How to be a crafter

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How to be a crafter

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by Pablem, May 25, 2014.


This primer is based on my experience and not everyone will agree. But it is meant to go beyond the basics and explain how to avoid the common pitfalls.

Is crafting a suitable career choice?

Coops has said that "crafting isn't meant to be a career in Core Exiles." I take that to mean it's only designed to be a hobby or an "end-game" type diversion. Now my CAMP standing is higher than any other major faction's by a large amount and I am no where near end-game level. So I've managed to turn it into a career....BUT I LOVE CRAFTING. If you don't than keep it as a hobby.

Why shouldn't I make crafting a career?

A. It's expensive. Schematics are expensive, keeping raw materials on hand is expensive. You do not get your investment back in one or two sales for most items, you need to be able to sell the same thing many times over to do that. And the competition can kill you if you pick the wrong area to compete.
B. It requires managing your own spreadsheets to track your schematics, resources on hand, cost of getting resources, just so you can decide what price you should be selling any particular gizmo.
C. You need to keep a constant eye on your competition on the Galactic Emporium to ensure you can sell AND make a profit.
D. Two more skills to spend ip on that aren't needed beyond rather basic levels for any other purpose.
E. Review A. It's really expensive.
F. And somewhere along the line you will need to get an advertising license from the CE Store. Your decision on when that is, but you really need it in order to start selling your crafting goods in any sort of quantity. Otherwise you need to really push your stuff on the different forums which you will hate. Crafters aren't marketers and marketers aren't crafters. Our brains are wired differently.

Ok, so you think you're a wizard with a spreadsheet, and want to try this. How do I start you ask?
Slowly! I'm serious. You will stunt your growth if you go to fast. (not joking) I know more than one person that had to use an ip reset because they spent too much in crafting too early in their career.

Levels 1-24
EBKs and personal extractors are safe, level 1 implants and maybe Hermes drones at level 15. As for other stuff, if you are going to buy an equivalent item from a store, then consider getting the schematic and build it for yourself. A good example would be the Passenger ECO – Module EM1. Is it cheaper than buying from the store? Probably not, but you're hoping to sell some to others and the underlying modules will be used in other places.

Check out Rene Serrano's mission chain. If you don't know how to find him yet, then you aren't ready to be a crafter. Don't raise your production and manufacturing skills over 45, you need that ip elsewhere. Use the GBM to get the resources your other activities aren't pulling in.

You need credits, so pick other activities now, mining, hauling, passengers, combat to get those credits. Your goal is a new ship around by 35. You will need the extra income boost that gets you.
Are you making your own personal extractors? You better have said yes... Now review this wiki page http://docs.core-exiles.co.uk/index.php ... rvey_skill your first sweet spot is 60 with the dyzalithiaum fuel. People GBM that constantly and it sells at 90-100 cpu. Want to go higher with your survey? Steel and anvil valacyte at 70 are also reliable on the GBM and sell for 90-110 most of the time.

When you see millions of credits coming in each week don't feel rich. Just remember the cost of that next ship you've picked out. Oh, and pick up the schematics for hera drones and commercial extractors but don't build them until you are level 24, they need skills of prod 80/manu 120. Oh and decide which level 2 implants you want and make those.

Level 25
Quick change into your level 2 implants. That means pulling your extractors, drones and stripping your ship. Deploy commercial extractors and hera drones. You just increased extractor revenue by 50%. Feeling self-sufficient? I don't blame you, and such a good feeling.
Now slow down again. Keep your crafting skills at 80/120 and spend your IP elsewhere. There are great equipment upgrades out there and you can make them all now. Storm reactors, Quantum Evo expanders, and Passenger expander upgrades are all usable and can be made by you!

Level 25-35
Remember you're still in slow mode, not as tortoise slow as before, but take your time. Make what you already have, but keep getting out there and raising credits and gathering resources with your other activities. You can now make shield matrices and level 3 implants, so start doing that. This is hobby level. Many people find it a comfortable place to be.

You should be starting Angelina Vega and Scott Killane now, and Felise Dunar even if she isn't CAMP. Here's another hint. Crafting in Verec-per gets you that hard-to-get Verecian standing. Habitat-31 is the San Gallen of VP. Some player settlements also qualify with both a GBM and manufacturing center. It's a good time to relocate your main crafting site before your Commercial Store gets too large.

