As a way point on the path to 2 star goodness, I decided the best thing I could do for my crafting characters is acquire Byregot’s Blessing. This is a level 50 Carpenter skill, with the following properties. It gives 100% quality increases, plus 20% for each additional Inner Quiet stack. It has a 90% success rate. It will eat your Inner Quiet stack in the process, so it’s a one time only use, and you’ll need enough CP after it is all over to complete the progress phase of the crafted item. Almost all the links mentioned in my previous two articles that pertain to 1 and 2 star crafts have an end using Byregot’s Blessing. Outside of the crafts you like, this one skill is perhaps the most important, perhaps even more so than Steady Hands II.
The 13% Rule
This is a rule of thumb that works. Get progress to 13% ( 8 Inner quiet stacks on a all NQ hippogriff leather synthesis) and then fire off this sequence of steps.
Great Strides -> Ingenuity -> Byregot’s Blessing
Yes, you’ll be at 100%. Those three steps cost 80 points. It’s best to make sure you have 4 Steady Hands (II) turns before this run, as then you’re guaranteed to 100% Byregots and then 100% the following Standard Synthesis. At 347 Craftsmanship, the progress phase will go in one step.
80+22(25)+15 = 118(120).
That’s how much you need to end. In my practice, with hippogriff leather, it works much better with +CP food.
I did some testing, both with stacks of different size, and for a stack of 6, I replaced Ingenuity with Innovation. I had heard that you could HQ with GS -> Inno -> BB and go from 15% to 100%. That description didn’t make much sense to me, so I tested the efficacy of Innovation. I really wasn’t impressed.
| IQ stacks and BB | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IQ stacks | Quality Pct | Quality | After, using Ingenuity | After, using Innovation | ||
| 5 | 6 % | 570 | — | — | ||
| 6 | 7 % | 760 | 24 % | 23 % | ||
| 7 | 10 % | 970 | 83 % | — | ||
| 8 | 13 % | 1200 (est) | 100 % | — | ||
On a stack of 6, Innovation gave me about the same quality results as Ingenuity, but Ingenuity has a powerful effect on progress. With Ingenuity in place, I can finish with Standard Synthesis in 10 durability. Any end move with Innovation instead will cost 20 durability. Ingenuity is just more efficient at this point.
Ingenuity 1 versus Ingenuity 2.
Taken from the thread linked below, this quote by XLauncher is worth quoting:
For raising quality, Ingenuity I and II are identical. For raising progress, Ingenuity II is better than Ingenuity I, but you can raise your base craftsmanship to the point where Ingenuity I will allow you to fill progress 100% in two Standard Syntheses, same as Ingenuity II.
My char’s current stats.
Craftsmanship 347, Control 337, CP 337. With NQ Stone Soup I have about 351 354 CP to play with.
Useful Links.
This one describes a 100% HQ 2 star pathway in detail, and because it isn’t an online argument but an explanation, might be one of the best to begin with.
Another detailed HQing guide.
Good intro to Byregot’s Blessing, giving a variety of techniques. Watch out for folks that don’t understand Ingenuity.
Another thread discussing the merits of Byregot’s Blessing .
What’s the difference between Ingenuity 1 and Ingenuity 2? Saw it first here.
What is better, +Control or +CP foods? A discussion is here. This article is also the source of the 13% rule of thumb.
Northeast Atlanta Gaming 