Achieving Grandmaster Artisan...

...Nearly made me cry. Seemingly endless pearl farming in the Portico, hours spent bazaar-sniping sunstones and sandstones...I came very close to a mental breakdown many times.

This harrowing journey to Grandmaster Artisan-hood has changed my views on anyone else who's achieved this rank. Before, I regarded Crafting as an easy, 2-second thing. Boy, was I wrong. To anyone with more than 1 Grandmaster Artisan, I applaud you. I would never want to re-experience that type of grind, hour after hour after hour...

I also learned in the course of finishing the quest, was to read the directions very closely. Everything up 'til GM Artisan, you had to craft 2 of an object. So, like a total dummy, I assumed the same for the Seal of the Seven Seas. Had I read the quest dialogue, I would've found directions to only craft one Seal. That was 2 hours wasted on bazaar-sniping, and another 2 wasted banging my head on the wall.

The beacon of light that shone through the darkness, though, was that the Sunstones were needed for the Cosmic Kris and Stellar Signet. It left me thinking, "Do all of the recipes in here require sunstone?!"

In case you didn't know, the Cosmic Kris and Stellar Signet are an athame and ring. Together, they give 400+ HP, 32% power pip chance, and about an 82% boost to heals (incoming and outgoing combined). They're all the rage amongst PvPers because let's face it: 82% is a huge boost.

Here's the mathematical proof:
Pixie (normal) = 400 HP
Pixie (with Infection) = 200
Pixie (with Infection and Stellar Signet and Cosmic Kris) = 364

See? With this set on, you could get nearly normal heals even with an Infection on you. This set is like the new-and-improved Malistaire set. It's also my next goal. Wish me luck as I embark on hours of bazaar-sniping and head-banging!

Jess.