So this is something that’s been biting in my brain ever since I got back from the Glasshollow Impalong. The feeling that I got to finally contribute, made me very happy. But even more so, that it helped to greatly raise my Blacksmithing skill.
Yet, Blacksmithing alone, unfortunately isn’t going to help me to achieve freedom from ever needing the Impalong again. It’s something I had overlooked until I was trying to imp something that seemed like a tool, yet it was a weapon instead.
There is Weaponsmithing(imping my tools that have a blade), Chainsmithing(reimping my armor), and Platesmithing(reimping my Plate armor) that I have to pay attention to. But none of that really matters, if you have low quality lumps (which is the most critical part of working with metal in Wurm). This is where the Mining skill plays in.
And to improve my Mining skill, isn’t as simple as making a low QL pick (from what I read, lower QL gives more skill ticks) and mine rock shards. From what Shydow told me (minus the overly-complex math), cave walls have the lowest set skill tick chance that you can get, with certain veins having a higher chance. I don’t remember what I was told in CA HELP, but I’m pretty sure the veins I need to grind on that have the highest chance of getting a skill tick, don’t exist in the mine to the WNW of my deed (which of course.. isn’t good for me).
On top of it, the QL of the pick has to match a certain level half of your current Mining level.. I think. Fucking hell the complexity. At least throwing a high cast of CoC on the pick is a no-brainer. This is why I jumped when I saw that low QL with 86CoC pick on that merchant back in Release.
But, I’ve decided against it (even though I’m home and I could get the money). Because the mining skill is only the icing on the cake of misery that you have to pay attention to. It’s one big juggle.
For there’s Hunger/Nutrition(which adjusts how much skill you get), Sleep Bonus(self-explanatory), and then.. finally, Fatigue. Fatigue isn’t well known to me, yet I hear it also controls how much skill you get and it only resets every 18 hours, with the message “You are rested.”
And… this is what I was talking about, when I mentioned how I’ve been almost strongly thinking about buying an account that has high skills. With someone like that ‘living’ in my deed (that I could get on at anytime that I wouldn’t have to depend on), I could mail my gear to them when out exploring, have them imp it back up, and mail it back to me without having to pay a high price to have everything re-re-re-re-re(etc)-imped. During the Impalong, I had my copper chain armor re-re-imped to 80QL.. and already my chestplate is nearly 69QL. The damage mobs do to my armor is crazy.
But if I had the hundreds of dollars (maybe thousands) needed that could literally pay my way out of this problem with something that has higher stats than myself… I’m almost desperate enough to do it.
I want to be FREE from ever having to use the Impalong again (and look like a newbie, asking for my stuff to be imped). I’ve been playing this game, on and off (since 2010-2015, for FOUR. YEARS. I should NOT need to have to go back to another Impalong by now (except for bringing my OWN resources to volunteer my time)!!
Yet if you tell Global Kchat of why this game is so complex, they’ll tell you “maybe Wurm isn’t for you” and “people that don’t like the grind have moved on”.
This begs the old question of why and how is this game still alive. Again, I get the purpose that the game is supposed to teach you the value of hard work and the feeling of accomplishment for completing a long task, but it seems to over-do this teaching in basic things like survival. Yes, keeping your gear in high condition is part of the survival aspect. I’ve heard the pros like to fight naked as a challenge, and can wreck any mob out there.
And that’s why this game is a MULTIplayer game, and not meant to be played solo. It’s supposed to encourage you to join a friendly deed to be able to do these things. …But, with myself, I would end up abusing their skills for my personal game (instead of grinding, because I don’t like the feeling of being tied down). This is why I live on my own, for I can do my own things and not have to answer to anyone (or feeling like I’m being depended on).
So what does this mean for me? If you haven’t figured it out yet, all of those hopes and dreams I would finally feel free from having to go to the Impalong, have been crushed. All because I forgot my Mining skill plays into the quality of the lumps I can use. Right now I can imp up to 50QL, and I doubt the lump quality would allow me to push it to 60QL.
I dunno what to do. It’s very frustrating, even though I get the reason behind it (which doesn’t make it any less frustrating).