I am in no way trying to be a pain but it sounds like if we get a hint that we can't do by our selves, or if it's for a wand we don't need, then we have to either wait until we can get a group to gather it, or look in every random mage location we can think of, hoping to find the other wands that we really do need without any sort of hint. That is, if only one hint is given at any one time.