User talk:Tennessee Ernie Ford/Wish I Had Known

Highly Salvageable is Lowly?
Highly Salvageable items in Pre aren't worth salvaging. At least that's what I've found. I don't even bother buying the kit, because then I'm wasting space storing the kit and materials in my backpack, and "highly" only yields 2-3 pieces anyway. Hardly worth the trouble. You are correct about IDing everything non-white. RoseOfKali 07:27, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Here's my comparison, outside of Northlands (if you can farm Charr, you don't need to worry about this)

!Strategy || Net Profit || Costs || Income || Notes but call it 2.5 units * 4.5, which is still 11
 * Sell HS Item || 1.5 || ID 2 || Item 3.5 || rough average sale price
 * Salvage || &gt; 5 || ID &amp; Salv 6 || Salvage 11 || min 2 – max 4  = 8 – 20,
 * Salvage || &gt; 5 || ID &amp; Salv 6 || Salvage 11 || min 2 – max 4  = 8 – 20,
 * Salvage || &gt; 5 || ID &amp; Salv 6 || Salvage 11 || min 2 – max 4  = 8 – 20,
 * }


 * In the worst case (bit of wood), you break even. In the best case, (lots of iron), it makes enough to make up for the lost inventory slot. If you want dust, having the salv kit also allows you to convert webs (instead of using a dust and a web slot). Is it worth the tedium factor? Again, if you can farm char, then certainly not. But if Charr farmers aren't the intended audience. For me, when I started, it meant I could afford that Charr Bag just a bit sooner.  &mdash; Tennessee Ernie Ford ( TEF ) 07:56, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Well, with the limited amount of space you have before you get your bags, that's a whopping 6 slots (kit, wood, iron, dust, bones, granite - common ones you get a lot in Pre from weapons). Considering every time you go out, that's 6 more items you can't pick up before merching.  If you immediately merch all materials, then it may not be so bad, but it wasn't stated so in this article (the more common tactic is to hoard materials for use or to sell in bulk to players, which is what clicked in my head when I first saw your advice), you may want to state that it's simply profitable to merch the materials you get as soon as you get them.  It also pays to recognize which ones have iron and granite more commonly, since these net you bigger profit, it may even be worth it to salvage some white items that always give you those, like hammers or tribal axes, that would otherwise sell for 1-2g.  In the distant past, all materials merched for 3g, no matter what, but now the prices vary, so it is only since that update that it has become possible to profit from this.  Also, I usually just keep all my webs until I go post, where I can convert them to silk, which I often use for armor, and sometimes sell for about 50g each.  RoseOfKali [[Image:RoseOfKaliSIG.png]] 18:42, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * re: # of slots &mdash; It's only 6 slots if you always ID and salvage while spelunking; (for exactly the reasons you state) I never ID while zoned unless (a) inventory is full or (b) have lots of blues. At that point, I drop things likely to be worth less than 2: E+3 foci, weapons with &lt; 5 dmg (avg), and blues with low merch price; a loss of 10-20 in exchange for reduced headaches and future items worth at least the same.


 * re: Webs &amp; Dust &mdash; Inside Catacombs, you get dust and webs, so you save a slot through web-salvage (outside Cats, you don't). I'll have to reconsider the silk angle, although I have never seen web → Silk; (for me) it's always been Spider Web → dust, even with expert salvage.


 * re: variable prices &mdash; Since these are meant to be rules of thumb, I'm trying (unsuccessfully) to keep it short. To profit from white salvage, you do have to be intimate with what salvages to what. Highly Salvageable works w/o knowing details. If you know the details, you probably don't need rules-of-thumb, as you're either hunting Charr or can merch in your sleep.


 * All that said, it's probably worth my taking another look and updating to clarify intended audience, shorten rules to be more manageable, and to consider expanding audience.  &mdash; Tennessee Ernie Ford ( TEF ) 18:58, 12 April 2009 (UTC)


 * There is no such thing as a plain "Web." They are "Spider Webs" in Presearing, and it's very rare that I get dust from them with an expert salvage.  RoseOfKali [[Image:RoseOfKaliSIG.png]] 00:13, 13 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Do I understand correctly that your (a) pre-searing web almost always expert salvages into Silk and (b) other (more expensive) webs do not? I completely stopped using expert salvage (except for runes/insigs) b/c (1) I never see silk salvage and (2) I have yet to see more or different materials drop from expert salvage than from ordinary salvage. Tell me your secrets so that I might unlock more material (common or rare).  &mdash; Tennessee Ernie Ford ( TEF ) 09:32, 13 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Pre-Searing webs have the highest salvage rate for silk compared to any other webs, and I have salvaged every web in the game...that's why I have like 500 silk. :D [[Image:Entropy Sig.jpg]] (T/C) 10:45, 13 April 2009 (UTC)
 * By the way, basic salvage kits do not get rare materials. [[Image:Entropy Sig.jpg]] (T/C) 10:47, 13 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Good to know. As I say, I have skipped using expert kits to salvage materials b/c I was not seeing different drops compared to regular kits. I guess I need to start using the more expensive kits again.  &mdash; Tennessee Ernie Ford ( TEF ) 16:29, 13 April 2009 (UTC)


