Artisan Archive

Okay, you want to be a "pure" Artisan with no other skills, huh?

So, no Scout skills to allow you to harvest bones, meat & hides needed for some of the things you build? I guess you'll buy those from the bazaar, huh?

Oh, and no Brawler or Marksman skills so you can defend yourself as you run around the planet taking care of your harvesters. Or were you planning to buy ALL of your resources from the bazaar?

And better not pick up any Medic skills to heal yourself or your friends. Wouldn't want to stretch the definition of "Artisan" to include crafting things like medicines.

For Aprentiship XP I guess I'd stand around busy places (cantinas, star ports, shuttle ports, the bank, etc.) and offer your services. Also, you might make yourself searchable and pick an appropriate title. I know on Wanderhome in the last day and a half I've picked up like 500 Aprentiship XP from a combination of people sending me /tells and asking if I can teach this or that and from hearing people shout that they need to learn something I can teach and sending them a /tell.

As to people charging for teaching, the only time I've -EVER- seen that was Masters stating that they teach at 1/2 the NPC rate, paid in advance. *shrug* I've never seen a student demanding money to allow themselves to be taught. If I ran into that, I'd tell them to see if one of the NPC trainers would take them up on it!

Play how you want. Different playing styles will progress in different fashions. Me, I'm a Master Artisan and plan to add 2 elite Master crafting professions. (Right now, Weapon & Armor, but that will change when vehicles come out.) At that point, I'll have very few skill points left for anything else. In the mean time, I have most of Marksman, most of Scout, and about half of Medic learned. (And I already surrendered the Brawler skills I had.) Avatars with a more rounded skill set, especially starting characters, will have an easier time of it. As you climb higher and need to focus your limited skill points on your chosen profession, it'll be easier to afford to let other characters collect your resources, etc.

Tar'Ra

I don't think its supposed to be super easy to become master, and the apprenticeship system requires people to do more than just sit in front of a crafting station to advance. I've never had a player ask me for money and I woudn't train anyone who wanted money. Most people are just happy to get trained, but there are all kinds of players out there.

90% of the people I see paying to train others are wanna be bounty hunters spamming that they can train scout and marksmen skills.

If you want to just be an artisan and only train those skills you might be in a bit of trouble, but I still see people who need training in artisan skills. If you don't want to have other skills because you don't feel they fit your character, then you might have to put off your dreams of master until you reach an elite profession and can train people in those skills.

I do think its a bit short sighted to sit down and say I only want to learn a very narrow set of skills and I want tobe master. Each skill you have broadens the amount of possible people you have to train.

The apprentice point thing is most frustrating when you don't plan ahead. You grind like crazy to get the skills you need for master and when you finally get there, you lack the apprentice points.

It helps to think ahead and look for training opportunities well before you need them. Every time you run through town, keep an eye out for people looking for training. Run through the noob areas every now and then offer to help. Many noobs have several trainable skills and don't realize it.

The apprenticeship system is just one of many "forced socialization" features of the game. I don't much care for them either, but if you adjust your gameplay slightly, they can become less of a hindrance.

Find a non-Master Artisan. This is especially works if you find a Surveyor. Ask him to sacrifice his skill, and retrain him what he sacrifices. If he is a surveyor from the start, he will surely have the max number of XP you can get, and you'll be able to teach him a level 4 skill twice. It's not the most elegant way to get the XP, but it works.

With a little advanced planning, this issue becomes a non-issue.

You know well in advanced of getting your Master box that you will need Apprentice XP. Don't wait until the last minute to get it!

What I do: I have a /shout macro offering free training for any skill I know. I update it whenever I learn something new. Whenever I am in town I shout the macro around the spaceport, bank, and cantina. I usually get one or two trainees. Right now, I'm only 4 boxes into Droid Enginner, and I already have enough AppXP to get my Master DE box.

It also helps to be in a PA, and to let your PA-mates know you can train them.

To the original poster...

I'd definetely recomend picking up the novice marksman skill, and just working up the pistol tree. What other people have said is very true, you'll need at least some basic skills with a weapon to cover yourself out in the wild... just don't worry about how fast you're learning those skills, just use the pistol when you have to, and level up when you can.

And as long as you slow down a little and be sociable, and pay attention and listen for people asking for training, the only master that should be difficult is master artisian. And even that should come along pretty well.

But you have to remember that Appreticeship XP is not something that you can just gather all up at the last minute when you need it, you have to start earining it as soon as you have a skill to teach. I've never had to beg to teach people, and I always watch for people shouting "can someone teach me XXX?" I've gotten 2 masters already, and will have more than enough AXP by the time I'm ready to learn the 3rd. Just because I slow down and listen when I play.

Yeah, I have not even been trying, and from master artisian now working on smuggler, I have pucked up about 450 app. points just when people ask for training. Its not hard if you keep your ears open and have stuff to train in. Like somone said, everyone needs pistol. Pick up pistol, and you'll have app. points easy.

The Apprentice XP system is sort of like a pyramid scheme in a lot of ways. Right now there is usually a decent supply of new people to teach things to. So the peopleat the top that havestarted the gameearly-on will have plenty of people to teach, but asthe game matures, everyone willhave the skills they need andno oneat the bottom will have anyone under them to get the XP from. In a couple of years when there areonly a fewnew people coming into the game, the developers will have to rethink the system.

But as far as getting the XP, I don't think there is a real problem as long as you try to help people. I have over 2k Apprentice XP right now, and I only help people when they can't find someone else that needs the experience. If you help people out all the time and not just when you need the experience, you tend to get a sufficient stockpile up pretty quickly from what I've seen.