficiency Artisan and highest Proficiency one, when it comes to their chance of success at crafting one of those end-game items ?
The difference of proficiency and/or focus can be significant.
You can use level 70 to do the compare.
I can use one level 80 item as an example. Ruby ring needs 1050 to get 100%.
I have level 80 Xilomne with 377 proficiency and Level 80 Underleaf with 422 Proficiency.
With cobalt file +1 (575 Proficiency), 94% for Underleaf and 90% for Xilomme.
I don't know what the lowest one is because they would not be in my crew.
I also don't have the highest.
The artisan who can be qualified in my crew must have negative commission multiplier unless s/he is purple.
Does the Purple rarity have any hidden benefits ?
I have a Purple level 80 Pharlen Ghiberti with 433 Prof, 377 Focus, +25% comm, +175% speed, 20% chance to instantly complete a task (or negate the morale cost if it was rushed).
I have a Purple level 80 Isayel Kostrad with 405 Prof, 450 focus, 0% comm, -50% speed, 20% chance to negate the commission cost at the start of a recipe. When the commission costs AD, this can be big for those who like to roll the dice. On the other hand, I would choose a -75% commission artisan instead.
One thing though, if anyone happens to see it- i struggle to favour employees who have a chance to not use Supplements so i've been aiming at ones with the best Proficiency while having some other Skill. Is this a bad idea ?
At first, you are so limited in the number of artisans in your stable, it's a struggle to choose which ones to hire. The best advice i can give you is, get the artisan than can help you the most, right now, even if it is randomly low lvl when it applies. It will depend on your resources, materials already made and gold currently available to determine which ones that would be.
Though it hurts, you can dismiss one that you have leveled up from lvl 1 to say, lvl 60. It's actually fairly trivial to level up a better choice if one applies later on. This is because later on, you have a crafting bag full of ingredients needed and better tools to use to get success. e.g. your Jewelry profession is lvl 78, you can use a Hardsteel +1 file. You hire a new lvl 36 artisan. That tool is going to let that artisan craft much higher recipe than 36+5 with 100% success. Making 1 item might give them 10+ levels. (I'd give more details, but i'm in hour 2 of the patch download so can't get ingame, which is why i'm here )
Hope that helps and happy crafting!
Really wish that there was more control over who might come knocking. I don't even mean getting higher rarities. Would just like to advertise that i'm looking for specific Professions and then tell specific Artisans that i'm not interested in them for now.