 * For most items, you shouldn't bother using an expert salvage kit. The only time I would do that is for "Highly Salvageable"/"Measure for Measure" items that are known to give rare materials (lots of things give steel, for example, but staves will almost always just give wood, so use a basic). A few items like the various Spider Webs also have a high rate of getting rare materials, so expert those also. If you are gambling on getting rare materials by always using expert kits, you'll probably just end up wasting money. [[Image:Entropy Sig.jpg]] (T/C) 22:04, 13 April 2009 (UTC)
 * I always expert all kinds of webs through the entire game, but it does seem that pre webs might have a higher silk rate, though overall it's still more than 90% for me, no matter where the web is from. Salvaging armors that look like a brown triangular piece of leather has given me a good number of leather squares with a pretty high rare rate, don't remember the exact numbers though, haven't needed leather for a while.  The metallic armors can give iron/steel or hide/leather, so I usually don't bother with them, save highly salvageable martial weapons for steel and iron, caster weapons are always a basic salvage for me for wood, dust and iron (canes and some staves).  Cloth looking armors that just look like a wrinkled rectangle usually give cloth and have a chance at some rare mats that are actually rare, like linen, but I don't think they're worth it, the chances are low from what I remember.  RoseOfKali [[Image:RoseOfKaliSIG.png]] 23:39, 14 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Oh, hehe, and if you want to try your luck, expert Geodes, ruby/jeweled daggers, ruby mauls, and ruby/sapphire essences. Got a ruby out of a Geode once, but not again for like the next 100, so gave up. :P  Here: Category:Contains_ruby Category:Contains_sapphire - some surprises in there.  RoseOfKali [[Image:RoseOfKaliSIG.png]] 23:44, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

Expert Salvage only items w/upgrades (to unlock 'em and/or merchant-sell and/or use)
You don't unlock by salvaging, and all upgrades merch for 25g, no exceptions. The only reason to salvage upgrades is if you want to use them or if they are worth selling to players, otherwise you risk breaking the weapon and coming out with a profit of 5g (+25g-ID-Xsalv). RoseOfKali 18:50, 7 April 2009 (UTC)

Don't ID any whites unless merch offers at least 30 gp.
Lol... You can't ID a white, no matter how hard you try. ^_^ RoseOfKali  18:54, 7 April 2009 (UTC)
 * I Think you can and iirc it changes the base value. Not 100% sure tho. Kurtan 18:59, 7 April 2009 (UTC)
 * 100% sure. I usually don't ID them unless they're worth at least 51g though Raj4h 19:01, 7 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Since when? O_o I know you can ID greens, but white? *drops jaw like the time she found out you can split a stack with the Shift key...* RoseOfKali [[Image:RoseOfKaliSIG.png]] 19:04, 7 April 2009 (UTC)
 * You can split a stack with the shift key? ooh.. >.> well, you learn something new almost everyday. Kurtan 19:05, 7 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Rofl I didn't know you could id greens! LEARNING PARTY! Raj4h 19:09, 7 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Lol... I always ID my nooby greens before I merch them, gets you a lil more than the standard 35g. Heck, I've even merched max greens before after getting pissed off at trying to sell them for 1k for an hour...  RoseOfKali [[Image:RoseOfKaliSIG.png]] 19:15, 7 April 2009 (UTC)

Identifying whites is like 25% of my income. :\ (T/C) 09:16, 8 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Rofl... Boy, have I been missing out... RoseOfKali [[Image:RoseOfKaliSIG.png]] 17:59, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

Keys
I usually merch all my keys until Southern Shiverpeaks (or basically until the key gives treasure points). I can't recall ever a time when I got an item out of a chest that would merch for more than the key/lockpick, except when the item is a max gold that I can trade to someone or an elite tome. And I've never bought a key from a merchant that I can remember (maybe like 3 years ago when I was really noob...). And you can't usually get max items (not to mention gold items) until about Southern Shiverpeaks or equivalent (Vabbi and KC, iirc). RoseOfKali 19:13, 7 April 2009 (UTC)