Okay so I've recently gotten into desynthing items for money, and it's got a lot of potential but I'm running into some problems.


Where are the best ares to hunt the following?

- Gigas Socks, Goblin Helm & Goblin Mail



And the wiki entry mentions having skill under the cap greatly increases chances of HQ... so, if I'm over the cap, does it hurt me? I can't get Darksteel out of Backplates to save my life (I'm managing steel from goblin helms almost every time though, and gigas socks are still failing me a lot more than I care for)

My craft skills are as follows;


Alchemy: 69, Bonecraft: 7, Clothcraft: 53, Cooking: 29. Goldsmithing: 46, Leathercraft: 35, Smithing: 53, Woodworking: 68



Also, any tips on rescuing prisoners from Halvuung? The ONLY npc still missing from Al Zhabi is that god damned Allard, which is preventing me from skilling up my clothcraft profitably to 60

For the gobbie stuff, anywhere that there are goblins that drop 'em. If I remember rightly, I think the ones in the jungles/deserts have some nice alternative drops as well.

Gigas socks, and other gigas items, are harder. I know they have a decent drop rate up in the top of the tower, or at least seemed to have a decent drop rate. I'd probably go to one of the mid levels there or else hit the CoP areas for 'em.

And as far as I know, the skill over cap doesn't hurt your chances, and I'd almost go so far as to call BS on this. I used to do alot of desynthing for items, and I knew a ton of other crafters who did this as well. As far as I could ever tell, the higher your skill over the cap, the more likely the higher HQs.

I suppose it could depend on crystal. Lightning crystal desynths were more tempermental and liable to break than wind crystal desynths. I kinda doubt it though.

Then of course the day/weather plays a part in it as well, but I never wrote down what I thought about that and it's been too long since I last crafted seriously so I don't remember too well. I don't remember the details, but for fire crystal synths on watersday with water weather, one would seem to effect the frequency of HQs while the other seemed to effect the quality of the HQs. The particular synth I played with was making beeswax in Passhow Marshlands since it frequently was raining there. I always wanted to try synthing in the areas housing the avatar crystals to try the double weather effects, but I'm lazy and never got around to it.

I'm kinda planning on taking up crafting again once I'm done with the CoP gilsink, and I can continue the testing then.

I've rescued Allard twice and both times he was at E-7 on the first map on the wiki. You have to take the far entrance to halvung, past navukgo execution chamber, to get there and there's a VT true sight paladin in the room. Nearly died from the bastard resisting my first two sleeps. x_x

Gold Orcmasks.

and that HQ rate thing is bunk. HQ rate on desynthesis is incredibly random--I doubt anyone has any good data on the phenomenon you're describing, but if you find some let me know. A lot of farm/crafting strategies involve desynthesis. One thing I do notice about desynthesis is that the break rate is higher when you're below the cap (just like regular synthesis).

I've been farming for socks in Miseraux Coast lately, since they drop fairly well and the gigantobugard drops are nice. The problem is lately there are a lot more people showing up and it's pissing me off.

Last night there were over 20 people in the zone when there used to be 2. WTF is that!?


Also, I tried hunting tinkerer's and butchers in the dunes on my 65 THF, not one damned Helm or Mail in 20 kills. That's some serious BS right there, which is why I asked about the drop rates.

From my personal experience farming the helms and mails, everywhere I tried the drop rates were terrible. I found it's actually more worthwhile to spend time farming for gil in place of the goblin drops, and then using the money to just buy them off auction. On my server, helms are usually 500g in Bastok, mails are roughly 1k everywhere.

I was using the desynth idea to pull steel out of the goblin drops. However, the approach I just mentioned is almost self defeating if you're only intention is to profit. If you're in dire need of skill ups, desynthing like is can work very well.

I used to farm the giants, pots and elementals up in that tower in Qufim...Delkfut or something was it? (It's been 4 years ) on my 69RDM/THF. I'd get a chest key drop every hour, giant sock drops, crystals and just plain gil drops too. I remember making a killing desynthing those giant socks.

IIRC, rumor is a higher HQ rate below cap, but a better chance to HQ2/3 over cap. I have never seen proof but that is the general belief that I am familiar with.

If you want lots of goblin/moblin armors just mine them from Oldton Movalpolos or Mount Zhayolm instead.

I have to echo what Ameroth said. Drop rates suck, some stuff just sucks like that. For instance, Giant Stingers on Rolanberry Field Death Wasps is a 1-2% drop rate. Just farm gil and buy it or mine for them like Sabaron said (don't know how efficient that is, never tried.)