Putting on the Big Boots: Weapons – Deadly Art

 

"Got it memorized?" (Kingdom Hearts - Axel) [7]

I’m hoping everyone memorized last week’s article as we are going to continue to build on this foundation with each new entry. The last words mentioned in the previous article were related to weaponsmithing and jewelrycrafting. Two of the supposedly more complicated crafting trade skills. What makes the two a bit more complicated than stonecutting is that the other two are actual end of the road crafts because they result in an end-product. Stonecutting is a refining trade skill and is used to make additional materials for such crafts. For example, weaponsmithing requires logging, woodworking, mining, smelting, harvesting, weaving, tracking, and skinning. The latter two are grouped into the same category, but ultimately, there are well over seven involved trade skills to make weapons.

Giles Corey from Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" [1]

We can cover the weaponsmithing first as it really is just a way for players to off load all the stone blocks considering that you may have around 400 sitting in storage taking up space. For crafters, storage capacity is life and with more available space comes more materials. Back on topic, the Honing Stones cannot be created without having at least level 20 in weaponsmithing. This can be achieved rather easily and should only require a bunch of iron, a handful of leather, and a pinch of wood. Realistically, you could buy all the materials required at an auction house, the heart of all New World commerce and economy.

You are going to feel like this guy... (Drill Man) [2]

The main focus for this first endeavor will be mining iron as trees and animals used for leather can be found along the way. The goal for reaching level 20 in weaponsmithing is crafting a total of 15 Iron Great Axes which will give a little over 3,000 experience in the craft. The amount of iron needed is a little over 700 ore. Taking the count of average number of iron ore received players will need to mine a total of 28 iron ore veins. The nice thing about starting this process now is that previously reaching over level 25 in mining gives players the ability to see an icon on their directional compass dictating a direction to find iron ore faster. Talk about convenience!

Worse yet... you may look like this guy. (Lumber Jack) [3]

Once you have gathered 700 plus iron, wood and animal skins will be required. The wood needed is called Green Wood and can be collected by chopping trees down labeled as Young Tree. These can be found just about anywhere in multiple forms from mangrove-looking trees in marshlands or either birch and pine in the mountains. The game does not discriminate as it simply calls all trees that yield Green Wood as Young Trees. The amount of Green Wood required will be just under 200. Felling of a total of 14 trees will provide the materials needed. This can be completed while walking in search of iron ore to make the process more streamlined.

The burnout is real! (Low Battery) [4]

Sadly, weight and carry capacity will still be an issue so two or three trips may be required to complete the process. Lastly, an item obtained from skin-able creatures called Rawhide will need to be collected to complete the crafting. Only 120 Rawhide will need processed, but the exact number of creatures will vary since the amount of rawhide is rather random. Large predators will yield more materials than the harmless rabbits that inhabit the starting areas. After the last of the Rawhide is collected, you can head back to any town or settlement that is closest to your immediate location to begin refining and crafting the spoils.

As Will Smith said, "That's hot!" (Axe Crafting) [5]

The first process of refining may be smelting all the iron ore as it is the heaviest material in comparison to wood and leather. Smelting the iron should yield almost 200 iron ingots and about 30 levels into the smelting trade skill. This will help later when smelting precious metals for jewelry crafting. Again, a topic for a future article for sure. Next comes processing the wood collected into timber and then the Rawhide into coarse leather. Once all the materials have been refined, players can begin the process of weapon smithing at the forge. Creating a total of 15 Iron Great Axes will hit the 20-level mark in weaponsmithing and nearly bringing this article to a close.

...But what about the blocks?

Now we have all the materials essential for throwing out the stone blocks… or do we? Unfortunately, Weak Honing Stones will require the elemental motes mentioned in the previous article. These magical symbols can be collected from various stones and plants that dot the landscape of New World. At the very least, a player will need a harvesting skill of about 30 to collect motes and all Honing Stone items require one grade of death mote and one grade of fire mote to create. Luckily, all the axes crafted can be salvaged for far less the sum of their parts. This means that space should be freed up again in storage to begin collecting new resources.

On that note, we can end here as to break up each section as the processes will become more and more complicated as the articles approach the end goal of self-sufficiency in making currency in New World. A few notes to mention are that by collecting and refining the materials from this exercise, players will notice that they now also have increased other skills passively. Mining should now be in the early stages of level 40, allowing for the ability to track silver veins on their compass. This is an essential material required for early jewelry crafting. Other less impressively developed skills will be Logging and Woodworking as they will only be about level 10. Lastly, Skinning and Tracking will be only level 5 unless players went “Elmer-Fudd” crazy and exterminated the rabbit population… no judging here.

"...with my spear and magic helmet..." (Elmer Fudd) [6]

In the upcoming article, we will finally be covering these magical objects called motes as well as the mysteries behind the Arcana trade skill as we dabble in brewing potions and the occult. What does this have to do with jewelrycrafting? Stop by next week and find out!