Curse

jdwoody · Sep 15, 2005, 02:30 PM // 14:30

Last night I saw something really strange. First a bit of background:

Before the last update my monk took a guildie monk into the UW because she wanted to collect ectos. She didn't attack, but occasionally did a heal party. The loot was pretty much 50/50, she got 2 ectos I got 1.

Last night I did a griffon run and while I was in town someone asked if anyone was hunting griffons so I told him I was. He was a W/Mo so the plan was that he would kill the devourers and I would kill the rest.

Things went ok, but he had to stay just out of aggro range or the griffons would attack him, so typically I would have a bunch of griffons and he would be a bit away fighting devourers and maybe a minotaur or two (not in aggro circle but on the map)

Here is the weird part. He got no drops from the griffons. On one group of 3 griffons, where he got too close and one attacked him he got one item. But over two runs, and me killing 40+ griffons and getting gold/purple/blue/plain items and a bunch of wings he got 50% of the gold and that is it. Not a single item went to him.

I got about 50% of the loot from the minotaurs/devourers that he solo'd.

Raz Silverwing · Sep 15, 2005, 02:50 PM // 14:50

So, you only get drops from things you fought interseting.

Dumb Quixote · Sep 15, 2005, 02:51 PM // 14:51

See... I was just going to post something about drop rate... glad I searched

I was playing with a group last night in SF as a heal monk. I didn't get a single drop. Now I never attacked - nor did I bring any group heal spells (another monk had that covered). I played this morning with a Warrior trying to wrap up Thunderhead Keep... and nearly ever drop was for me and all Purple items.

Do you have to cause damage to get a good drop?

Meeker · Sep 15, 2005, 02:54 PM // 14:54

The loot system is horrible. In HoH three nights ago after one victory someone in our group got all three sigils and one of the gold items. Over the course of 10 victories he received 11 sigils. Fortunately we did not care as that person was saving up for fissure armor and it was a guild group but the fact that it happened was disturbing. For comparison I got 1 sigil over the 10 victories.

Loviatar · Sep 15, 2005, 02:55 PM // 14:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raz Silverwing

So, you only get drops from things you fought interseting.

that has been it from the start.

if you are attacked by something
heal someone attacking something
buff someone etc
or do any attack yourself you share item loot

dont interact at all dont share item drops

jdwoody · Sep 15, 2005, 02:56 PM // 14:56

The monks in both cases got drops even when they didn't attack, in fact when the other guy was solo'ing the devourers and the minotaurs I didn't even heal him either, he completely solo'd them and I got drops I completely solo'd the griffons he didn't get any.

He was a level 20, though I don't know if he was ascended or not or if that would make any difference at all.

aron searle · Sep 15, 2005, 02:58 PM // 14:58

There is nothing to see here move along.

The drop system is not flawed, move along or you will be silenced, and your existence denied.

zoozoc · Sep 15, 2005, 02:59 PM // 14:59

I also think it was stated that if you are in the aggro range of the creature(you dont even have to attack, heal someone etc.) you have a chance to get the drop.

Dumb Quixote · Sep 15, 2005, 03:05 PM // 15:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoozoc

I also think it was stated that if you are in the aggro range of the creature(you dont even have to attack, heal someone etc.) you have a chance to get the drop.

That might be just enough information the change the outcome. I'll test healing from closer range tonight....

Asgaroth · Sep 15, 2005, 03:08 PM // 15:08

From what i've seen you have to be in aggro range at least once to get xp and drops from the monsters.

Dwiggit · Sep 15, 2005, 03:19 PM // 15:19

There is a proximity involved with the loot drops, even from chests. I can confirm this from one mission I did through Thunderhead Keep. The party was all in the keep, but there was a LONG wait for the next batch of monsters, perhaps a script bug. Anyway, I decided to go scout the area for monsters and lure back any I see.

So I'm wandering around outside the keep. There are 2 small dwarf camps (villages?), one on either side of the keep. I found that each one contains a chest. When I go to open the first chest, 3 items drop.... all for me!

I decided to try this again on the other camp. This chest unloads five items.... all for me!

Everyone else was out of map range, so apparently I got allocated all the loot!

What I don't know is how far this proximity extends. Maybe someone can do some experimenting to find out exactly how far from a drop you can be and still have it allocated to you. I know its farther than the aggro circle, I've had many drops from monsters and chests that were currently outside my aggro circle.

