Reply To: Mining in Unsafe Zone

Well here’s my rant about this subject. I play a crafter as my primary character. Some say “boring” or “cash cow” or “useless” and there are times when I would agree. Then I think about the players I’ve helped to get started with some gold and decent crafted armor. The trust I’ve built up with players who pass me their most favorite items for repairs, knowing that I will return them is satisfying to me.
Being restricted to the safety of Occlo and the limited resources of the Occlo mine is not only dull, it’s very frustrating! Knowing that there are SO MANY mines on the map that are unused and abandoned drives me crazy. Not crazy enough to risk using them though! Such a great waste really.
Crafters are sitting ducks just waiting to get slaughtered by the first player that happens by. No point in leaving the safety of Occlo. May as well save yourself the trouble of getting resed and just toss your gear in the trash cuz it’s going to be gone regardless if you try to mine in the wild.
If I dare to sneak into a mine I remove all my items, empty my pack except for a shovel. I’m not going to stay long enough to find gems, I’m only there for clay. I’ve memorized the few spots to get what I came for then I leave as quickly as possible, happy to make it out alive.
I feel that Crafter Class has been completely ignored. There have been no updates or tweaks to this Class other than the expansion of Occlo safe zone (which is wonderful for lumberjacking) and the loss of the protection that statues had previously provided.
Crafters have NO DEFENSES and are no more challenging to kill than a sheep. I don’t like feeling like just another resource to be harvested like a cabbage.
Not sure how to resolve this issue, I wish I could offer a sensible answer. I’m not alone in thinking that all those lovely mines are going to waste. No one is going to risk using them as things stand now. Simply isn’t worth it.