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[Blacksmithing] Saving POF

Lorax_Pacific

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Hail,

You may have already noticed, but thought I would mention in case you hadn't noticed that you can POF a metal weapon to 170 and enhance with dull copper and it will take your durability to 255. This is a fine way to safe on POF's, but beware the enhance calculator shows a 6% breakage possibility with a +60 smithy hammer. So far none that I have made have broken. I noticed the calculator shows from shadow you can POF to 130 then enhance to 255...calculator seems broken though with shadow...it goes above 255.

So make your fine metal weapon, POF, imbue, enhance and enjoy the battle! The armor could have the same result, but with higher risk of loss due to the resists in the enhance equation.

Any other fine ways of saving on POF? Anyone have a good experience using runics or something else?

-Lorax
 
N

Nematode

Guest
Hi all, Im a crafting noob, and Ive came across lots of posts that takes the following path:

1. Make item from NORMAL material ie. plain leather, iron
2. POF
3. Imbue with desired qualities
4. Enhance with special mats

My understanding is that enhancing risks breakage of the item. Why dont start out with making the item from the special mats in the first place? Unless you want the Ash wood +10% SSI to make the end product +40%.

Other than that, Im pretty sure Im missing something. Could someone enlighten me?
 

Basara

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The special materials COUNT AGAINST the properties for imbuing.

It doesn't matter if a leather gorget has 2 Physical, and a spined leather gorget has 7 - both can only have their physical raised to 17 Physical as a 100% property.

Using spined as the example again, despite having the 40 luck from the leather, all you can imbue it to is 100, which replaces the 40. To get a 140 luck item, you'll have to make a bunch of 100 luck normal leather gorgets with imbuing, then break a bunch of them, until you get lucky and one succeeds.

Starting with the item already made of the special materials, for the most part VOIDS THE REASON FOR USING THE SPECIAL MATERIAL IN THE FIRST PLACE. That reason is to get the total intensity of the properties (usually on armor) to add up to well over the 500 limit of Imbuing alone.

It's craft, POF, Imbue, then - if you're feeling lucky or have a lot of stuff to potentially throw away, enhance.

If you're making with a runic, hoping to get lucky, with no intent to imbue, THEN you craft out of special materials from the start.
 

Llewen

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Some things you want to make with special materials right from the start. For example if you are going to make a valorite shield you are taking an unecessary risk by imbuing then enhancing. You can just make a shield out of valorite right from the start as it has no effect on it's imbuing value. The same goes for valorite weapons.

I'm not sure which materials you can do this with, some you can't because they add properties that count against the imbued weight of the piece.
 

Silverbird

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Especially on a weapon I wouldnt enhance it with dull for its duration bonus. The reason is simple:
- craft first
- pof up to 255
- imbue it
- use the weapon
- if you feel, the weapons permanent dura has dropped too much, try to enhance with dull
Usually it is cheaper to use one additional pof instead of replacing the imbuing ingredients for a weapon, that broke on an enhancing attempt. If nothing has chanced, enhancing with dull is a nice way to restore some dura on an already imbued weapon.
 

Basara

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Some things you want to make with special materials right from the start. For example if you are going to make a valorite shield you are taking an unecessary risk by imbuing then enhancing. You can just make a shield out of valorite right from the start as it has no effect on it's imbuing value. The same goes for valorite weapons.

I'm not sure which materials you can do this with, some you can't because they add properties that count against the imbued weight of the piece.
The metals that give Luck and/or Lower Requirements are the only ones that theoretically could mess with the intensities on weapons and shields. The durability increase I don't think is treated as a mod, because of the nature of imbuing.

Silverbird's idea of imbuing, then not enhancing or crafting with materials until the max durability drops significantly (like to128 max durability), and then enhancing with a durability increaser, is actually a bit of a time and energy saver, as if it works, you'll be able to extend the life of the item by 50-100%, before imbuing a replacement.
 

Lorax_Pacific

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Especially on a weapon I wouldnt enhance it with dull for its duration bonus. The reason is simple:
- craft first
- pof up to 255
- imbue it
- use the weapon
- if you feel, the weapons permanent dura has dropped too much, try to enhance with dull
Usually it is cheaper to use one additional pof instead of replacing the imbuing ingredients for a weapon, that broke on an enhancing attempt. If nothing has chanced, enhancing with dull is a nice way to restore some dura on an already imbued weapon.
I like that idea! It doesn't save POF, but sure extends the life of the item.

-Lorax
 

TullyMars

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I like that idea! It doesn't save POF, but sure extends the life of the item.

-Lorax
Are people really having an issue with stuff going end of life that you want to extend the life of an item by 50-100%?
If I get an item to 255 durability, depending on how much game play I get, let say I have to repair every 3rd day until it gets to 150 durability, every 2nd day til it gets down to 75 durability, and every day till it gets down to 20 durability.
Now for sake of argument lets say every time I repair I lose a durability point.
That is roughly 2 years I will have that item! And that is saying I lose a point of durability every repair!
Now I am not sure about the rest of you, but the way UO comes out with new items and new tactics and such, I doubt I'll be using the same weapon in Summer of 2012 (assuming UO and I are both still around)
Now those numbers might be a bit simplistic and I do admit that I don't play those 8-24 hour stretches that some do, but you get the jist.
 

Basara

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If a weapon doesn't have Spell Channeling, it takes damage every time it hits certain creatures.

Other creatures do massive equipment damage through special attacks (the monstrous interred grizzle being the most blatant of these).

Having to fight hordes of small fry at the early spawn levels can get yoor gear beat down quick - especially the rat spawn with its slimes that do the weapon damage mentioned above.

For every person who thought as you do, back when the 150-durability non-POF replicas were released, there was also someone complaining that they were getting replicas that at the rate of damage (even after the initial durability bug was fixed) would have to be replaced in a week.

Combat styles DO vary that much, especially in PvM... (which ranges from being out of harms way, hitting with creatures, spells or arrow, to running into the middle of a swarm and spamming radius effects (wither, holy light) & whirlwind attacks.
 

Llewen

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If a weapon doesn't have Spell Channeling, it takes damage every time it hits certain creatures.

Other creatures do massive equipment damage through special attacks (the monstrous interred grizzle being the most blatant of these).

Having to fight hordes of small fry at the early spawn levels can get yoor gear beat down quick - especially the rat spawn with its slimes that do the weapon damage mentioned above.

For every person who thought as you do, back when the 150-durability non-POF replicas were released, there was also someone complaining that they were getting replicas that at the rate of damage (even after the initial durability bug was fixed) would have to be replaced in a week.

Combat styles DO vary that much, especially in PvM... (which ranges from being out of harms way, hitting with creatures, spells or arrow, to running into the middle of a swarm and spamming radius effects (wither, holy light) & whirlwind attacks.
Well it's a bit of a rock/paper/scissors thing. There isn't one template that is best for every situation. I won't take my axe wielding whirlwind attack specializing lumberjack to vermin spawns, or if I do, he won't do much for the first level. I always use an archer in the Passage of Tears. I don't know of anyone that takes a tamer to Paroxysmus.

If you have the resources to burn through a high end 255 durability imbued weapon in a week, and replace it easily, more power to you. But I certainly don't, so I pick and choose my battles.
 
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