[Mining] Saltpeter question

[Bob_the_fart_guy]

So, I put on my luck suit, and touched the luck statue bringing my luck to 2,132. I thought that was rather high. I then read up on UOGuide where and how to get saltpeter. My mining is 100 and I'm wearing the +5 mining gloves, bringing my mining up to 105. According to UOGuide I need to mine in a dungeon or out at sea. I didn't try to go to Ilshenar, I thought I'd have better luck in a dungeon. So, after a good solid hour of mining in despise, near the lizardmen, and around the ettins and even in the "lobby area" where you first enter, I did not get one single piece of saltpeter.

Yes I have all the updates and expansions. I used both a pickaxe and a shovel. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong? Or any possible tips? Would I get better luck if I were in a more dangerous dungeon? Can anyone verify if I can just openly mine anywhere in Ilshenar, if so have you had success with this first hand?

I don't know why I'm not getting any. Should I page a GM?

 

[Basara]

If they've not fixed it, I was getting Saltpeter along the cliff face between Valor and the Cyclops camp, and the mountain along the river south of the bridge that leads to the champ spawn, in Ilshenar.

Most of my dungeon mining has been on 2nd level shame, near either of the two dull copper elemental areas (I kill the eles and mine for ore, in addition to looking for saltpeter).

You might have had a bad run (typically I only get about 2-4 niter deposits an hour), or you might have accidentally overlooked the niter deposits. You don't get Saltpeter directly from mining ore spots - you mine, and if saltpeter spawns, it's in the form of a rock that appears called a "Niter deposit" on the ground, that you THEN have to shift your mining from the ore-bearing rock, to targeting that "Niter" rock.

 

[Bob_the_fart_guy]

I knew about mining the rock, and kept an eye out for it. It just never popped out. But thank you for the suggestion on different areas to mine, I'll give that a try.

 

[pacific cruiser]

i do all my mining for saltpeter in Ishenar.. im averaging about 1000 an hour when i do mine for it ill . my luck suit is not as high as yours and ill find sometimes i have to hit Ctrl shift to see the deposit of niter due to it has spawned in a place i cant see it. But i can allways mine it once found..

 

[Bob_the_fart_guy]

Hrmmm. Well, I thank you very much Pacific Cruiser, I was hoping for a "first hand" experience with success at mining in Ilshenar. I don't know why I'm not having any luck. I mined for 3 solid hours and not one deposit. Maybe after all the "dust settles" from the new account migration a patch may hit helping my chances?

Until then... I'll keep mining away. If anyone has any pity for me until then... and would part with some of their saltpeter? I'm sure your price will be cheaper than the NPC merchant at the Sea Market. He charges me 500 gold per piece... ouch.

It's not like I'm trying to be lazy, I don't run scripts or super-macros. I just click my mouse... over, and over, and over, and over.

But aye, thank you for the feedback about Ilshenar.

 

[Basara]

Note that mining for it in Ilshenar (on the surface) is OFFICIALLY a bug, and it might have gotten corrected in the last set of publishes.

I asked about it a month or two ago, and the Devs said it wasn't originally planned for overland mining to produce niter deposits in Ilshenar, and they said they would CONSIDER whether or not to leave it in the game.

 

[Bob_the_fart_guy]

Hmmm. If it was a bug and gets corrected, do you think I will be able to easily find out if it gets changed? Or will I be mining for months in Ilshenar before someone laughs at me and tells me that I'm wasting my time in Ilshenar looking for it?

Would be kinda nice if they keep it in though.

 

[Basara]

I told them they should leave it in, because frankly Ilshenar is actually a lot more hostile place to mine in most parts, than any dungeon (ex. Valor gate/shrine area with elder gazer paras; if you go east, then you can run into cyclops or titan paras, and west goes into the champ spawn area that has dragons/greater dragons that are natural spawn IN ADDITION to the champ spawn creatures). Having a paragon Greater Dragon crash your arachnid spawn in the later stages is NOT fun (as the GD is opposed slayer and can one-shot you as a result through max resists).

 

[aoLOLita]

I only saltpeter mine in the Abyss, on the fringe area of Slasher and Cavern of the Discard, and the most feared foe I've faced isa stray rat from Cavern spawn. I wear 1800-2660 luck suit, the lower end ensures massive/gigantic deposits and hi-end (statue rub) ensures Gigantic deposits. I average 1200 and hour and bonus crystalline blackrock for imbuing. If you find some verite or valorite, 2 public forges nearby. I usually drop ore on ground unless i'm riding fire bug...

 

[TullyMars]

So, I put on my luck suit, and touched the luck statue bringing my luck to 2,132. I thought that was rather high. I then read up on UOGuide where and how to get saltpeter. My mining is 100 and I'm wearing the +5 mining gloves, bringing my mining up to 105. According to UOGuide I need to mine in a dungeon or out at sea. I didn't try to go to Ilshenar, I thought I'd have better luck in a dungeon. So, after a good solid hour of mining in despise, near the lizardmen, and around the ettins and even in the "lobby area" where you first enter, I did not get one single piece of saltpeter.

