Worker Sledgemallet Post-Nerf?
 

Inadvertently, I'm sure, the nerf to the recharge cost of Puppet Strings made the cost of using a click to charm "an undead foreman" for the Worker Sledgemallet quest much, much higher. I haven't found anybody selling a click yet, but I'm sure it'll be significantly higher. I'm pretty stinking broke right now, but I am finally getting my Iksar SK to the level where I actually can use/start needing to have the mallet.

Is it even possible/feasible as an Iksar to try to do the quest the old fashioned way? (braids) It looks like it would require over 1,200 braid turn-ins, not factoring in how difficult the original ones where I'm KoS would be.

Any ideas?

it's 2k for OT hammer now if I'm not mistaken?

Otherwise get VP key, tag some dragons.

Yea, I'll get "Right" on that.

I don't see how an iksar turns in the braids to begin with when you are kos. Sneak isn't even an option based on the positioning of the braid turn in mob. Maybe combination of harmony + sneak?

Honestly it probably IS easier to get a VP key and wait for a raid to pass through and tag the kills.

Could someone else charm the mob for the braid turn-in? That would make him indifferent while the charm is up and allow for the braids to be turned in? do that until dubious, then just turn in normally. Whether or not iksar can get high enough faction to get a mallet, I have no idea though - think that would depend on whatever the iksar racial modifier is. Maybe skeleton illusion would help once base line faction is high enough?

You don't get faction, xp or items if someone else charms the mob. Unless I'm mistaken.

This is why people have to hand over the puppet strings to the person buying the OT hammer.

Correct and I believe amiable is needed to get the hammer, which means it has to be your own pet. Others pets are indif.

You're not entitled to a hammer. Good to see being iksar is finally having more classic consequences.

Harmony + Sneak works, IIRC. Its been several years, but I believe Rainik did all of level 59 off of sarnak braids to go from max KOS to Amiable on a Ranger, and I think it was done via Harmo+Sneak. I don't think that helps a shadowknight though.

There are a lot of spawn points, and the XP is actually quite high for the quest, so if you're able to do the turnin its not too bad. I was able to get a large head start on faction for my hammer as an agnostic rogue, but as a rogue I did have a lot of trouble soloing the berserkers in ALS gear before my mid 50's.

IIRC, Skelly form from Amulet of Necropotence helps a lot for this grind. When we got one in ALS, it was a very large change in the number of turnins necessary for a wood elf to get there, and I think it also enabled our Iksar to do the turnins to grind the faction. If you can find someone who will be willing to give you clicks from one, it might allow for you to do the turnins and decrease the number you need to do significantly, though I don't know if its possible if you've damaged VS faction.

EDIT: Once we figured out that AoN worked this way, I remember someone theorizing that you could maybe replicate the effect without an enormously expensive item by dueling a friendly necro and getting hit with Chill Bones. I don't remember any concrete testing, but you might try seeing if you can get a friendly one to see what your faction looks like while hit with that Skelly illusion, might be a cheaper/more accessible faction aid.

Even if a string click costs you 10k, its still worth it for most classes.