Low level Shopper

[Rasputin17 0]

The dryad is the "coolest" character isn't she? I have realized with my Seraphim that you need to have your bargain skill two times your level for it to really work. Otherwise you don't get many plus all skill rings and amulets. So before I create a real dryad I am going to make a shopper. I have my Seraphim to provide her with the gear she needs keep up a steady flow of gold. My dryad shopper is level 6 right now. I will be using bows eventually because I have always wanted a bow character. I want a backup blowgun though too which is the main reason I am making a shopper first.

 

 

What level should I take the Bargain skill. I want it to be soon so I can get on to the real character and so I can have it at least more then double her level. But if I take it as my 4 skill will I only be able to shop for low level gear that will be useless by level 40? I figure eventually I will take Ep with my "real" dryad but not for a long time. So, I want to make a real quick drayd shopper to get her started, money should not be a problem with my seraphim shopper. How do people usually do this? What level should I take Bargain? After that I will probably only put points into that skill and maybe EP. She will try and use VD to get as many levels as she needs but like I said I have to have bargain double her level.

 

 

Whats the most efficient way to accomplish this?

[Zaraki 0]

Yea, I am also wondering about this. When I try to buy items with my current character (which will not be my main one), the item levels are right around my level. So I'm thinking I will have to level my shopper along with my main character to keep up in items levels and such. However, I don't have the bargaining skill yet, so maybe once I have it it will affect available item levels as well? Any help on this whole shopper thing would be greatly appreciated.

[essjayehm 58]

What level should I take the Bargain skill. I want it to be soon so I can get on to the real character and so I can have it at least more then double her level. But if I take it as my 4 skill will I only be able to shop for low level gear that will be useless by level 40? I figure eventually I will take Ep with my "real" dryad but not for a long time. So, I want to make a real quick drayd shopper to get her started, money should not be a problem with my seraphim shopper. How do people usually do this? What level should I take Bargain? After that I will probably only put points into that skill and maybe EP. She will try and use VD to get as many levels as she needs but like I said I have to have bargain double her level.

 

 

Whats the most efficient way to accomplish this?

For VD-shopper, then you can take bargaining at any time, but you need 5 points in EP or Alchemy to unlock it. So the earliest you can have is level 5... but the best plan is to get VD up and going first, then worry about getting Barg. DON'T ignore defense... you will need it as sometimes getting VD going you will take some hits. This is the ideal setup for a "support"-type shopper because not a lot of real-life time investment is needed to get your shopper levelled along with your main toon.

 

 

Yea, I am also wondering about this. When I try to buy items with my current character (which will not be my main one), the item levels are right around my level. So I'm thinking I will have to level my shopper along with my main character to keep up in items levels and such. However, I don't have the bargaining skill yet, so maybe once I have it it will affect available item levels as well? Any help on this whole shopper thing would be greatly appreciated.

Yes, shops always offer items at or around your char. level (regardless of barg. level). So a shopper can only provide items to another toon near the same level, and must be levelled along with your main toon if you want said shopper to provide weapons or armour to main toon.

 

But, on consoles, we have the oversocketing feature where high-level jewellery can be forged into low-level armour without negative effects. So it is OK to level your shopper to 200 and buy rings and amulets, and then forge into your main-toon's equipment, as long as you have sockets to forge into

Edited November 4, 2010 by essjayehm

[wolfie2kX 528]

The dryad is the "coolest" character isn't she? I have realized with my Seraphim that you need to have your bargain skill two times your level for it to really work. Otherwise you don't get many plus all skill rings and amulets. So before I create a real dryad I am going to make a shopper. I have my Seraphim to provide her with the gear she needs keep up a steady flow of gold. My dryad shopper is level 6 right now. I will be using bows eventually because I have always wanted a bow character. I want a backup blowgun though too which is the main reason I am making a shopper first.

 

 

What level should I take the Bargain skill. I want it to be soon so I can get on to the real character and so I can have it at least more then double her level. But if I take it as my 4 skill will I only be able to shop for low level gear that will be useless by level 40? I figure eventually I will take Ep with my "real" dryad but not for a long time. So, I want to make a real quick drayd shopper to get her started, money should not be a problem with my seraphim shopper. How do people usually do this? What level should I take Bargain? After that I will probably only put points into that skill and maybe EP. She will try and use VD to get as many levels as she needs but like I said I have to have bargain double her level.

 

 

Whats the most efficient way to accomplish this?

 

Welp... My 2 cents worth - if you''re going to go all out on shopper, your best bet would be to get bargaining as your FIRST skill. OK.. Sounds a bit counterintuitve, but if you think about it, that IS the primary purpose for that character. The simple fact is, putting skill points into anything and hoping to keep up with your level is easiest when you get that skill early on in the game. The longer you wait, the bigger the gap between levels and after level 50, you're only going to ever get a maximum of 5 skill points per level.

 

But... There's a snag. The Bargaining skill is not a primary skill for the Dryad. Nor for the Seraphim. It's only a primary skill for the High Elf, the Inquisitor and if you've got Ice and Blood, the Dragon Mage. So... You'll have to make it a 2nd or 3rd skill as you have to invest a minimum of 5 skill points into whatever you pick as your primary General (green) skill. Your choices for your primary General skill are:

 

Alchemy - Not exactly the most useful skill at the moment, so pass on this one.

