Print 
PDF
This morning I did some testing with salvaged gems and bone. Knowing that they were now in the game I figured it was about time to find out if they were worth getting to make Artificer Enhancements (Manastone, Spellstone, Witchstone) – 4 hour buffs for mana, spell crit strike and a silence duration reduction. Turns out the answer is, emphatically, no.
I made artificer rings and totems to get the salvaged ingredients. To get the salvaged bone parts, I had to buy an Artisan Mark recipe (Exquisite Fetish – 26 marks). You must salvage fetishes that have bone in the recipe ingredients to get salvage bone parts. As with all salvaging materials, you must combine 5x of one type to combine into the main ingredient actually used in the recipes. For salvaged gems, I tried bands (rings) and necklaces. It seemed that I got more return on necklaces than the rings when it came to gems. Again, you must salvage only the items that have gems in the recipe.
So I salvaged 10 or so each of Exquisite Fetishes and Blood Berylite Signets. Luckily I had accumulated a sizeable stock of bones. The Pristine Femur was on sale in the AH at 1p or more! Salvaging the fetishes resulted in several bone types. I received Bloody Fangs and Hollowed Bone as well as the salvage bone parts (processed and refined). As the bands (rings) didn't seem to give me much of a return (only one lousy irridescent powder), I then tried salvaging Ruby Gorgets (neck peice) and that seemed to result in more salvaged bits (clear crystal). Let me point out again that it requires 5 of single salvaged type to combine into the one that is actually used in the recipe.
That is a lof of salvaged items to get enough materials to then combine into ingredients you actually can use in the recipe. My conclusioin is that the massive amount of items needed to make Artificer Enhancements is not worth it. Not for saling in the auction house and not even for your personal use. I noted that some other folks on my shard had already made the Burning Witchstone and Sparkling Witchstones, but I got the shard first for the Sparkling Manastone. I don't expect any of them to sell, honestly. And worse, being currently stuck around 296 in Artificing, only these items will skill me up. Unless I can find a miraculous Artificer's Plaque which are still crazy rare in daily crafting quest rewards.
And a side note: Please, for the love of sanity, enable us to return Artisan Recipes for a full Artisan Mark refund if you decide you don't want it or accidentally bought one you already had!
I did wonder if the Artificer Enhancement buffs persists through death. At the time of this writing, I didn't get a chance to test it. The items I made were higher level than the gear on my mage. My artificer is a rogue and has no need of these kinds of buffs. I have to say though, after all that effort and so many items salvaged just to make the enhancement – if the buffs poof on death, it is even more clear the enhancements are not worth making.
What do I think could be done to improve this salvaging system? Make the salvaged item returns BE the ingredients necissary in the recipes. Not combine 5x of this to get the actual ingredient needed. Make the chance of the salvaged returned item percentage a bit higher, if necissary. But the way things are now, it's not worth the effort. Not for any profession.
I sincerely hope Trion's Rift crafting department is listening. Salvaging needs some tweaking yet. The only enhancements you see in the Auction House are Runes, not items made with salvaged ingredients.