Yes I have all the updates and expansions. I used both a pickaxe and a shovel. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong? Or any possible tips? Would I get better luck if I were in a more dangerous dungeon? Can anyone verify if I can just openly mine anywhere in Ilshenar, if so have you had success with this first hand?

I don't know why I'm not getting any. Should I page a GM?

What method of dungeon mining are you using?

For saltpeter you should be using the hit and run method...(this only applies to dungeon mining as far as I know)
Find an area that has not been mined for 5 minutes...take a swing...if you don't get a niter deposit move 8 squares to a new resource area and take a swing...rinse and repeat till you find a niter deposit and then mine away (targetting the niter deposit of course). Don't revisit any area for 5 minutes...also note if other miners are in the area they maybe throwing off the 5 minute clock.

If you are mining a spot completely out (the basic way that we all learned when we got in the game) you will get significantly less saltpeter but of course more ore.

Also on uoguide check out the discussion/talk page of saltpeter for some possible insights.
Talk:Saltpeter - UOGuide, the Ultima Online encyclopedia

 

[Storm]

Haven caves is where I get mine

 

[T-Hunt]

Been doing ish from spirit shrine to the cave for dread..
I been geting like 1K in under 30 min of it..
Luck suit is only at 1800 using that statue/bell luck item

And yes Ishnar is harder then most dungeons to do anything in at times..

 

[pacific cruiser]

hiya Bob here some pics im at 1500 luck i go to compassion to start with then move throught that cave and venture all around that area once ive depleted all around gypsy camp i prefer this area due to there is a bank there to drop off my ingots when full. those pics arew about 5 minutes apart of one another so i have no problems mining the saltpeter up .. what shard are ya playing im on pacific and glad to sell ya some if ya need this was done 20 minutes ago

 

[Bob_the_fart_guy]

hiya Bob here some pics im at 1500 luck i go to compassion to start with then move throught that cave and venture all around that area once ive depleted all around gypsy camp i prefer this area due to there is a bank there to drop off my ingots when full. those pics arew about 5 minutes apart of one another so i have no problems mining the saltpeter up .. what shard are ya playing im on pacific and glad to sell ya some if ya need View attachment 7077 this was done 20 minutes ago

Thank you all for the updates. I'm happy to know that at least recently Ilshenar miter mining is still possible. And the pic of your Ilshenar spot was nice, thank you. I play on the Catskills shard.

However I'm nearly at a loss for words. To date I've still not been able to get a single deposit to pop. I toggle between mining in a dungeon and Ilshenar and still nothing. If and when I get one to pop I'll post in this thread. I...I just don't understand what I must be doing wrong. The only possible thing I can even come up with is I accidentally used the Grand Bazaar Pack upgrade code when we were told not to. I simply didn't see the warning not to use it until the EA account management switch was made. But this wouldn't prevent the miter deposits from popping, would they?

 

[retrorider]

Bob, I'm not sure you have the right upgrade.

I think you need the High Seas booster to be able to mine Saltpeter niters.

Check to see if you can use one of the new Tokono or Garg boats. If you can't board one then you don't have the High Seas booster.

You can even use one of the cheap Row Boats to see if you are High Seas compatible.

Good luck.

 

[pacific cruiser]

yup need high seas

 

[Bob_the_fart_guy]

I have every single update/expansion to date.

The only weird twist in my account, at this moment in time, is that I used my Grand Bazaar Pack code to early. I used it during the time that we were told not to. As a result, I have the chest of sending, and the raised garden bed, but I cannot place a vendor at the New Maginca plots. Says I need to upgrade to the Rustic or Gothic theme pack, even though I already have. Here is some info on my ongoing battle with that little issue: http://vboards.stratics.com/uhall/248932-looking-advice.html

 

[Kas Althume]

Have you tried to use the code again? You need to use the code ingame to get the new items and you need to use the code in the account management to get access to the vendor system/housing tiles. What does it say in the new account management about your account. Is yours entitled to the addon packages?

 

[Bob_the_fart_guy]

Everything is working properly now with my expansion updates. Sadly... I still have yet to spawn a saltpeter deposit.

 

[Kas Althume]

I'm getting lots of deposits in shame lvl5 with only a plain lucksuit (easy replaceable with a little imbuing) + statue.

 

[Shantia]

I am recently new to HIGH SEA's (i'ma slacker), and have been trying to outfit a ship so i went mining for saltpeter tonight in ilsh. I went to the spirituality shrine and mined the mountain edge up and down for a while. I'd go to where the skeletons start showing up and turn around and run back. I got 2 massive veins doing that, then decided to try the cave leading to the twisted wield and got SEVERAL deposits in there. I ended up with over 1000 saltpeter in about 30-40 mins. The cave is better for me, no awkward running along the mountain side getting stuck on out croppings. I made a UOA macro that goes something like this:
Use item type (shovel)
target location mining
pause 1000
Use item type (shovel)
target location mining
pause 1000

And so on. That repeats about 10-15 times in the macro and i run around the cave after hitting it once. If i get a deposit i stop and mine it out, if not i just keep hitting my macro and running around. If you bring a fire beetle you can make a use item type (ore pile)/target (bug) for when you get full on ore. Very smooth and easy method. Good luck on getting your saltpeter!

PS. this miner has no luck suit and i still got several deposits.