Lock Mastery and guild vouchers

[Larch]

So I've got 200 guild vouchers and I'm wondering how best to use them to speed up Lock Mastery. I'm at level 70 with 7 ranks in LM. I don't know how/what to hunt at that level so I'm feeding boxes from a slew of <level 40 characters (btw, 50 lockpick ranks plus lore opens 100% of boxes 40 and below. I thought that was weird). Reps come slowly (maybe 1 or 2 from 10 boxes?). I guess learning how to hunt with the bastard would be the best way to get LM moving, but if not? Do I blow the vouchers on getting Master Reps so I don't need boxes? Should I save them to skip something horrible down the line like wedging or trap extraction? Halp.

[Orthin]

Well part of your problem may be using lore. For the difficult locks the lore will offset the difficulty. What lockpicks are yo using as well? Scaling down lockpicks could help get reps where say using a vaalin lockpick wouldn't give you a rep.

Once you find that middle ground for your ranks I think you will be fine but the key will be to stop using lore. This will probably mean those level 40 boxes may be too tough to pick and you'll have to augment with lower level boxes.

[Taernath]

Yeah you gotta throttle yourself and purposefully make it harder so you're only barely able to pick something. No lores, cheap lockpicks.

Lmastery singlehandedly keeps Edwina in business.

[Larch]

I just mentioned the lore as an aside I found interesting, I only use it on the very rare occasions that a -450 or tougher box shows up. At 50 ranks of picking locks, I've needed around a -220 lock with a glaes pick and no lore to get a rep and 80-90% of those sub-40 boxes fall below that. I tried dropping down to like 20 ranks of lockpicking and found that the range to get a rep tightened up way too much.

[Velfi]

I just mentioned the lore as an aside I found interesting, I only use it on the very rare occasions that a -450 or tougher box shows up. At 50 ranks of picking locks, I've needed around a -220 lock with a glaes pick and no lore to get a rep and 80-90% of those sub-40 boxes fall below that. I tried dropping down to like 20 ranks of lockpicking and found that the range to get a rep tightened up way too much.

Tsoran's LM Guide (http://gemstone.tusatusa.com/app.php/page/tsorans-lock-mastery-guide) is a huge help when you're training. Try to use the lowest lockpick listed on there for your boxes (if possible, natch) and as said previously, don't use lore if you can help it. Throw away/stop using your pick after ~2 repairs from broken when you're trying to get reps.

As far as vouchers, in your case I'd probably save them for component trap reps but you're only rank 7, and those start at 41 so it's still a good bit ahead of you. In the meantime, probably just box reps or whatever you find most difficult. Personally, I used vouchers on partner tasks in the other guild skills rather than LM.

You can likely get reps from lvl 55-60ish boxes, something like stone trolls/giants if you're around WL, if I had to guess. I'd also recommend just working the tower (again, if WL) if you're not that keen on hunting, though it can be slow there these days if you're not advertising a bunch.

edit: What's your lockpicking at, 2x? If you're below that, you will likely find LM reps much more difficult, particularly as you mentioned dropping down to 20 ranks or whatever. 2x+ is recommended.

[Neovik1]

Also keep in mind there are some traps you can just pick through and save for later. I forget which ones were like that... think it was poison needles and can't remember if jaws were ok to pick through. hmm... maybe not jaws. Whatever ones you can pick through you can always ask the person you are picking for to hand that box back to you when they cleared it out.

There is probably a guide out there some where about that. I remember just experimenting with it initially but that was a couple of years ago.

[kutter]

Stash trapped boxes and try hunting undead as their boxes tend to be harder and have more traps, you will need both. I suspect if you went to Marsh Harbor and hunt the Citadel all your issues would go away and you would get good reps from the boxes there. For some reason the boxes from there seem to be far more difficult relative to like level critters from other places.

Oh and be patient, LM is a HUGE time sink. Walk away when it gets to be too much of a chore and come back later.

[Velfi]

Also keep in mind there are some traps you can just pick through and save for later. I forget which ones were like that... think it was poison needles and can't remember if jaws were ok to pick through. hmm... maybe not jaws. Whatever ones you can pick through you can always ask the person you are picking for to hand that box back to you when they cleared it out.

There is probably a guide out there some where about that. I remember just experimenting with it initially but that was a couple of years ago.

Perhaps there is (http://gemstone.tusatusa.com/app.php/page/tsorans-lock-mastery-guide).


Needle, jaws, dark crystal, cloud vial and (sometimes) fire goo vial traps can be picked through without setting them off. Pick the lock, empty the box, and save the box for component reps later. Then they take up only 1 spot in your locker, instead of 2 to 4 spots.
Note: Fire goo traps will sometimes go off, even when you successfully pick the lock. I don't know why.

[Larch]

So it sounds like trap extraction reps are the toughest and I should save the vouchers for those. Also, start hunting with the s.o.b. I think I'll make a separate post asking for training suggestions there. I have been using Tsoran's guide and saving trapped boxes, I've got 2 lockers full so far and part of a third. I haven't picked around any traps yet because that confuses the shit out of me. Why doesn't the trap go off when you open the box? The hell is the point of a trap if it doesn't go off?

[Velfi]

So it sounds like trap extraction reps are the toughest and I should save the vouchers for those. Also, start hunting with the s.o.b. I think I'll make a separate post asking for training suggestions there. I have been using Tsoran's guide and saving trapped boxes, I've got 2 lockers full so far and part of a third. I haven't picked around any traps yet because that confuses the shit out of me. Why doesn't the trap go off when you open the box? The hell is the point of a trap if it doesn't go off?

I believe the ones that you can pick through are on the easier range relative to your skills. You can still get bitten by jaws/poked by the needle/disappeared by a DC, etc.

Also, 3 lockers worth of traps, while it seems like a lot, is not even anywhere close to enough to get through those ranks.

[kutter]

I was thinking about what someone had said as well, ensure that you are at least 2X in picking skills, not sure why it matters but it seems the way the system is set up the more trained you are in pick and disarm the easier the traps and locks you need to get a rep. I always thought that to be so counter-intuitive but perhaps they want to reward the pure pickers. My rogue is mostly a hunter so he is only just over 2X and I feel like he sometimes does not get reps on boxes my friend who is 20 trains less can get them on, but she is 3X in pick and disarm.

When I was collecting boxes for traps I had I think 6 or 7 lockers full and that was not enough. I would sort them in my locker by what they were, type of trap, tough, really tough, etc. And when you get trap rep on a box and remove the trap, don't forget to check the box because then it could still be a tough or very tough box to stow.

[Larch]

Oh, I'm still stockpiling boxes, I just mentioned the 2+ lockers to show that I was working on it. I picked around a -10 needle trap today and the world didn't end so maybe I try some others. No way, now how do I have the patience to sort the boxes by type of trap and difficulty. Wait, the trap difficulty matters? Fuck me.

And I'd gladly go up from 50 ranks in picking to 2x or more, but I get most of my boxes from <40 characters so far.