Thread: Guild barter question - why trade smalls for mediums?

I just joined the tailor crafting guild, and I've read some posts and guides about it, but there's something I'm still not getting. I believe my question applies to all guilds though.

The pattern traders let me barter 7x small items for 1x medium item, and 5x medium items for 1x large item. However, if a small master item grants 600 rep, a medium master item grants 2000 rep, and a large master item grants 4000 rep, why would I make these trades? It seems like a obvious rep loss, so I think I must be missing some concept. Even the tooltip suggests making these trades: "Use this item immediately...or turn in a stack...."

What am I missing here?

Later on you are going to have the option of making small, medium or large and will be able to barter smaller ones for bigger ones. In end game areas for level 75, a lot of the gear that is crafted requires a large symbol as one of the components. The large symbol has a 1 week cool down. So, if you want to make more than one piece of armor, weapon or piece of jewelry per week that requires a large symbol, you can make mediums and smalls and exchange them up to help get around the cool down.

Thank you very much for the quick feedback.

So if I understand you right, some of these bartered items will be used for purposes other than rep (even though they grant rep)? So I'll be willing to give up the rep loss of 7x small for 1x medium because I'll need the medium for something else?

Originally Posted by Calico

Thank you very much for the quick feedback.

So if I understand you right, some of these bartered items will be used for purposes other than rep (even though they grant rep)? So I'll be willing to give up the rep loss of 7x small for 1x medium because I'll need the medium for something else?

You won't be able to make any of the items that require a symbol. Those are either made from guild recipes that you get from maxing out your guild rep or from reputation barters in the end game ares. So, until you max your rep with the guild, just use all the symbols for rep and trade them in. It's not hard to make more later once you're ready to craft high level stuff.

Here is an example.

http://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Item...A9odred_Recipe

Do you see how it requires a Large Westfold Symbol? Westfolds are the only ones you'll need for crafting and you won't need them until you max out your reputation in your guild. So just use them up on rep.


Edit: I just noticed you're a tailor. Here's a tailor recipe as an example.

http://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Item...A9odred_Recipe

Just to be clear: You will max out your rep pretty fast. After that you might consider to barter.. before that you not want to *G*

Every crafting Tier from Expert up to Westfold has guild recipes that you can get that will require usually the largest guild item for that tier. (Expert and Artisan just have small and medium, Master, Supreme and Westfold have small, medium and Large) These guild recipes will basically give you the ability craft a critted item that is usually a one use recipe with a different optional item to raise the crit chance. This means that more often than not using a guild recipe with the guild item (symbol, pattern, etc.) will give you a more improved item for that level.

You'll be crafting plenty of items during your travels up to level cap, and depending on how often you craft and gather materials versus leveling will determine whether you'd rather save a few of the larger patterns for when you are close enough to those levels to use the items, or whether you'd rather just increase your guild rep. Each tier of guild rep will allow you to craft the next tier of guild items. Bartering the guild items before you gain the needed rep is not helpful to raising rep, but it does get you closer to having enough patterns for that 7 piece armor set instead. well, closer by a week or two down from 7 weeks...