Tailor Archive

A special thanks to Anabelle and Vandessa, and all the other members of this forum whose work I have plagiarized.

What do I grind to get to Master Tailor?
Stock up on Fiberplast and Steel. Make Ribbed Shirts until you get Field Wear 4. Then grind Cartridge Belts, which take Inert Petrochemicals, Steel, and Metal.

What Resources Will I need?

RIBBED SHIRTS up to Field IV

32000 TXP = 218 Ribbed Shirts = 6540 Fiberplast and 6540 Metals

44800 TXP = 305 Ribbed Shirts = 9142 Fiberplast and 9142 Metals

57600 TXP = 392 Ribbed Shirts = 11755 Fiberplast and 11755 Metals

70400 TXP = 479 Ribbed Shirts = 14367 Fiberplast and 14367 Metals

CARTRIDGE BELTS (X 3) up to Master

32000 TXP = 108 Cartridge Belts = 5400 Inert Petrochemical 2700 Metals and 3780 Steel

44800 TXP = 150 Cartridge Belts = 7500 Inert Petrochemical 3750 Metals and 5250 Steel

57600 TXP = 193 Cartridge Belts = 9650 Inert Petrochemical 4825 Metals and 6755 Steel

70400 TXP = 236 Cartridge Belts = 11800 Inert Petrochemical 5900 Metals and 8260 Steel

#'s courtesy of Abzintia's site

Approx Totals:

42000 Fiberplast

104000 Inert Petro

94000 Metal

73000 Steel

I need a tailor macro

Check out this article which explains in detail how a macro works. You can also look at tailoring macro thread.

But I don't want to grind! How do I get through tailoring the "normal way"?

Kara's advice column has helpful tips on what to sell at every level. Also, see Starting Tailoring in a Mature Economy.

So many people grind to master. How will I compete and make money?

One option is to buy a factory and make panels for sale to other professions. Armorsmiths use fiberplast panels (domestic 1), synth panels (novice tailor) and reinforced fiber panels (Field 2). To a lesser degree, Chefs use trim (formal 1) for kegs, and Architects use reinforced fiber panels and fiberplast panels for tents.

What materials should I stock up on?

Yes, you don't want to be caught by surprise when you hit master!

General materials:

• 
  Fiberplast


• Polymer - though many items will accept lubricating oil, others will not. Best to just mine Polymer


• Steel


• Copper


• Metals of any type (though it's more efficient to just mine steel or copper


• Amorphous Gemstone


• Crystalline Gemstone


• Wooly Hides


• Bristley Hides


• Any Hides


• Iron (in small amounts)


• Ore (in small amounts)

Specific materials (in small amounts)

• 
  Plexite Amorphous Gemstone


• Green Diamond Crystalline Gemstone


• Thoraneum Steel


• Titanium Aluminum


• Tatooine Wooly Hide


• Nabooan Scaley Hide

Does resource quality matter?

Nope. Not at all. Not for regular clothes, not for BE clothing.

I don't have the option to experiment!

Experimentation was taken out of clothing a while ago. There are still skill tapes in-game that have bonuses to clothing experimentation, as well as the looted-schematic apron. Ah well.

What line should I train in to get colors?

Colors are governed by the "tailoring" line of tailoring. You get new colors at each level, and an additional 55 colors at master. And yes, red is at master.

What are sockets, how do they work, and why do I care?

Sockets are places where any player, tailor or not, can drop skill tapes (which are looted) into a piece of clothing. Clothing can have up to 4 sockets. Generally it's random, but you have a higher probability of making a higher-socketed item as you go up the "tailoring" line. Many times people want to use skill tapes as they have bonuses which cannot be obtained by buying bioengineered items.

What skill tapes can I use in an item?

Not all skill tapes play nicely together and some overwrite. See this thread for a detailed explanation of how skill tapes work.

What sort of outfit should I make someone who wants to maximize sockets?

To get the most articles of clothing onto a person, you should make him/her: Boots, Gloves, Shirt, Pants, Hat, Bandolier, Belt, Vest and ubese bracers. Yes, yes, ubese bracers are armor, so they will only take armor attachments. You can't wear a backpack with a bandolier, nor can a socketed backpack take enhancements.

How do I make and use Bio-Engineer clothes?

Components made by Bio-Engineers are used to add points to some skill mods. You use them in making Synthetic Cloths and Reinforced Fiber Panels. Then you use those enhanced components to make Bio-Engineered clothes. When the clothing is equipped you gain the modifiers. For more information on BE clothing see RandDarkstar's guide. Also useful is SWGBioengineer, though not specifically geared toward tailors.

What tissues should I buy from bioengineers?

That really depends on your audience, and what sorts of items do you normally sell (i.e. are you in a primarily "combat" area?) I have found that Melee/stun defense, bleed defense, and medical tissues are top sellers.

How about the limited-use schematics?

Here is an article about the schematics, including ingredients, stats, and screenies. Important to note is that you must be standing next to a private crafting station to use the schematics.

What BE clothing can be worn with armor?

Only a shirt and a bandolier can be worn with full armor. And bandoliers and backpacks don't mix.

How should I price my clothing?

Many tailors use Zachary's price calculator to price clothing based on a credits per unit value of every single resource, and has the option of factoring in extra costs for factory-produced panels, and adding in a premium for higher level items. For more advice on setting your prices, see Kara's advice column, and this article on pricing.

How should I price bioengineered clothing?

Many tailors use a standard credits-per-point-of-stat-increase method. Others will charge more for certain stats than others. In general, depending on the economy, tailors will charge anywhere from +200 to +1000 credits per stat point. Not all tailors charge for the underlying garment on top of the tissue price. Many price on a sliding scale, instead of a standard per-point method, and charge a higher premium for the higher level tissues because of their difficulty. Another issue to consider is whether to charge for a "wasted" tissue: when you have to use 2 identical panels in a slot, you "lose" the value of one of the tissues. Some tailors charge for all tissues used, others charge just by the stat increase, and others "split the difference" and charge half-price for wasted tissues. See this thread for some examples of tailors' pricing schemes.

What about decay?

Items decay on death and will need repairs. According to empirical evidence master tailors will repair clothing with a better success rate than non-masters. Be sure to get good quality clothing repair tools from a master artisan, and do your repairs before the article gets down to 25%. Although currently clothing does not disappear at 0 condition, this may change.

Do I need to be a merchant too?

An overwhelming majority of tailors are merchants too, simply because we can't crate-produce, and we need to keep a large selection on-hand. But there are also special-order tailors. Ultimately it's up to you to choose what sort of tailor you want to be, and this guide provides a few business models for tailors. If you do decide to have a vendor, check out these articles on vendor stocking and organization and shop decoration.

What professions "go well" with tailoring?

Besides the obvious (merchant), there are many routes that compliment tailor. Armorsmith uses tailoring components and the same tools and factory. Image design gives you the "full makeover" shop experience. Architect lets you decorate the home as well. Entertainer professions give you the ability to show off your work. Bioengineer allows you to make your own tissues (although only one line of BE is tissue-related, there are experimentation points and advanced schematics at master, leaving it probably ineffective to just go up one line). Ultimately, though, it's what you want to do and what makes you happy.

This is what I have so far, but this FAQ is by no means complete - I would love feedback on questions and any additions or subtractions would be appreciated. Don't be shy!

Message Edited by NJ62 on 03-15-2004 04:05 PM

Its not a big deal, but you might add mythra copper, rori fungus, the crafting tools and warheads, and the loot ingredients for the special ingredient list. They aren't used very much (especially the warheads), but they are something to consider keeping a small amount in stock.