Hey guys,
Miran is a level 80 shadowsinger faeling (mostly got there by influencing). Virtuoso Influencing, Master Shadowbeat, Capable Acrobatics, and Apprentice/Novice/Inept in everything else. I have a fair bit of lessons (453 lessons, 60 bound credits which I will convert into lessons) that I've been hoarding because I didn't really know what to do with them. What do you guys think would be the smartest investment? (I also have ~570k gold and 15 dingbats which I'm not doing anything with and I guess I could sell.)

1. Try to save up more and trans Influence
2. Beastmastery for pony?
3. Dramatics?

I don't really know...or is trying to convert to hunting a better idea at this point? If so, what's worth investing in?

I typed a huge long comment for you and then lost it! :( It was quite wall o' text though, so here is a slightly more succinct/clear version.

You're going to be better off influencing for a good while yet. Basically you want to keep influencing until your crit rate is good enough that it is then faster to bash - and as a faeling, it might be a bit later than most as we're squishy. People find their crit rate jumps up hugely at level 85 or so.

So with that in mind:

- Trans influence first. Charismaticaura is really good.
- Also seriously consider dramatics up to Vagabond so that you've got all the performances (bar the one for amnesty but that's not as vital for levelling). This is 50% virtuoso.

To prepare yourself for bashing you want to learn the following:

- Ideally, Shadowbeat up to Wyrdsong (75% Mythical), which is our passive shielding song ability - this is really high up, but there are other bashing benefits that you will get from your song like reduced writhing time and increased damage.
- Acrobatics to Contortion at least (33% Master) as a lot of things that you bash will entangle. The more acrobatics after that, the better your dodging will be - so it's also a good skill to dump into.
- Beastmastery to Bodyguard is also good for obvious reasons :)
- I forget what your tertiary is but both of them contain very good defences for bashing - charms in Ecology offer a lot of DMP, and Illusory Self in Glamours absorbs damage for you.

Yeah, definitely trans influence.

About how large of a boost is CharismaticAura? Also, does influencing get stronger with increasing skill level at all?

Miran:

About how large of a boost is CharismaticAura? Also, does influencing get stronger with increasing skill level at all?

Significantly large (the largest buff that I can think of, aside from maybe the Ascendant power?), and I don't believe so; higher influence does mean more influence "attacks", however, which are more effective when used in conjunction with one-another, and then charismatic aura at trans is a big buff.

So I decided to shell out the gold (12000 gold per credit...so expensive!) and get myself up to trans Influence. Wow....CharismaticAura makes such a huge difference...

Are there any bonuses that I could try to get? Is the pony bonus worth it?

Yeah. Even better would be if you were to get a beast trained up with the usual influence buffs. (Generally just empower and weaken.) Couple this with some origami and it soon goes even faster. Get some tattoos, too. They are all small buffs, but they add up rather nicely when you use them all.

Don't forget a throne! It'll be expensive, but worth it. The higher your charisma is, the easier it will be to influence.

If you want costs, this can help you out:


- Bromide: Bromide will be your main way to regenerate your ego. You can not influence without it. Cost: 2.1 gold per sip.
- scroll of healing: A scroll of healing will be a back up way to regenerate your ego. Cost: Initial 400 gold. Per charge, 10 gold
- sparkleberry: a third way to regenerate ego, through the use of a herb. Does not take herb balance, versus secondary sparkles like coltsfoot that do. Cost: 40 gold per sparkle, 10 gold per colstfoot.
- Wetfold: a bookbinding item. Increases the weight of your words, increase esteem gained, restorative effect when blessing lost. Cost: Construction, 3 vellum. 1 leather per 1 vellum, 1 leather if you have a quill for 2 vellum. Purchase cost, 120 average.
- Beauty enchantment: 500 gold, 10 charges for 10 gold each, 600 gold total. Charges last till death, 10 gold per additional charge
- Perfection enchantment: 500 gold, 10 charges for 10 gold each, 600 gold total. Charges last till death, 10 gold per additional charge
- Mask of Esteemed Beauty: 450 credits. Increases esteem gain by 25%
- Influencing Runes: 100 credits per rune type
- Mount: A good mount for influencing can heal you, will need to regenerate their ego, and should be able to have the influencing buffs you need, like influencing runes. By far, this may be the most expensive thing to upkeep in the long run.

Charisma increasers:
- High Magic Netzach
- Beauty Blessing, 50% karma needed, 1% upkeep every day of use
- Domoth of Beauty
- Throne Blessing: 22,500 gold construction cost minimum
- Charismatic aura: Stronger influencing attacks, equivilant to a rune, requires 1800 lessons to reach, or 300 credits.
- Performance: Influencing buffs, stronger dramatics means more ego regenerated by mana
- Throne of Urlach: When empowered, gives you more ego.
- Bards only: Bardic Presence
- Perfumes: 100 gold per
- If you follow a diety, godrealm buffs can increase your ego.

Benefits of a high natural charisma: You will be able to have stronger influence attacks, and the target will not backtalk you. You will need to rotate your influencing attacks between 2 and 3 different attacks, otherwise the target will become immune and harder to influence.


Make sure that you always have a figurine on you, so you can imbue with your esteem every now and then. If you are at 500 esteem, any more while
filled will be lost. Figurines can be used to offer for essence. The higher leveled the figurine, the more esteem it is worth. Highest leveled buff possible for a figurine is level 40.

**note** Higher dramatics would mean that you will get more ego for mana as well. Later on, if you want additional buffs, there is Tosha as well. Or an astrologist can explain the buffs that the skillset can give. If you want to test your luck and get better on a skill temporarily, then try looking into tarot.

Another thing would be to offer to an active divine alot, so that you can get a favor. Hope this all helps.

I wouldn't bother with spending lessons in Beastmastery for a long long time, btw. Generally, not much in it is worth the lesson investment until you're just tacking on extras. That is, it's usually far more worth the lessons to learn other skills than it is to spend in Beastmastery.

Hmm, okay. Thanks everyone for the advice.

What good influencing places are there? I've been doing Tosha, Clarramore, Observatory lucidians, and guards. I tried kephera, but I got lost and then died a horrible death.

The Chancel is pretty great, if you can avoid getting grue'd.

What is getting grue'd?

I think they mean the powerful mob in the Chancel that will murder you.

Tosha, Wydyr, Caoimhe, Forsaken, Kephera Hives, Illithoid Prison. Bubbles (Frosticia and Crumkindivia, specifically) if you can get to them. Only do guards if you have absolutely nothing else to influence, or if you're feeling lazy.

at your level, prison is a good place. put a milestone at the beginning, and it should take you enough time to go through the entire area to go back and restart. Ask Nicholo to help you get there. But if you find that process becoming too boring, then you should start switching between bashing for 30 min, then influencing for 30 min. It helps out.

Oh, if you have Hunting/Ecology, too, you can use the pathway hubs to zip around the Undervault (kephera, illithoids). I think there are public milestones down there, too.

I make myself want to go bard.

No public milestones in the UV, you but can put down a personal one in several areas!

Can you use milestones to get out of the UV as well, then?

Yep.

I hate the UV. Fishers....ugh.