Curse

bobrath · Aug 16, 2007, 05:25 PM // 17:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkobra

It's smart to duplicate items? When duplicated items have the EXACT same serial code as the original and can't be disposed of? Well, if being smart is getting your account banned, a lot of people are VERY intelligent in this regard then.

No its smart because no one in the GW realm would have batted an eye at someone with a stack of 250 ectos. Sure its a big wad of cash, but "doable" in the eyes of most. The duper could have gone on his merry way becoming richer and richer as he sold ectos. Once they pass out of his hands, what does he care if it has the same serial code? heck, merch em all and then buy back from the trader. You've just "laundered" the serial code.

yes, there would be a record in the system, but until someone decides to look for duping, you'd be scott-free.

Someone got greedy OR someone let the secret out to a greedy person and that's all it took. When Armbraces start showing up in stacks that no one - not even the "richest" players had seen AND Mallyx was so bugged that even getting an armbrace normally was an event. Well the spotlight got real hot and real bright.

quickmonty · Aug 16, 2007, 05:33 PM // 17:33

ANet IS the law of supply and demand. They can increase or decrease drop rates (as they did some time ago with ettin rare pauldron drops), or introduce something to increase demand for certain materials. The could also, if they desire, change the prices of the material traders.

Fitz Rinley · Aug 16, 2007, 08:46 PM // 20:46

You need 120 Ecto and 120 Shards to make one suit of armor. In the few times I have been in FoW and UW I have never seen a single one drop; not even the couple times we got a team past the front and into the quests. If prices are going to drop then it will happen after people get the shards and ecto they need for their multiple characters armor. At a rate of 1-3 a day, that is still 4 months per suit. And I am assuming someone else actually finds these things because I never saw one other than at a trader.

Age · Aug 16, 2007, 11:06 PM // 23:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by bilateralrope

Are we sure that ANET hasn't played with the drop rate ?

Also remember that when we have the no-favor FoW/UW access weekend, ecto and shard prices spiked upawards because of the number of people who, being in the less popular regions (like Japan), were taking advantage of the weekend to go get FoW armor because it was the only time they could reliably get access.

Then there is the possibility of ectos being oversupplied due to duping.

I would say that the drop rate is rather low from the pll I know that go down thee often enough even when there was Continental favour.I doubt they are being duped just more player have more to trade as they have been storing them on their vaults and mules.

Abnaxus · Aug 17, 2007, 08:18 AM // 08:18

Ecto's price drop due to dupers is an urban legend.

Let's say that someone was able do dupe ectos when they were at 10k. Then sold them to merchant.
With just 100e, that player would have reached the 1M cap for the storage. Even with 10 slots in the account, no more than 2M.
Even with ectos at 5k, that player may have converted no more than 400 ectos.

After that, that player wouldn't have been able to store more gold, and consequently sell further ectos to trader.

Yes, that player may have obtained 50 stacks of ectos, but wouldn't have been able to sell all of them to the merchant and cause price drop. The best thing he could have done is buying some rare item for some stacks of ectos, but without converting them into cash.

As far as we know, dupers were in limited number. It seem also that no organised gold seller was able to dupe, because otherwise real $ price for in-game cash would have dropped, instead it raised steadily.

The only reason for ectos price drop is the dramatic reduction of merchant white blue and cash drop. Excess cash was removed from the game, and consequently the demand of ectos as alternative way to store extra cash dropped dramatically as well.

Jetdoc · Aug 17, 2007, 01:52 PM // 13:52

Unless there is a price floor, the price of ectos will steadily drop once GW:EN is released.

Why?

People will be investing their cash in the new, flashy armors, and there will be fewer and fewer people wanting the old FoW skins. Yet, people will need to earn cash to buy those new armors and skills, so they will sell their existing stockpiles of ectos (or alternatively go farm UW and FoW), which will send the price down.

I predicted this very accurately before Factions and Nightfall (at which time ectos dropped to around 4K), and you're seeing the same phenomenon now.