Spell research is one of the trade skills that changed substantially from its original conception. With the Depths of Darkhollow expansion spell research stopped using the words and runes that dropped from mobs and moved to a system involving "papers", inks, thickeners, quills and additives to create spells, songs and tomes.
We have compiled a complete write up of the new Spell research system that will walk you through all the basics.
Additionally, starting with the Ring of Scale expansion, the Spell Research skill is also now used to make very nice augmentations of varying types (4, 5, 7/8). Motivation for all to raise that skill to 350!
Minimum Level Required to start:
The very first thing you need to do is obtain the right container in which to make combines. The kits go in your inventory like any other non-stationary tradeskill container, but the Spell Research Table is stationary.
Now, make your way over to Crescent Reach and seek out Researcher Akila for the freebie research quest. Spell research does not have an earlier equivalent in Abysmal Sea. This will raise your skill to 54.
If you're new to tradeskilling and aren't familiar with Tradeskill Modifiers, you can find many questions answered in this FAQ:
Now head over to West Freeport and pay a visit to Event Coordinator Baublie Diggs and get the Beginner Spell Research Trophy Task. This is the easiest to complete and your trophy can evolve with you. You must equip your trophy in order to evolve it to the next level. You can wait to get it later, when your skill is higher, but the recipes increase in difficultly and may use rarer ingredients.
Notes:
You can also acquire a Geerlok Automated Quill from a tinkerer. That will add 5% to your base skill to help with successes. You must equip it in order to apply the boost to your base skill. The modifiers from the Trophy and the Geerlok do not stack. You will get the highest benefit between the two equipped items. Once you have evolved your trophy to Journeyman level, you no longer need the Geerlok.
AAs are not handled the same for each class. Int Casters and Tanks get 13 levels of AA and can take their skill all the way to 300 without a second thought. Bards, Priests and Hybrids aren't afforded this luxury and have 23 AA levels to work through spending 40AAs to even get to 300.
Spell research has to be one of the hardest skills to level because of the required dropped ingredients. All skill up paths are available to all classes. When it comes to farming, the ingredients will drop from level relevant mobs. Lower level mobs will have lower level ingredients and higher level mobs will have higher level ingredients. LDoNs can be a good source for Crystallized Sulfur and clockwork mobs drop Saltpeter.
If you are new to raising a tradeskill from 301 to 350, check out the article below for the basics:
There are currently 4,144 research recipes that count towards 350 mastery and you must learn 2,570 of those recipes to achieve 350.