EQDiva

Stat foods can be great buffs, especially at lower levels. I'm a big fan of Halas 10lb. Meat Pies (food) and Grobb Liquidized Meat (drink). But they are expensive, especially for non-twinks at lower levels! So, here is the best way to use them and stretch them as long as possible: How your food "auto-eats" Whichever food or drink is in the HIGHEST slot in your inventory will be consumed first. (Highest is determined from top to bottom, left column first, then right column, top to bottom). FORCE FEEDING WASTES FOOD! You will consume your food and drink slower if you allow yourself to "auto-eat" from your inventory. Having said that, I will later be telling you to force feed! Doesn't make sense now, but it will... How do I get the Stats without force feeding? You get the stats from your stat food when it is in a higher inventory slot than any regular food. You are now "auto-eating" your stat food. If you only have regular backpacks, this means your huge Halas Meat Pie will have to occupy a regular invetory slot. DO NOT FORCEFEED YOUR STAT FOODS! Make sure that when you are not going into battle, that you have stacks of regular food and water ABOVE your stat foods in Inventory! Going into Battle: Force Feed your Regular Food then Swap! Wait! Force feeding wastes food! Indeed. But your regular food is MUCH cheaper than your stat food! So, before you swap that first slot backpack that has your regular food for that expensive Meat Pie, FORCE FEED YOUR REGULAR FOOD AND WATER TILL YOU EXPLODE! That way, when you swap around your inventory to put the Stat food and drink above your regular food, you are already "Stuffed". This decreases the likelihood that you will actually CONSUME your stat food! When you are going to have downtime, swap them back. Downtime over, force-feed regular food and drink, and swap again. Using this method you can really stretch those stat foods and drinks. I'm afraid that you Kat Bards will end up eating more. Also, drink tends to go much quicker, so it is harder to stretch those stat drinks. /shrug. What are you gonna do? I hope this little guide is clear and understandable, and helps you to maximize your hard-earned cash.

Just a tag along on this was told from a necro friend that if you go to FoB and just run around foraging there is a no drop berry/seed that if you have it above your food then when you force feed it only takes 1 food to stuff you. This includes any type of food including foraged. In conjunction with the above guide will make all food last longer. Will try to get the name of the item for everyone. I don know it looks like most leef/berry foraged items. I don't know if works on drinks too. Edit: I did a search and I think it is called flarefire seeds. They are also used in a quest. I am at work and allakhazam's doesn't always work and today is one of those days so if anyone else has any info please give us some more.

Another rumor: Foraging in the Plains of Karana will sometimes result in a "Plains Pebble" which I always thought was useless unless you're getting them imbued. I heard a rumor that carrying one around actually slows the rate at which you eat and drink, effectivly raising your metabolism. Can't say for sure, but I do see a differance. Try it.

One more thing, being too stuffed to eat a miraculous meal does not mean you cannot eat any more. You may still be able to force feed a snack (or many of them) to get even more full. This will allow you to go even longer on your stat food. So be sure to fill up on small dishes once you've eaten a big main course.

You dont need to eat the stat food or big main course. Fill up on Patty melts and Fizzlecutters, and keep full, and you may NEVER eat the stat food. edit: Harlan is right on too, smaller portion size means you pack more in, IE: eating One misty thicket picnic might fill you up 75%, meaning you cant eat anymore of them. However eating 20 muffins that fill you up at 5% each can fill you up 100%. Those %s are just used to illustrate the point, I have no idea what the real %s of foods are

My point was that if you fill up on iron rations, e.g., you will not get as full as filling up on muffins. By making sure you fill up as full as possible you can go longer without having to force feed again.

Granted I'm just starting to play Everquest again after a couple year break, so I don't know a lot of what's going on these days, but isn't there an easier way to force feed yourself? I haven't tried this, since honestly I never use stat foods (i'm kinda lazy even tho i'm a master baker :p), but what about using that new 'sustenance song' we have? If it's supposed to eliminate your need for food and water can't you just sing it a tick every half hour or whatever to stop eating food altogether? If it works you'd have to remember to do it, but you have to remember to force feed anyway. Well, I'll have to try this sometime and see if it works. Elbereth 61 bard Cazic Thule

I dont think the food song fills you up or resets your timer. It just stops the timer, meaning you dont have to eat while it is going. If you have a food that lasts 4 hours, and you start singing food song 3 hours into it, when you stop singing food song, you still one hour to go till you need to eat. Not sure, havent tested it, but I think that is the way it works

Ya, come to think of it I'm sure it wouldn't work or someone else woulda already mentioned it ;) Just seemed like a worthless song if it only kept hunger away while it was ticking, but I guess we have a number of dang useless songs. I mean, hunger replenishment? Gimme a break =) But so many things have changed about this game it's insane, it's like a whole new game now, so much to learn -sigh-.......

What i find easier is put a stack of food and drink in the bottom two slots in the inventory, drag these onto the hotbuttons and set up left and right arrow keys to these slots, so whenever you turn you force feed yourself, after that you can just forget about it, just pop a few melts and water in the slots when you get a bit low. (i also have a hotbutton on turn left as follows) /pause 10,/do 3 /autoinventory So I always have foraged food.

Yeah, good idea, but I NEED those bottom 2 slots ;o)

I agree, we should be allowed to eat out of our back packs ;) Actually I think anything that you need to pull out of a bag and click from a general inventory slot (ie potions) should be made so you can click on it from a backpack. I know why they don't do this and agree the reward isn't worth the pain, but it still annoys me.

Not sure how true this is but the is a No-drop flask that drops off Guards in High Keep, that will reduce the need to drink.