Artisan Archive

I've heard lots of comments, including my own, proposing that a character could make aliving from trading in the "rare" resources required for high-level schematics. Given the apparent mechanism behind the resource shifts, I now think this would face a lot of problems. First of all, I don't think any resources are going to be more "rare" than others. It looks like the high-level schematics are merelycalling for more specifictypes of resources. On tarquinas, everyone thought Neutronium Steel and Link-steel Aluminum would be rare, since they had not spawned for nearly a month anywhere on the server. When they did, everyone rushed to place all their harvesters on these metals. However,they lasted just as long as all the other resources that had spawned. I'd venture to say more of those two types of minerals were harvested than any other mineral, aside from possibly ore. They'r edefinitely not rare now.

Such market position could certainly exist, but I think it's going to require mining/purchasing specific types of minerals and just hanging on to them until long after the spawn has passed (but hoping you're not hanging around so long it spawns again). In other words, this business model just got a lot more long-term, and risky too. If each specific type of mineral spawns, on average, once a month - it becomes critical which type will make better items. If we wait another month, Neutronium steel spawns again, and it's oflower quality than what spawned last month, your supply just greatly increased in value. No weaponsmith will have a shot at getting any better Neutronium Steel for (playing averages) at least another month. If the new stuff is better, you're in trouble!