The Art of Mix Leveling - Some Points to Consider

(By now if you've gotten anywhere in a mixing skill, you should already understand most if not all of this article. This is geared more towards newer players who may think that "doing the highest recommended item" in a skill is the best way to level that skill.)


Leveling a skill in Eternal Lands is not as straight-forward as most new players may think. The thing looked at the most is the "recommended level". There are, however, several other factors involved that need to be considered when looking for "the best item to level a skill with".

Consideration 1: Fail Rate

(rec level, astro)

The "recommended level" for an item is approximately 50% chance that you will successfully create the item. The lower your level is below that, the more your chance is to fail. And of course, the higher your level, the less likely you will fail.

This may not seem to change much as your levels increase, but it is, albeit slowly. I as a 100+ alcher and potioner have very few fails on essences and potions, even on very bad astro, so getting those levels does eventually help immensely in reducing failures.

But the point: If you're losing a lot of ings just to stick to the "rec level", you're not helping yourself.

Instead, doing something that gives less experience (a lower rec level) but causes less fails and ing loss can very well get you more experience at less cost.

If your alchemy level is 20 for example, you can very well do much better and level faster mixing level 14 life essences (or even level 1 fire essences) than you will level 20 magic essences, even though they provide more experience each.




Consideration 2: Getting the Ingredients

What kind of ingredients are you looking at? Are they easily bought or will you have to harvest them all yourself? How fast does each ing harv?

The speed of leveling a mixing skill isn't so much determined by the experience per item or its level as it is how fast you can get the ingredients to mix.

Do some calculations, see how much time it takes you to harvest ingredients for item X. Compare to how long it takes to getting ings to item Y, which may give less exp for mixing.

You just may find a drastic difference where the item that gives a bit less exp in the end will help you level faster.

Life essence, for example, gives less experience than Magic essence. However, it takes a lot less time to harvest the 1 silver and 2 sunflowers than 1 emerald, 1 lilac, and 1 impatiens.

Fire essence even, the lowest exp of any essences, can still turn out to be faster to use to level than Matter essence since matter has 4 different slower-harving ingredients. Even mixing Matter essence in a bag at the ingredients won't change that.

You must definitely take the time it takes to acquire the ingredients in your decision as to what to use to level.


3. Cost/Profit, sellability

Besides just mixing the items, you need to be able to sell them if you're not using them yourself.

And not all things sell easily. There are certain items that are constantly needed, while others you'll be lucky to find a buyer.

Take some time to get to know the market channel. Study what players (not bots) are buying and selling. You'll soon learn what items are more readily sellable.

Those Earth essences may give you more experience, but they are a hard sell compared to Fire essences.

It does you no good to be making a bunch of something that you'll have a hard time offloading later. You could have been making a profit with something giving slightly less experience instead.



4. Food hindrances

Also determining the speed you mix is food, more specifically the cooldown on food.

If you're a bone eater (perk) or learn to safely use toadies (newbies, wait a bit before trying) this isn't as big an issue.

But if you're relying on cooldown-hit foods, how much food it takes to mix an item can determine the rate you make them.

You'll suffer a cooldown wait time on food with bread, veggies, and fruit no matter what you're mixing. (exception of bone powder which doesn't require food at all.)


Fire essence and other 1-food-point items can very easily be mixed on Cooked Meat with the cooldown not taking away from time.

Anything that takes 2-6 food points per mix can be mixed with Feasting Potions with no cooldown wait. (Essies up to Energy Essence, for example.)

Anything requiring 7 food points or more will have some wait for food cooldown even on Feasting Potions.

This wait time should be included in your calculations on mixing speed vs. experience if it is relevant to you.