Quote:
Getting to level 9 artisan on the isle is hard work,
I disagree. Over a few casual playing days I leveled to 9 on the IoR, in fact it was convenient to have all crafting stations in the same room. Harvesting nodes, bank, and a merchant were all a few steps away.
The key is to craft all
new recipies to
pristine quality at least once. There is a significant exp bonus for doing that. You can also sell many of the crafted items back to the merchant, although not for profit, it's not a total loss. After making all the basic items, I made a few Tin Short Swords, backpacks, then moved into upgrading my Priest spells. Left the Island with App3 Smite and two 5 or 6 slot backpacks.
So to finally answer your questions (that have already been answered):
- Craft to level 9, upgrade your spells and make backpacks.
- Kill the named mobs only for the loot drops to fund your crafting.
- Get your fishing skill up.
- If you need cash, kill mobs for loot drops to sell to the merchant.