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THE LAST CAMP
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Tradeskills

Tinkering

Gnome-only clockwork crafting — gears, watchmen, binoculars, and the Gnome Submarine of Doom.

Tinkering is the race-locked clockwork tradeskill — only Gnomes can train it, and only at the Ak'Anon Tinker Bench. It produces clockwork devices with one-time or limited-charge uses: binoculars, gnomework watchmen, clockwork fish, complex tools, and the infamous Gnome Submarine of Doom. Tinkering is canonical Gnome-only in EverQuest, and The Last Camp preserves that gate — no race-of-Tinkering workaround exists.

The recipe book debuted classic with the Gnome Tinker Bench in Ak'Anon and was steadily expanded through Velious and Luclin. PoP added rare endgame tinkering devices but the bulk of useful gnomework lives in the classic-Velious window.

At a glance

Field Value
Skill cap 251 (PoP-era)
Container Tinker Bench
Container locations Ak'Anon only (canonical EQ)
Class focus Open to all classes — but Gnome-only by race
Race focus Gnome only (race gate, not lifted on The Last Camp)
Common products Clockwork pets, binoculars, gnomework gadgets, force-of-nature devices
Difficulty Hard — high component cost, harsh failure rates, single-workshop

What it makes

Tinkering output is unique among tradeskills — most products are clockwork devices rather than equipped gear. Clockwork pets (Skeleton, Watchman, Fish) summon temporary helpers for combat or scouting. Sensory gadgets (Binoculars, Spyglass, Force of Nature lantern) give utility effects with limited charges. Bag of Sewing and similar gnomework storage devices augment inventory in unusual ways. The flagship endgame piece, the Gnome Submarine of Doom, is more ceremonial than practical — every veteran Gnome owns one as a status item.

Tinkering also produces components for other tinkering recipes — gears, springs, sheet metal subassemblies — and a Gnome tinker often spends as much time crafting subcomponents as final devices.

Skill-up path (1 → 251)

1-50 (Trivial newbie tier)

  • Basic Gears (trivial ~10): Sheet Metal + minor components. Practice the bench.
  • Clockwork Skeleton (trivial 21): Skeleton Frame + Spring + Gears × 2 + Cogs × 2 + Tinker Bench.
  • Salvage failed combines — many failure states yield components.

50-100 (Apprentice)

  • Gnomework Binoculars (trivial 60): Tinkered Eyepiece + Hinged Frame + Spring + Tinker Lens × 2.
  • Minor parry devices: low-tier combat utility.
  • Lens components from Steamfont and Ak'Anon vendor merchants.

100-150 (Journeyman)

  • Clockwork Watchman (trivial 122): Tinkered Frame + Tinkered Skull + Gears × 4 + Spring × 2 + Power Source.
  • Tinkered Spyglass: extended-range scout device.
  • Power Source components are expensive; budget accordingly.

150-200 (Expert)

  • Clockwork Fish (trivial ~165): underwater scout pet.
  • Force of Nature Lantern: utility light source with limited charges.
  • High-tier devices need rare components from Velious / Luclin Gnome zones.

200-251 (Master)

  • Master tinker Trophy combine (Ak'Anon master trainer).
  • Gnome Submarine of Doom (master flagship): the ceremonial endgame combine.
  • PoP-era rare tinkering recipes: high-end class-help devices with components from PoP raid drops.

Signature high-end recipes

  • Gnomework Binoculars: zoomed camera click effect, durable utility for any class with a Gnome friend.
  • Clockwork Watchman: short-duration summoned scout pet, useful for pull setup.
  • Bag of Sewing: gnomework storage device with quirky inventory mechanics.
  • Force of Nature Lantern: limited-charge light source.
  • Gnome Submarine of Doom: high-end flagship — ceremonial more than practical, but the canonical Gnome tinker badge of honor.

Tools and containers

The Tinker Bench is stationary and lives only in Ak'Anon. There is no portable tinker kit. This is canonical EverQuest — every Gnome tinker plans grinding sessions around weekly trips to Ak'Anon if they don't live there. The PoK tradeskill workshop does not include a tinker bench; Ak'Anon retains its monopoly on the workshop.

A handful of master-tier components require the master trainer's specialty bench in Ak'Anon, which is in the deeper Tinker Workshop area.

The Last Camp any-race-class note

Tinkering is strictly Gnome-only. Canonical EverQuest enforces this with a hard race gate at the trainer, and The Last Camp preserves this canonical restriction. The any-race-class character creation system on The Last Camp allows non-canonical race+class combinations (Halfling Wizard, Ogre Ranger, etc.) but does not unlock tradeskill race gates. If you want to tinker, you need to roll a Gnome character. There is no workaround.

Within Gnome characters, all classes can tinker — Gnome Wizard, Gnome Necromancer, Gnome Magician, Gnome Cleric, Gnome Rogue all train at the same bench.

Common pitfalls

  • Trying to train tinkering on a non-Gnome character. The trainer hard-rejects.
  • Skipping Ak'Anon trips. There is no portable tinker kit and no other workshop. Plan around the city.
  • Discarding failed combines. Many failure states yield salvageable components — keep them.
  • Buying lens and gear components retail in Qeynos. Ak'Anon and Steamfont merchants sell at substantially lower prices.
  • Stocking Power Sources before having matching frame components. Power Sources are the highest single-component cost in the skill.
  • Treating the Gnome Submarine of Doom as practical gear. It's a status piece — useful flex, limited combat value.

Related