Curse

arredondo · Jun 11, 2005, 10:12 PM // 22:12

No, it is you who is missing the point. I'll repeat what I said above:

"Farming still works... you guys need to change spots, change skills, change professions or something, but it works."

If it isn't working for you but is working for others, then you are the one that needs to adjust. I've been solo farming half the afternoon and not ONE time did I not get full drops from I mob I've killed. Find a new spot or something that works for you, or change your tactics/skill set... just don't try to say that it's all universally nerfed because it isn't.

Galatea · Jun 11, 2005, 10:16 PM // 22:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Howling Wind

They didn't nerf item drops, all the update did was make it harder to farm solo and for alot of the cases its by putting in lots of magic casters in the groups of melee, now its really difficult to farm at riverside. Apart from nerfing the ability to farm I don't think there is any effects on drop rates.

I haven't gone farming since the update, but I've heard from others that it's not just item drops that have been possibly 'nerfed'. There are more obvious changes, such as pathways to certain farming spots being blocked by things like trees that never existed before.

Akshara · Jun 11, 2005, 10:25 PM // 22:25

Quote:

just don't try to say that it's all universally nerfed because it isn't.

<sigh>... ok, whatever man. Guess the hundreds of reports from others who are experiencing the "all drops stop" issue too are just imaginary. Even Ensign has experienced the problem, and he is not a noob or playing the game wrong.

I don't need to change my spot or skills, because I'm not a farmer and don't have a spot, and my skill set works just fine. I'm just playing the game like normal, going through quests and missions, often with a couple of henchmen or solo when I can handle it.

The last three nights, I've gone out on normal quest runs in Kryta and the Maguuma Jungles, doing three or four at a time and taking around two to three hours to do them, and returned with less than a backpack/pouch full of salvageable or low level items. That's a big difference from when I used to do this and would have run out of inventory half way through.

Whether you want to believe it or not, Anet did introduce anti-bot farming elements into the game with this last patch, and one of the side effects is what many of us are experiencing here. It's not about finding a better spot or re-zoning. Once the drops stop, it doesn't matter where you go or even if you log out and back in again, the drops eventually stop everywhere. The only fix seems to be to turn in a reward for a quest, complete a mission, or just wait long enough and then they start working again.

Some lvl 20s have reported going back to Ascalon and other earlier missions to help low lvl players, and not getting a single drop for their efforts. I experienced this the other night helping someone get through the Nolani mission, and got hardly any drops at all except for a few salvage items and a charr hide. That isn't the way it used to be, and has nothing to do with finding a better farming spot or not, or coming up with a new formula for farming creatures effectively.

Hysteria · Jun 11, 2005, 10:29 PM // 22:29

Farming still is profitable in the right areas. I like to switch areas each time not because of the possible dynamic dropping, but mainly out of boredom of monotiny. Im still finding nice weapon drops and have even slavaged more than a few superior runes. One thing to note is that I seem to get better weapon drops when I solo certain missions but that might just be coincidence .

Akshara · Jun 11, 2005, 10:39 PM // 22:39

As an example, the other night I headed out into Kryta to do a quest and took only a couple of henchmen so that I'd get a larger share of gold and drops along the way. So we run into the Ettins, get overwhelmed and die. After resurrection we go back and do them again, run into more Ettins a little farther and die again. So I head back to town and grab another henchman, then go back out.

This time we go through the newly instanced Etins fine... but after just a short while they stop dropping altogether... no items, no gold, nothing. This continued for the entire quest, and there were a lOt of Ettins along the way.

Galatea · Jun 11, 2005, 10:47 PM // 22:47

So -- I checked other forums too and came across this, with other player's experiences:
http://forums.gwonline.net/showthrea...1&page=1&pp=10

While the current system will be successful in killing drops for bots, it is penalizing other players, whether they are farming or not. Those that need to repeatedly kill for items for collectors, or who are doing a run of quests, or just want to explore, or those that have to repeat the mission because they have failed numerous times, or decided to go back in to do the bonus, whatever - drops are stopping for those people, too.