Dwig

Algren Cole · Sep 15, 2005, 03:25 PM // 15:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loviatar

that has been it from the start.

if you are attacked by something
heal someone attacking something
buff someone etc
or do any attack yourself you share item loot

dont interact at all dont share item drops

That's not true. back when this game still worth playing I used to power level friends by running them to the desert and then farming griffons for the experience. Ofcourse they'd just run behind me and stand around while I fought the griffons...but they always got drops, without any interaction at all.

Zelc · Sep 15, 2005, 03:36 PM // 15:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meeker

The loot system is horrible. In HoH three nights ago after one victory someone in our group got all three sigils and one of the gold items. Over the course of 10 victories he received 11 sigils. Fortunately we did not care as that person was saving up for fissure armor and it was a guild group but the fact that it happened was disturbing. For comparison I got 1 sigil over the 10 victories.

The odds of this happening are (1/8)^4, or 1/4096. Assuming that the HoH is won once every 15 minutes (I think it's less than that), this would occur once every 42.67 days.

Also, in order to have a chance at the loot, you have to either deal damage or affect the mob, or heal or affect a player who dealt damage to or affected the mob. And there is a proximity thing, but you have to be somewhat far away.

Plague · Sep 15, 2005, 03:43 PM // 15:43

In many cases, as I'm on low end dialup, I will time out while my party moves ahead. Having not fought, enchanted or healed... anything actually, not even moved, I will sometimes move ahead after I regain control to find another mob has been slain, and I have loot from them, although I've done nothing.

Now, if you move out of range, loot will not drop. I've tested that much. But simply not interacting with a monster in some way doesn't unguarantee loot.

One thing I do notice is that in my N/E build, when I nuke in GF, I will get the majority of the loot. When I mean the majority, I mean at least 35% of what's dropped, sometimes more. With this build I'm both robbing corpses from the Gnashers and nuking groups of enemies, so you can do the math on that one. However, when I change to hexes, nothing.

Arcador · Sep 15, 2005, 04:27 PM // 16:27

Once in rpg session I rolled 4th 20s whis is 1/20*20*20*20 chance. or 16 0000 to 1 - and so far I never managed to do it again.

tanwarv · Sep 15, 2005, 04:39 PM // 16:39

Yep, I've noticed the same phenomenon where I need to be close to the action in order to share drops.

I wonder if there's a way to use this to our advantage... Perhaps I can take my solo monk build with 7 henchies into SF, fight my way to a boss group that I could feasibly solo, then lead my party to a painful death in another location...

(evil laugh)

Aera Lure · Sep 15, 2005, 04:45 PM // 16:45

Not always random? I dont think it is at all. Well, it is in part, but slanted heavily. I still think damage dealt / damage saved during battle plays a role to item assignment and sounds like it explains the OPs experience.

Warskull · Sep 15, 2005, 04:49 PM // 16:49

The loot range is roughly equal to the agro circle. If you somehow get withing agro range and do something the monster should remember that you get loot until it gives up on fighting (if you guys outrun it.)

I learned this solo degening hydras to death with my mesmer. Occasionally one would decide "screw it" and walk away and if I didn't get it roughly back within agro range (it is slightly larger) I wouldn't get loot.

M3lk0r · Sep 15, 2005, 05:05 PM // 17:05

Nope, it may not be totally random but aggro/attack/damage is DEFINATELY not required. A couple of nights ago I was questing Sorrows/G's Foot with a PUG and there was 1 afk (as usual), I'm not sure what else he got, but he did get a purple Max Damage req.7 Half Moon. Being the only ranger in the group I just sat there staring at it and cursing the heavens for a while, but as I did not want to waste the rest of the group's time, I just flipped the birdie and moved on.

Tactical-Dillusions · Sep 15, 2005, 05:17 PM // 17:17

You can (or could) get drops by being totally inactive, as long as you are in range.
It doesn't matter if you cast heals/buffs/attack or not.

I tried it on many occasions while running my second account through boring missions and also with my brother, who was just spectating the battles with griffons.
For example, a dye dropped for my inactive character while my warrior battled on after the cutscene to head North in Ruins Of Surmia.

This i may add, was before the recent updates and so thing MAY have changed. I will bear it in mind.