 

Divine Devotion - likewise, not very useful at the moment.

 

Enhanced Perception - Now we're cooking with gas..! EP will also increase the odds of better drops. I'd put the requisite 5 points into this skill in the first few levels and then get Bargaining as soon as you can. These two skills work hand in hand with each other.

 

The sooner you invest points, the sooner you see the benefits as well. You want to be able to pop in on a merchant and find +All Skill items. The reason you want those + All Skills items is simple: You can only invest as many points into a skill as your current level. That is, if your character is level 10, the most skill points you can invest in Bargaining or any other skill is 10 points.

 

You're also going to want to be on the lookout for relics that have + Bargaining values for the same reason. All of these bonus points will stack on top of your base Bargaining value and will improve goodies. My Inquistor shopper got lucky and scored a sword with +7 All Skills, and while I don't use that weapon in combat very often, I click on it and my relic set that yields the highest + Bargaining bonus - before I visit a mechant, runemaster or smith. Don't forget - the runemasters and smiths also sell jewelry and armor - and they're also subject to the game's rules on bargaining. By just swapping weapons and relics, I get a +27 bonus to bargaining.

 

Another way you can help yourself while shopping - you can make a bargaining suit... Find armor that has lots of slots - it doesn't matter if it has any other bonuses - you want to get ahold of + All Skills amulets and forge them into the suit. Stop by your chest on the way to the merchant/runemaster/smith and swap armor before you get there and you're likely to find better goodies along the way...

 

And finally... There's something to say about servers... It doesn't matter if you're playing single player, multiplayer LAN or on the 'Net, but there are times when the servers will be kind to you and there are times when the server will be a harsh mistress and give you lots of stuff you don't need nor want. The trick, at that point, is to log off and log into a different server or simply save the game and restart it. You might find better stuff being sold and dropped overall - or not. You may need to do this a few times until you find a lucky server... It's like playing slots in Vegas. Some machines will be ready to drop a jackpot while others will just suck your wallet dry.

 

 

 

But, on consoles, we have the oversocketing feature where high-level jewellery can be forged into low-level armour without negative effects. So it is OK to level your shopper to 200 and buy rings and amulets, and then forge into your main-toon's equipment, as long as you have sockets to forge into

 

FYI, you can do the same sort of thing on the PC version as well. The trick is finding the right armor and enough +All Skills jewelry to forge into a bargaining suit...

[Rasputin17 0]

The dryad is the "coolest" character isn't she? I have realized with my Seraphim that you need to have your bargain skill two times your level for it to really work. Otherwise you don't get many plus all skill rings and amulets. So before I create a real dryad I am going to make a shopper. I have my Seraphim to provide her with the gear she needs keep up a steady flow of gold. My dryad shopper is level 6 right now. I will be using bows eventually because I have always wanted a bow character. I want a backup blowgun though too which is the main reason I am making a shopper first.

 

 

What level should I take the Bargain skill. I want it to be soon so I can get on to the real character and so I can have it at least more then double her level. But if I take it as my 4 skill will I only be able to shop for low level gear that will be useless by level 40? I figure eventually I will take Ep with my "real" dryad but not for a long time. So, I want to make a real quick drayd shopper to get her started, money should not be a problem with my seraphim shopper. How do people usually do this? What level should I take Bargain? After that I will probably only put points into that skill and maybe EP. She will try and use VD to get as many levels as she needs but like I said I have to have bargain double her level.

 

 

Whats the most efficient way to accomplish this?

 

Welp... My 2 cents worth - if you''re going to go all out on shopper, your best bet would be to get bargaining as your FIRST skill. OK.. Sounds a bit counterintuitve, but if you think about it, that IS the primary purpose for that character. The simple fact is, putting skill points into anything and hoping to keep up with your level is easiest when you get that skill early on in the game. The longer you wait, the bigger the gap between levels and after level 50, you're only going to ever get a maximum of 5 skill points per level.

 

But... There's a snag. The Bargaining skill is not a primary skill for the Dryad. Nor for the Seraphim. It's only a primary skill for the High Elf, the Inquisitor and if you've got Ice and Blood, the Dragon Mage. So... You'll have to make it a 2nd or 3rd skill as you have to invest a minimum of 5 skill points into whatever you pick as your primary General (green) skill. Your choices for your primary General skill are:

 

Alchemy - Not exactly the most useful skill at the moment, so pass on this one.

 

Divine Devotion - likewise, not very useful at the moment.

 

Enhanced Perception - Now we're cooking with gas..! EP will also increase the odds of better drops. I'd put the requisite 5 points into this skill in the first few levels and then get Bargaining as soon as you can. These two skills work hand in hand with each other.

 

The sooner you invest points, the sooner you see the benefits as well. You want to be able to pop in on a merchant and find +All Skill items. The reason you want those + All Skills items is simple: You can only invest as many points into a skill as your current level. That is, if your character is level 10, the most skill points you can invest in Bargaining or any other skill is 10 points.

