Research

Research, also known as Spell Research, is a tradeskill.

Important note: Before you can begin spell research, your skill must be greater than zero. You can increase it by spending a practice point in Research at your class guildmaster (found in each starting city and the Plane of Knowledge).


 * EQ Traders: Spell Research 1 - 100

Fanra's tips

 * As with all tradeskills, do not spend any AAs on increasing your skill above 300 until you have evolved your trophy to level seven. Some combines are trivial just above 300 and you won't be able to use them to improve your trophy if your skill is too high.
 * The easiest way involves spending platinum to create items from merchant bought materials, see Vendor solution method (expensive) below.
 * To reach 300 and maximize your trophy, one recipe is Combat Spellbook (trivial 375). First you must learn the recipe by doing the The New Tanaan Merchant's Alliance quest.  Then scribe the Merchant Alliance Tradebook you receive.  The only item you need to farm is Writing Ink.

Binding Powders and You!
By Stillwaters Rundeep.

Combines
All binding powder combines use the same basic recipe, tired against the binding powder you're using. Binding Powders are used to make Enchanted Spell Parchments.

Exempli gratia:

Modest Enchanted Spell Parchment

- Modest Binding Powder (farmed) - Modest Binding Solution (vendor bought) - Modest Spellcaster's Empowering Essence (summoned) - Piece of Parchment (vendor bought)

There are 11 powders you can use to make enchanted spell parchments. Powders and trivials are listed below.


 * 58 - Crude
 * 83 - Makeshift
 * 118 - Elementary
 * 152 - Modest
 * 192 - Simple
 * 232 - Binding
 * 272 - Refined
 * 312 - Intricate
 * 352 - Elaborate
 * 392 - Ornate
 * 432 - Rune

You will need to make the proper essences for your combines. The summoning spells are no trade, so you will have to make them yourself.

Empowering Essence spell recipes

 * Darkwater's Essence Recipe Guide

So, you made an enchanted spell parchment. Great! What next?


 * Scroll of Strike

I am only listing one possible combine, the fire one, however, there are other possible combines off of any type of enchanted spell parchment:


 * Modest Scroll of Fire Strike

- Modest Enchanted Spell Parchment - Ink of Ro - Quill of the Arcane

See how easy that was? Combine ink of ro and quill of the arcane with any enchanted spell parchment and you'll get a --- scroll of fire strike. Listed below are the trivials for all fire strike combines.


 * 75 - Crude
 * 100 - Makeshift
 * 135 - Elementary
 * 170 - Modest
 * 210 - Simple
 * 250 - Binding
 * 290 - Refined
 * 330 - Intricate
 * 370 - Elaborate
 * 410 - Ornate
 * 450 - Rune

As you can see, each powder represents 2 combines.

Suggestions
There are a lot of binding powders, but why waste time collecting every kind? I suggest using only 3 to get your skill up.

1) Modest

2) Binding

3) Elaborate

Using these powders will get your skill up quickly.

Hope that helps!

Zyxs' notes on economical researching
On standard servers, you won't save any money on spells that are already available via the vendor, however there's some spells and abilities that can only be learned via research.

Most, if not all of the inks that are vendor purchased for ~7pp can be assembled for ~3pp if you have the patience to do the 2 combines. Additionally, the quills that are vendor purchased for ~2pp can be assembled for ~1pp.

Research is just like the other tradeskills in that it has the freebie quests to get you to 54, then go get the trophy.

If you're stocking up as you're leveling, then you want to save all your powders.

Tip: If you use a macro to repeatedly cast the Summon Mana spells, you can have it running at the same time as you do your combines. The auto-inventory behavior during a "Make All" will make sure to put away the summoned mana for you automatically.

Cost, Item, Trivial, (Drop)


 * .114 + drop, Crude Enchanted Spell Parchment, 58
 * 3.152, Crude Scroll of Pestilence, 80
 * .114 + drop, Makeshift Enchanted Spell Parchment, 83, (Makeshift Binding Powder, global)
 * 4.76 + drop, Cleaned Supple Runic Hide, 86, (Raw Runic Hide, global)
 * 4.418 + drop, Makeshift Scroll of Pestilence, 106, (Makeshift Enchanted Spell Parchment)
 * 27.854 + drop, Dull Energeiac Rod, 158, (Sunshard Dust, global drop)

Currently identified research only spells or abilities:

Level 70+ spells.

All of the "Enchant Metal" abilities and their mass versions higher than Enchant Palladium


 * Enchant Dwerium
 * Enchant Temporite
 * Enchant Cosgrite
 * Enchant Planar Alloy
 * Enchant Alaran Metal
 * Enchant Feymetal

Once you get to level 70+ spells, the rank 2 versions will commonly have a crafted option that the only drop requirement is the "page" type (like Fine Paper). Those recipes have a trivial well over 300.

= Vendor solution method (expensive) =
 * 54 trivial: Vial of Pure Water (save for sub combine for further solutions)
 * 144 trivial: Parchment Solution
 * 174 trivial: Fine Parchment Solution
 * 216 trivial: Fine Vellum Parchment Solution
 * 243 trivial: Fine Runic Parchment Solution