Level 35
Industrial extractors become usable, guess what a real crafter would be doing? I'll let you discover the good news about them.

How close are you to the new ship? By now you know the drill. Keep an eye on upcoming equipment upgrades and make them. Keep your schematics and resources organized, only make the items you can make some credits on or need anyway. Tesla 1s vs Storm 4s are a coin-flip in my opinion, it's your call.

Level 45
Reduction Matrix 4. Reduction Matrix 4. Reduction Matrix 4. Reduction Matrix 4. Why didn't I mention the earlier ones? Well the suckers are expensive and you were saving credits for a ship. The amount of crafting I was suggesting wasn't enough to make it worthwhile until now.

Now you are ready to get serious. Go crazy I won't hold you back anymore. By now you're a grown up captain and can survive your mistakes.

Where to from here? That depends on where Core Exiles drags you. Could be settlements or out to the expanse. Is your other career mining? Then the advanced mining and refining things might be your goal. Lots of great opportunities in specials.

Final notes.

Getting your oily hands on crafting resources.
There will be times when you can't get enough water, or bio-gen trees, or data cubes through the normal methods. There are more places to get things than just extractors and the GBM. You have factories, harvesters (survey 350-500), NPC stores like Jackson's, Sven's, and the Terran Crew Store. Be familiar with what each one offers you. Did I mention my spreadsheet has 7 tabs helping me track everything I need?

The CEDR catalogs schematics and modules on separate tabs. Some builds use modules from more than one store, so be ready to check the CEDR when the store you are in suddenly doesn't have the next module in the build you are buying.

Jovaak Wrote
Yes you are correct. I disagree with some of your points. I do Crafting as a career.
A. Expensive ? Depends. Expenses are worth the cost. For most crafted items by Crafting one (1) for personal use usually allows me to break even on the cost of the schematics needed. By crafting one (1) more item and selling it I have already made a profit. Any items that I craft and sell after that is pure icing on the cake PROFIT.
B. For managing spreadsheets and necessary resources I rely on http://www.shields-down.co.uk/crafters/index.php
It has most of the most common schematics used in the game. It has not been updated to contain All of the new schematics that have been released recently but there is all of the original items listed along with resources needed and their quantities. It also gives a listing of Joe's prices and an estimate for selling price.
C. I watch prices on the Player Market Only. I don't have the time to waste checking the items and prices of every shop that people have.So until the Player Market is eliminated I will continue to use it.
D. IP usage. Manufacturing 371/ Production 372. Along with Man. & Prod, IPs are used for anything that advances my mining and extracting capabilities. Mining and Extracting are part of the Crafting Career.
E. Review A. Expenses are worth the cost
F. Not needed Until the Player Market is Eliminated.
As far as sales competition is concerned most of the Main Crafters have a tendency to fix their prices to Match their Competitors. Kind of a Non-discussed Price Fixing. Also by learning your competitions abilities and collection of schematics you can sell your products accordingly. For instance. If competition Floods the market with Commercial Extractors and Mining Drones then I sell Reactors and Cargo Expanders. Whatever is Not Listed on the market is what I will place on the market.

Also a good investment for any Career Crafter is to get your hands on a Subatomic Moleculiser and a Recycling Processing Unit.
By peoples useless items that they sell for way below market value and break them down to their resource components. You get needed resources and points that will get you to the next level. Very simple. Click mouse, craft item, make points and repeat. I figure that I must be doing something right as currently i am ranked 54 on the Richest Player List and 39 on the Top Player Market Sales list.

The down side to Crafting as a Career is that when you are in crafting quantity mode it can be very boring with the click, click, click and never go anywhere. Definitely not the adrenalin rush of combat or attacking a Raid but it is a way to get points towards your next level up Without using any fuel. Crafting is not for everyone but it can be very rewarding. Like my Mammy and Pappy told me." To Each His Own". What I say is "The Less Career Crafters there are the Better it is for Me". But Think about it. What would Core-Exiles be like if there were No Crafters ??

Thank You for your time.
Dana Dawson
Data Recovery Tech
Historical Archives Division
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