Definitely a problem.

dansamy · Jun 11, 2005, 11:42 PM // 23:42

After about 2-3 hours today of just exploring with henches, I netted one purple and about 1k gold, including the crappy items that dropped that I sold to the merchant. Drops are definitely drying up.

ManadartheHealer · Jun 11, 2005, 11:59 PM // 23:59

Maybe the monsters wisened up and decided that carrying money they would never lose is just asking for them to be mugged? I mean, seriously, why would some dead archer guy need 115 gold?

eA-Zaku · Jun 12, 2005, 12:01 AM // 00:01

To get him some skeleton ho's.

Creston · Jun 12, 2005, 12:39 AM // 00:39

I spent a grand total of TWO DAYS trying to find items needed for the collector's.

"This game is not about grinding!"

And yet, when I want to find 5 of one item to trade to a collector, I have to continuously kill the same monster over and over and over again in the hopes that that item drops. And now they've made it so that after about ten of them (which gives you one of the item you're looking for, if you're lucky) they simply stop dropping.

Arenanet, you might as well throw out the collectors, because you've turned them into the ultimate grind. Nice going.

So everyone who farmed before this now has tons of money, items, loot etc, can buy the top range armor, what have you.
Everyone else can't get any of that anymore, because I can't even imagine HOW MANY hours you have to play now to get your 75K for your top armor, when all that drops is white white white white white and then it stops. It's like a government endorsed monopoly! Too many players have money now, let's have everyone else never make money again.

"This update was universally appreciated". Yeah, sure it was. I just love getting 0 xp, 0 skills and now 0 loot from all these mobs I have to grind my way through on my way to the next town, it just makes fighting them SO EXCITING.

Creston

ManadartheHealer · Jun 12, 2005, 02:01 AM // 02:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Creston

I spent a grand total of TWO DAYS trying to find items needed for the collector's.

I stopped after I read that. Why? Collectors suck.

Dazzler · Jun 12, 2005, 02:04 AM // 02:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by C-Tzar

My E/N can solo some lv 20+ mobs.

What is a good strategy to solo with an E?

I find that I do not live long enough to cast all my AoE spells.

And also what skills are ppl using to solo as a Me?

I am a E/Me and I get smashed hard if I try to solo against more than 1-2 monsters at a time--and since mobs usually come in groups > 2 that means I get smashed hard.

Mebbe I am not taking the right skillz. I equp alot of AoE ele spells + ward against melee + earth armor, but I still get pwned before I can get off all my spells.

Any tips appreciated.

Galatea · Jun 12, 2005, 02:27 AM // 02:27

I went exploring in Snake's Dance a few hours ago, trying to collect five frosted wing things for a collector. I went with two henchmen (one to heal, and one to tank), since I knew I couldn't take on the monsters myself. Most of the monsters dropped nothing (henchmen probably took the drops), and only a few of them dropped gold. I cleared out the monsters I needed to kill for the item (about 25 of them, at least, plus a boss), and walked out with 400 gold, maybe 3 worthless items to sell to the merchant, and one purple item that wasn't even unidentified. I only got 1 of the item I need, but I'm afraid the drops will be even less if I keep hitting the same area.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ManadartheHealer

I stopped after I read that. Why? Collectors suck.

Actually, some collectors reward you with really good items.

Check Lion's Arch trade spam, and you'll see uninformed masses bidding up to 85k+ for a Max Damage Staff with +10 Energy, 20% skill recharge, and 20% casting speed improvement. They think it's some rare drop, but it's a collector's item from later in the game. With that knowledge, if they wanted the staff that bad and didn't have access to the collector, I would think they'd spend no more 5k.

Razorcraft · Jun 12, 2005, 03:48 AM // 03:48

I need a superior vigor rune in order to counteract the -75 health hit I took with a superior air rune. They cost 100,000 gold or just under that if players ever sell them.

