Always Get Your Collectables

Oh Mari Mosshand, the person I still think of as a dwarf even though you are clearly a halfling simply because halflings suck (not really but reputation wise kind of) and because the game used to claim you were. What would we do without you indeed. That small collectables bag should be one of the first things that you grab, not because selling collectables on the auction house is profitable, although it can be, but because every once in awhile you may find something amazing that you can ordinarily only have by finding it as a rare loot drop or purchasing it in the DDO Store...well, indirectly anyway.

I'm talking about the Eberron Dragonshards. By gathering these up and turning them in to select collectors you can gain some very rare items that are certainly worth your attention. But in my opinion there is only one collector you should turn each shard into, except for the large, which I would say has two options.

For Small Eberron Dragonshards you should turn three of them in to Xorian Chalk in the Marketplace to earn your Medium Experience Elixer. I mean, who doesn't want a +10% bonus to all your experience. If you save this baby for an experience boost weekend it will be even more effective. The bonus lasts 6 hours, which if you are careful means it can last for several adventures.

For Medium Eberron Dragonshards you should hand them over in groups of three to Tara Wightraven in House Deneith for a Major Experience Elixir. Same deal as the one you get from Xorian Chalk, but this time you get a 20% boost to experience.

A few notes on those two. Niether stacks with the bonus you can get from the Voice of the Master or Mantle of the Worldshaper items from the DM's Vision set. So if you use either of those items, and you really should snag one, than you may want to use a different item while your elixirs are in effect.

Finally you have two good options when considering where to turn in your three Large Eberron Dragonshards. If you want to increase your chance of getting rarer items then you'll want to pass them over to  Bowdlin in House Phiarlan to earn a Medium Jewel of Fortune. This item will raise the treasure in all chests by +1 for up to six hours. Your other good option is also in House Phiarlan, if you give them to Seld the Gray Sister then she will give you an Ethereal Rest Shrine. This is a great gift to your adventuring buddies and yourself. Say you guys are playing on Elite on a tough quest and you need a rest shrine but have used them all, or there are tons of monster between you and there. Well this little diddy just creates a rest shrine for you and your companions to enjoy.

A quick couple notes on each of those rewards. They are all bound to account, meaning you can't give them away to another person once you earn them and also that if you want to switch them from one character to another you either have to use a Shared Bank Account (for your own characters...if you have one) or trade them as the Eberron Dragonshards before turning them in. Also, as an added bonus there is a little timed math puzzle the collector gives you when you turn these in to get a weak enchanted item. I've never been very pleased with them, so don't worry if you can't figure out the puzzle, BUT it is a nice addition when you get it.

But what if you don't want any of those great items? Well, there are a few other items you can get. Various trinkets that can cast a few spells before burning into nothing, and a couple of other options beside. However, the real gem if you don't want one of the aforementioned options is to sell these on the auction house or through trade. You can earn some really heavy platinum by selling these stones to people who DO want those awesome bennies. The small shards alone tend to go for around 40,000 platinum on my server. Just something to think about.

So next time you are in a dungeon and you see a Rubble or Mushroom and think to yourself "God, I hate collectables" just remember THAT may be the ONE collectable that gives you a dragonshard. That I feel is worth wading through the dozens that aren't.