Research is a tradeskill available to all classes from a certain level onward. (The exact level depends on the class in question, and varies from level 16 to level 25.)
Research is used for two major categories of item crafting: for creating spell/song scrolls and melee tomes (including their rank II versions), and for making consumable clicky combat scrolls that produce certain magical effects on-demand. A few recipes exist for other purposes, as do numerous subcombine recipes.
Raising one's Research skill above 200 does not count as specializing in a tradeskill for the purpose of New Tanaan Crafting Mastery and the seven basic tradeskills.
Overview[]
For much of EverQuest's history, only pure caster classes could perform research, as a way of crafting rare or otherwise unobtainable spells for themselves. Although the tradeskill has since opened up, pure casters retain various advantages in performing the skill. In brief:
- They are the only classes that can raise their research skill to 300 natively, whereas all others must invest AA points to increase the cap on their research skill proficiency above 200.
- They are the only classes who can learn the Arcane Tongues AA, which reduces the failure chance for research combinations by up to 50%.
- They can perform every kind of research recipe except for creating tomes. (Tomes must be crafted either by a pure fighter or by specific other classes who can craft tomes for each other. See the listing in the section below for more information.)
Items Crafted Via Research[]
Spell Scroll, Song Scroll, and Tome Crafting[]
Generally speaking, Research can be used to create any spell scroll, song scroll, or combat ability tome (including the rank II version, if one exists) that is 10 or more levels behind the current expansion's level cap. As of November 2013, this includes spells through the level 90 House of Thule spell set.
Spell, song, and tome recipes are class-restricted, to the point that no one class can craft all abilities in the game. The following is a list of which classes can (and cannot) craft which kinds of abilities:
- Necromancers, wizards, magicians, and enchanters can craft all classes' spells, including bard songs. (They cannot, however, craft tomes.)
- Clerics, druids, and shamans can craft their own spells and each other's spells.
- Bards can craft bard songs and bard tomes.
- Paladins, shadow Knights, rangers, and beastlords can craft their own spells and each other's spells. They can also craft their own tomes and each other's tomes.
- Warriors, monks, rogues, and berserkers can craft all tomes, including those used by bards, paladins, shadow knights, rangers, and beastlords. (They cannot craft any spells or songs.)
Although no one class can research everything, two tradeskillers working together (one from the nec/wiz/mag/enc category and one from the war/mnk/rog/ber category) can provide research for the full spectrum of abilities.
Combat Scroll Crafting[]
Combat scrolls are the other major branch of the Research skill's usefulness. The scrolls produced can be clicked to launch a minor damaging spell of any of the five basic resistance types, regardless of the user's magical ability and without costing any mana. See the combat scroll article for more information.
Only the nec/wiz/mag/enc class set can create combat scrolls, although any class can use them.
Other Items[]
Using recipes from the era of The Buried Sea expansion, researchers can craft a few pieces of infusible primary-hand non-weapon equipment for casters. This includes Dull Energeiac Rod (req 25, purity 15), Shining Energeiac Rod (req 45, purity 30), and Glowing Energeiac Rod (req 55, purity 40).