There is no way under the current system that I have the time available to do this. The drops have been 'nerfed'. To the point that this game is completely different than it was a week or two ago.

While I understand the need to stop farmers who sell gold and items on e-bay, the decision to have diminishing returns on drops has to be one of the worst solutions I have heard.

E-bay has a program you can get into that stops selling of virtual property.

If someone hands people not in their guild a LOT of cash or superior runes for nothing? They are probably farming. They should check on those people. Not make it to where some of us feels like we may as well not even bother.

goku19123 · Jun 12, 2005, 05:41 AM // 05:41

The solution to the problem is so simple.

Make all the rune drops an insanely high percentage, so they drop like rain during a storm.

No one has to grind for unlocks.
Prices fall back to within reason.
Everyone walks away happy.

Dazzler · Jun 12, 2005, 06:35 AM // 06:35

then people will complain it is too easy to get runes.

They already think it is too easy since we can buy from the Rune Trader.
Just as they do not like the new SoC system as it is too easy.

I personally like the SoC system now as it is not frustrating anymore

Studio Ghibli · Jun 12, 2005, 06:46 AM // 06:46

To clarify,

This thread isn't about "nerf to farming." It's about the overall "nerf to item drops." This is when I'm playing the game how ArenaNet demands I play the game, as opposed to farming (which I enjoy as much as combing a beach for seashells

).

I spent at least two hours tonight running the Underworld with a random PUG. Well, I was the PUG, as they were a guild--and I was only switching to my monk to move a Superior Strength over to my Warrior. Since they invited me though, I decided "WHY THE HELL NOT. I'VE HEARD LEWT IS NICE IN THE UNDERWORLD."

So, yeah, at least two hours later.

1) about a plat and a half of raw gold (or roughly 15 separate gold drops, assuming at least/at most 100 gold per drop, though I think the average was actually 127)
2) 7 demonic remains (common drop)
3) 1 demonic fang
4) 1 vial of blue dye
5) 1 holy rod (common)
6) 1 smiting staff of fortitude (+21 health)
7) 1 glob of ectoplasm
8) 8 piles of glittering dust (4 each time)

So.. about twenty-nine drops in at least two hours. About one drop every four minutes.

And all of it as worthless as ANYTHING I COULD'VE GOTTEN ANYWHERE ELSE.

Just thought you'd like to know how much I love this update. I've never actually spent this little time on Guild Wars thanks to it.

KuTeBaka · Jun 12, 2005, 07:12 AM // 07:12

actually, ive noticed a increase of item drops, never been through a mission without at lesat one purple. did anyone else in your group get the good drops in UW?

Studio Ghibli · Jun 12, 2005, 07:17 AM // 07:17

You'd think so.

Unfortunately, no.

The only.. worthwhile drop was, uh, some bow?.. an eternal bow?.. but even that was white without any mods on it.

As far as I noticed (and I've been eagle-eyed as of late, as this stuff has been really bothering me), everyone else managed roughly the same drop-haul as me: lots of worthless poop.

In fact, there was one person who actually netted less than I did. I was complaining to them and she spoke up and said, "Well, at least you're getting glittering dust."

- edit -

I've noticed some people not finding a change in drops.

Some even write that there seems to be an increase in drops.

This is another reason I have this thread up.

I'm trying to find out what's going on with them that's not happening with us.

My only idea is that these people (like you) who argue drops are the same or--in fact--even better are people who didn't normally paid attention to drops prior to this whole "HOMG DROPPED NERFS" claim.

- edit #2 -

Woops!

Failed to notice.

Also pulled a 15-22 flamberge--with no mods.

Over two hours.

And ONE BLUE.

Alderman Sweet · Jun 12, 2005, 07:18 AM // 07:18

My backpack has a lot more air in it lately. Considering the widespread unhappiness, I imagine Anet will start increasing the drops pretty soon.