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I've been playing this game a decent amount. I'm easily distracted by OCD stuff like trying to find and complete every alchemy recipe, try out every vocation, and do every quest. I haven't even completed the regular game yet.
I have a few tips that might help in case you are in the same boat. There are some SPOILERS, but nothing major. Proceed with caution.
First, half-inch is quite possibly the most important skill in the game if you are into alchemy. Finding materials in the field can only get you so far since the better ones take a while to respawn (brighten rock, anyone?). It pays to get everyone in your crew this skill because frankly stealing items directly from the enemies' pockets is the fastest way to go. Fortunately, it only takes 10 points in the rogue specialty skill tree so it doesn't take all that long. Don't worry about this until you finish the story at Alltrades Abbey.
After you finish Alltrades Abbey, you can change the vocation of any of your party members. You do not lose the level and skill points from your original vocation (although you start all new vocations at level 1). This means it's easy to switch over to thief, gain some levels to acquire enough skill points to get half-inch, and then go back to your main vocation if you desire.
Yes, you keep special skills across vocations (not spells though). In addition, skill points spent to acquire special skills and abilities carry over across all vocations! This, as far as I know, also applies to passives such as +20 bonus to agility, etc. If you find your current objective difficult, it might be worth your while to level up an alternative vocation that grants some nifty all-around bonuses (+HP, +STR, +AGI, and so forth).
Lastly, I want to tell you about a wonderful place known as the "Bowhole". You won't be able to reach this place until you have opened up Wormwood Creek. Once you are that far though, travel northwest to the Bowhole. On the way you will run across slipweed and narspicious nodes. Once in the Bowhole, make a right at the fork. You will see three separate small areas - each one has a blue chest! These chests are fairly high level and I've gotten mini medals, sage's elixirs, and even 3,000G once (as well as worthless crap other times). I don't know what the respawn is, but I go there every day and they are back.
Now, if you've advanced the story enough to where you can actually get inside the Bowhole, a new set of respawning goodies becomes available to you. Go into the cave and fall into one of the three pits (I always go middle). On this level, there are pots to break (I've gotten mini medals from these!), 1-2 blue chests, goodie bag enemies (steal brighten rock), and blood mummies (steal grubby bandage). One of the blue chests will sometimes be a trap chest. That is fine because you can steal a mini medal from him! Be careful though, as all trap chests are not the same...
Once you've made your loop, go down to the next floor. On this level, go to the southeast for another blue chest. There is also usually a chest in the northwest just past a patch of poison tiles. This place also has liquid metal slimes if you are farming experience. And finally, the big yellow dragons can be half inched for dragon scales. You can also go down to B3 and there is often a chest in the NW area just a ways up from your start position.
This whole process only takes a few minutes (unless you are fighting a lot for mats or XP). Blue chests are so nice for their randomness. You never know what you will get. Happy hunting.
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