I did the same thing; these are things I try even if I don't always get it. Some are just so freaking tough that not everybody finds them:


Don't limit yourself to asking mages, ask anyone that would help you get to tough places; ask creatively for assistance in looking for them, hype the exploration and what they can get out of it, and you will find that plenty of very knowledgable people that know where to look play melee classes that would help a lot; Go places you have not even if it doesn't seem a sensible place for a rod and take your time. Get the damn special exploring skill ; SOme people hero with blacks they can't find and use non sleek barrier too , you know