The Tinkering FAQ
- Based on an original FAQ by Adeste - used with permission
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What is Tinkering?
Tinkering is one of the secondary tradeskills that became available with the release of Echoes of Faydwer.
According to Ebnix Cogsworth, Master Tinkerer, "Tinkering is the process created by gnomes many centuries ago. It was used to make the clockworks that served in the great city of Ak'Anon, as well as many devices that were used every day by tinkerers of auld."
In more detail, tinkering is the art of making mechanical gadgets and gizmos to make life a little easier. You can create devices that will enhance your own abilities in combat; most of these can only be safely operated by yourself and other tinkers, however, as the mechanisms are far too complex for non-tinkerers to understand. Tinkering also allows you to make a few odds and ends for other people, mainly non-combat related ones such as crafting tools and fun items like spring-loaded gnomish stilts. A fair proportion of these are no-trade and must therefore be made for customers using the commission crafting system, which allows the tinkerer to give the customer careful personal instructions on how to use them without catastrophic results ensuing. As of Game Update 33, Tinkerers also have some Adornment recipes.
How do I become a Tinker?
Good and neutral aligned characters can speak to Ebnix Cogsworth, located in Kelethin one platform west of the bank at /waypoint 418, 89, 241.
Good, neutral, and evil aligned characters can speak to Karsh Cogsworth, located at the east side of the Butcherblock docks at /waypoint 637, 27, 595.
In order to become a tinker, you must have the Echoes of Faydwer expansion, and you need to be at least a level 10 crafter in one of the primary tradeskills.
Where are my Tinkering Tradeskill Arts?
Beside the tinkering trainers you will find a tinkering supply merchant. Tinkering merchants sell your tinkering books, but also sell tinkering tradeskill arts. We have four tinkering tradeskill arts - these are the only abilities we get and are never upgraded. They cost 19s 20c each from the merchant and are as follows:
Ability: Test Run
- increases progress by 20 (costs power)
Ability: Overhaul
- increases durability by 15 (costs power)
Ability: Data management
- increases progress by 30
- decreases success chance by 11%
Ability: Monkey With
- increases durability by 25
- decreases success chance by 11%
Monkey With and Overhaul are on the same timer; Data Management and Test Run are on the same timer. This means you can only use two arts each round, one increasing durability and one increasing progress. Realistically, you will probably find you use nothing but Monkey With and Data Management, and ignore the others completely.
Where are my recipes?
Ebenezer Cogsworth in Kelethin sells the "Apprentice Blueprints" recipes which take you up to 110 tinkering skill level. Corianda Cogsworth at the Butcherblock docks sells the further "Dabbler's Blueprints" series (in addition to the "Apprentice Blueprints") which take you up to 210 skill. And Fizza Cogsworth, the tinkering merchant at the Gnomeland Security Headquarters in Steamfont Mountains, sells all the above plus "Experimenter's Blueprints" and "Master's Blueprints" that take the tinkerer up to 340 tinkering skill. In addition, there are a number of dropped recipes which you may be fortunate enough to find while adventuring, or find on the broker with a search for "blueprints". These appear to require rare harvests. Not all these recipes have been identified yet.
What supplies do I need?
With Game Update 33 the amount of resources used by Tinkering recipes was reduced. Tinkering uses a LOT of loams of all tiers, plus quite a lot of ore, soft metals and gems. The exact number of each varies with the item, but loam is generally what you will be most short of. In terms of the harvests required: Tier 1: A typical tier 1 recipe uses 4-5 leaded loams, 4-6 lead clusters, 2 tin clusters, and 2-3 rough malachites, plus 4 coal, and returns lead clusters or malachite as byproducts. Tier 2 (starts at tinkering skill 50, though a couple earlier recipes require just iron and the rest tier 1 harvests): A typical tier 2 recipe uses 5-7 salty loams, 5-7 iron clusters, 2-3 electrum cluster, 0-5 rough turquoise, and 5 brown coal, and returns iron or turquoise as byproducts. Tier 3 (starts at tinkering skill 90): A typical tier 3 recipe uses 8 pliant loams, 0-5 agates, 3 gold clusters, and 1-8 carbonite, and returns agate (or occasionally carbonite). Tier 4 (starts at tinkering skill 145): A typical tier 4 recipe uses 9-10 supple loams, 10-12 feyiron, 0-7 opaline, 3-4 velium, and returns feyiron or opaline. Harvest amounts get increasingly greater as you progress in tier. All tinkered items are made on a jewelery workbench, using coal of the appropriate tier.
How do I use the commission crafting system to make someone a no-trade item?
The commission crafting system is a little hard to find at first, but easy enough once you get the hang of it. First, you need to meet the customer in person, near a jewelery workbench.
Open up your recipe book and find the recipe that the customer wants you to make. Select the recipe in your book. Now target the CUSTOMER, not the workbench, and click "Create". This opens up the commission crafting window. The customer will see a list of the items needed and has to place at least one item in the window - this can be raws, or coin for payment, or fuel.
Once the customer has placed something in the window, both you and the customer can click "Accept". Your recipe list window will change to the crafting window that shows the ingredients for that recipe, and when you click "begin" the crafting process will start as normal. Once the item is complete, it will drop directly into the customer's inventory and you will receive whatever payment he placed in the window.
How do Tinkering levels work?
Tinkering is a skill, like mining or swimming, and so your progression in tinkering is measured numerically. Like other skills, you can gain 5 points in tinkering per level. So 100 points in tinkering is equivalent to level 20. You can see your tinkering skill on your skills tab (press P, go to the Skills tab, and choose Tradeskill on the bottom tab).
Your maximum achievable level in tinkering is capped by your level in your primary tradeskill OR your adventure level, whichever is higher. So, for example, if you are a 50 provisioner/25 warden, you can reach the equivalent of level 50 in tinkering (50 x 5 = 250 skill). If you were a 25 provisioner/50 warden, you would have the same skill cap for tinkering.
You have a chance at skilling up in tinkering whenever you make a finished item. In beta, there was a 50% chance of a skill up when you completed an even-con (white) recipe. It is possible this rate may be tweaked on live or in the future, plus of course the random number generator does have its evil uncooperative streaks, so individual mileage will vary.
I hate Tinkering, am I stuck with it?
Nope! You are allowed to change your Secondary Tradeskill Profession; if you decide to do this hail the Trainer for the Secondary Profession you desire and discuss it with them. Your original Secondary skill will be reset to zero.
| Parts of this page were originally a guide, located here, written by Calthine. |
