Can someone explain Mastery to me?

[tomchick]

I'm really enjoying diving in and untangling the web of this game's economy, but I'm stumped trying to figure out what Mastery is and how I'm supposed to use it. Can someone give me a quick primer on how it works for the different activities, and how I should be spending Mastery points?

-Tom

[Truth_X_ile]

Two types of masteries, Mastery Pool for each non combat skill, then each item in those skills like each individual fish also have their own mastery level which also provide bonuses later on as well

Mastery Levels per Item: If you scroll down on the left side where the skills are, under the drop down list 'Other' you'll find the Completion Log, from there click Mastery, each skill here has its own perks, you can select 'Progress' from any skill, it will show you each level of each individual item and what level they are and are able to spend Mastery Pool XP in them, if you click 'Unlocks', it will show you what benefits you'll get when an 'Item' in that skill reaches said levels 'Per Item', not your current skill level / Optionally instead of going to the side menu and going through Completion log > Progress, you can instead click the 'Spend XP' button next to View Checkpoints in the Skill interface at the top right to go directly to the Item Mastery XP window for quicker access

Quick Tip: It's wise to level up an item really high level, the higher the item level, the more Mastery Pool XP you'll earn for doing each action

Description for Fishing Item Mastery - Do note all other skills have their own benefits
Level 1-onwards: Each Mastery Level increases the chance to receive 2 fish by 0.4%
-So for each mastery level the item reaches you'll have a likely chance to receive 2 fish in any action, increasing with each level

Level 50: +3% chance to receive special items
-This pertains to just this fish only, only the other fish in said area will have the same effect when you reach level 50 in each of the other respective items in that area

Level 65: You no longer catch Junk
-Again, it's only for the fish you reach level 65 in, any other fish won't have it unless you reach level 65 with other fish to have the effect, with exception of the Mastery Pool Checkpoint, which one is for receiving no junk and applies to all fishing areas at 25% Mastery Pool XP

Level 99: Always catch a minimum quantity of 2 Fish
-This is useful, and stacks with other bonuses to catch from 4-8 fish also, from other bonuses that allow you to catch more fish

Mastery Pool XP: You'll find this under the XP bar in any non-combat skill screen, progress next to a trophy icon in the top left, with it's own separate progress bar which is orange/yellow'ish which also shows the total XP you can earn up to 100% progress for the Mastery Pool, you can check the bonuses from the Mastery Pool on the right side of this progress bar and select 'View Checkpoints' bonuses are from 10% 25% 50% and 95% they also show you exactly how much XP you need in the Mastery Pool to earn that bonus as well, you'll need that amount of XP percentage wise from the bar

When to spend Mastery Pool XP: Whenever you feel like it, I suggest, aiming for the bonuses if they appeal to what you need/want to help you progress in the skill you are training, once you reach a checkpoint say 25% XP and you have spare XP up to 28% that you don't care about the next checkpoint, you can spend XP to level up one of your Item Masteries, it will warn you with a confirmation before you bypass your 25% Bonus Checkpoint, so you don't go past it

End Game 95% Mastery Pool Checkpoint: Once you go beyond 95% and up to 100%, it's imperative to spend your Mastery XP at this point, of course you'll still get a confirmation to prevent going past 95%, but it's wise to level up every skill, or the one you are wanting to train the most, I personally level all my items up to level 40 first, then work on 5-10 levels after that, making my way up slowly, while I only really train on one item at a time for efficiency

Advanced Knowledge - don't look if you don't want to be spoiled, regarding the use of having a lot of item levels will result in a positive outcome end game wise, for money and for benefits alike
The more item levels you have, in each individual skill, like 99 in Sharks, 99 in Whales ect. not just fishing, but all other non-combat mastery levels in each item increase the chances for the 'Jewel and Circlet of Rhaelyx which can be combined the make the Crown of Rhaelyx which has its own unique benefits as well

Good Luck & Have Fun

[tomchick]

Whoa, that was above and beyond the call, Truth_X_ile! Thanks so much for the detailed breakdown. That's exactly the information I needed to know. I was getting tripped up on the distinction between mastery XP pools and individual mastery levels for items, but I see now how they work.

-Tom