 

You're also going to want to be on the lookout for relics that have + Bargaining values for the same reason. All of these bonus points will stack on top of your base Bargaining value and will improve goodies. My Inquistor shopper got lucky and scored a sword with +7 All Skills, and while I don't use that weapon in combat very often, I click on it and my relic set that yields the highest + Bargaining bonus - before I visit a mechant, runemaster or smith. Don't forget - the runemasters and smiths also sell jewelry and armor - and they're also subject to the game's rules on bargaining. By just swapping weapons and relics, I get a +27 bonus to bargaining.

 

Another way you can help yourself while shopping - you can make a bargaining suit... Find armor that has lots of slots - it doesn't matter if it has any other bonuses - you want to get ahold of + All Skills amulets and forge them into the suit. Stop by your chest on the way to the merchant/runemaster/smith and swap armor before you get there and you're likely to find better goodies along the way...

 

And finally... There's something to say about servers... It doesn't matter if you're playing single player, multiplayer LAN or on the 'Net, but there are times when the servers will be kind to you and there are times when the server will be a harsh mistress and give you lots of stuff you don't need nor want. The trick, at that point, is to log off and log into a different server or simply save the game and restart it. You might find better stuff being sold and dropped overall - or not. You may need to do this a few times until you find a lucky server... It's like playing slots in Vegas. Some machines will be ready to drop a jackpot while others will just suck your wallet dry.

 

 

 

But, on consoles, we have the oversocketing feature where high-level jewellery can be forged into low-level armour without negative effects. So it is OK to level your shopper to 200 and buy rings and amulets, and then forge into your main-toon's equipment, as long as you have sockets to forge into

 

FYI, you can do the same sort of thing on the PC version as well. The trick is finding the right armor and enough +All Skills jewelry to forge into a bargaining suit...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the great information everyone. I really enjoy bow combat, it just feels nice. I have already taken EP and now Voodoo so once VD is up and running I will take Bargain and then work from there. Putting almost all my points into it. I will try and make a suit but my Seraphim has most of the useful equipment for that. I am wondering for my real Dryad how this build looks. Do you think I am taking Tactics way to late? I have put the level I will get the skill next to it. This game is crazy how you have to make like 8 different builds until you get to your "real build" At least I will have two shoppers now.

 

 

Here she is:

 

2) C.H Focus

 

3) Vodoo Focus: so I can mod VD quickly.

 

5) Ranged Weapons

 

8) N.W Focus: so I can mod up gold touch heal spell quickly.

 

12) Spell Resistance: so I can get to armor lore, this is where it gets tricky.

 

18) Armor Lore: I wish this was a main skill, so I could take combat discipline.

 

25) Concentration: so I can use ancient bark along with sinister predator.

 

35) Tactics Lore: at last! I can take this important skill.

 

50) Enhanced Perception: my shopper dryad and seraphim should provide gear up till this point, I love looting.

 

65) N.W Lore: last but not least this seems like the most bang for my last buck, mods, cast speed, extra damage for the vines and most importantly it will greatly help my ancient bark buff and the goldegan touch heal spell.

 

 

 

If you think this is horrible, no problem I would love to know. Two more things,

 

 

1. Sinister Predator, most seem to agree Marked Shot is the best first mod. I will be using bows for the most part so does that make Rapid Shot more important for me? I am guessing that because Marked Shot also effects melee and attack speed can be more slotted into gear I should stick with Marked?

 

 

2. I want to use the Vodoo aspect lizard. Since the Dryad already looks so cool I want to go all out. Will this put a serious damper on my build? I might do it anyway hah but I would like to have an idea on how bad it could be. I will be trying to make use of most C.A's including V.D

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the already muy useful information.

[wolfie2kX 528]

If you think this is horrible, no problem I would love to know. Two more things,

 

 

1. Sinister Predator, most seem to agree Marked Shot is the best first mod. I will be using bows for the most part so does that make Rapid Shot more important for me? I am guessing that because Marked Shot also effects melee and attack speed can be more slotted into gear I should stick with Marked?

 

 

2. I want to use the Vodoo aspect lizard. Since the Dryad already looks so cool I want to go all out. Will this put a serious damper on my build? I might do it anyway hah but I would like to have an idea on how bad it could be. I will be trying to make use of most C.A's including V.D

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the already muy useful information.

 

I wouldn't say horrible at all. Looks reasonably well thought out.

 

1.) Sinister Predator - according to the wiki, Marked Shot is a silver mod, not a bronze one. Rapid Shot, however, is a bronze level mod along with Eagle Eye. In which case, you'd need to either pick one of those first before you get to Marked Shot. Given how fast a blowgun works, you might consider getting Eagle Eye instead. If you click on the icon to the left, you'll see it gives you a bonus toward increasing your chance of making a critical hit. And that's regardless of what sort of weapon you're using - ranged or melee.

 

2.) Since you're going for focus before lore, you should see your regen times kept in check. As long as you keep putting points into it, it should be ok regardless of which lizard you go for. All of them will nerf your regen times a bit - and if you're planning on using the voodoo aspect more than any other, then that's the lizard that makes the most sense.