What is a rare?
A Rare is any item that requires some special knowledge to acquire or no longer spawns in the game and cannot be purchased from NPCs or crafted. Resources are not Rares.
What are the types of rares?
Spawning:
Semi-Rares (stealable) - must be stolen from NPC shop chests and crates
Semi-Rares (lootable) - found as loot on monsters or NPCs
Daily - also known as "server-up rares". They are found when the server becomes available after daily maintenance
Artifacts - powerful and decorative items found only in Dungeon Doom
Not Spawning:
OSI Gifts- gifts given by OSI/EA on specific holidays or for accomplishments
Trammel Launch - various NPCs on shards sold mishued items
Server Birth - stolen or picked up at the initial launch of a shard
Event Moderator - found only during Event Moderator quests
Quest - unique items given out by OSI or the volunteer staff during quests and events before the volunteer staff was disbanded
Where can I find rares?
Spawning Rares - please see the sections below that apply to spawning types of rares.
Not Spawning - can only be purchased from other players
How do I recognize a rare?
Rares come in many sizes, shapes, and colors. They may look just like other items or very exotic. Here are some tips on how to recognize a rare:
Art - rares often use art that is unavailable for normal items. If you find an item you've never seen before, be sure to check NPCs and don't be afraid to ask others.
Hue - rares are sometimes of hues not generally available on those types of items, such as artifacts. Other rares have hues unique to that particular item. If an item doesn't look quite right, there is a good chance it is a rare.
Name- a great many rares have special names. These names can range from a descriptive title (a leather bound atlas) to a personal item (staff of Sage Xavia) to a legendary item (Stonebite).
How much are rares worth?
This is the million-gold-piece question and the only answer is: "A rare is worth what someone will pay for it." I know that isn't what most wanted to hear, so here are some rough guidelines for determining the value of a rare item...
Spawning - spawning items are worth far less than non-spawning ones since more will continue to flow into the market
Rarity - the fewer there are, the more it's worth
Desirability - by far the most influential factor in determining the value of a particular item. Desirability will raise or lower prices listed above by a significant amount. It can be broken down into several aspects:
Sentiment - a personal connection to a particular item. Many collectors often have a favorite item or profession and any rare that relates will have an increased value associated with it.
Function - can be "used" to produce a special result (sounds, particle effect, etc) or as armor or weapon are among the most desired.
<u>Recognition</u> - rares that are obviously different or special are more desired as their special quality need not be pointed out. Hued items are the most easily recognizable as different.
Wearable - rares that can be worn are among the most desirable as collectors can show them off anywhere. They are also great conversation starters.
Title - name of an item that is not generally associated with that particular item type, such as a halberd named "Bane of the Undead"
Association - many items have a history attached to them and official fiction written about the event in which the items were given out or found. If a story can be told about the origin of an item, the greater the desire is to own the item.
Cross-Shard Traders are often willing to pay many times the value of a rare on a particular shard as those items are not readily available on their home shard. Keep in mind rares that get traded may never return to your shard. While this isn't a big deal for most rares, ones tied to a specific shard's history such as Seer and Event Moderator quest items will be lost forever and along with them a piece of history.
How do I create a Rares Collector? (Templates)
For the most part, skills are not needed to be a Rares Collector, only gold. The majority of top quality rares do not spawn and are traded amongst collectors. Check trading websites and your local bank for these items.
Spawning rares, such as Artifact and semi-rares, require stealing. In order to have a chance at getting the Rarity 10 and lower artifacts, you'll need at least a minimum of 115 stealing. Other than Stealing, the templates are really quite open, but here are a few suggestions:
Relic Hunter - a multi-purpose hunter of treasures
120 Stealing (artifacts, town chests)
100 Lockpicking (dungeon chests, t-maps, khaldun puzzle chests, town chests)
100 Remove Trap (dungeon chests, t-maps, town chests)
100 Cartography (t-maps)
100 Fishing (MIBs, special fishing nets)
100 Magery (transportation, healing, protection/attack using summons)
100 Evaluate Int (magic damage increase)
with 100 STR, 100 INT, 25 DEX. If you have used a stat scroll, put the rest anywhere.
Evasionist - a thief who sneaks in, steals rares, and sneaks out with little to no combat
120 Stealing (rares)
100 Hiding (evasion)
100 Stealth (evasion)
100 Musicianship (bardic proficiency)
100 Provocation (defense)
100 Peacemaking (evasion)
100 Magery (transportation, healing, protection/attack using summons)
with 100 STR, 100 INT, 25 DEX. If you used a stat scroll, put the rest anywhere.
Dungeon Hunter - a battle ready hunter who enters with sword drawn and fights his way to the treasure
120 Stealing (rares)
100 Weapon Skill (combat)
100 Tactics (combat)
100 Anatomy (healing, damage increase)
100 Healing (healing)
100 Chivalry (transportation, healing, attack, defense)
100 Focus (recovery)
with 100 STR, 25 INT, 100 DEX. If you have used a stat scroll, put the rest in INT.
What does that mean? (Professional Vocabulary)
Arti - Artifact
Click-Rares - rares with the only special property being an unusual or special name
Daily - rares that are made available with server up
Event Moderator - individual contracted by Electronic Arts to run events for players
Event Moderator Rares/Quest Items - rares found during quests or events run by Event Moderators
EM - Event Moderator quest items
Monthly - many rares were grouped into this catagory as they appeared to spawn once every month or few months. There is a great deal of myth and legend surrounding these particular items. OSI/EA stated at the time there was no code in the game that supported spawns of that length, but there existed code for Return to Homepoint in which decorations that decayed would return to their original locations.
Server Birth - day a shard was made available for the first time
Server Up - when the shard becomes available after daily maintainence
Semi-Rares - rares that spawn or have the potential to spawn multiple times a day
