Curse

Efreeti Cynder · Jan 17, 2007, 11:39 AM // 11:39

Howdy ya'll,

I've got two questions for ya re: farming.

1) Do NPCs allies reduce the drop rate like PCs, heroes and hench do?

IF NOT, I'd like to see a list of places good to farm where NPC allies join up. One place I'm using (until I find out it's an invalid attempt) is Pongmei Valley with The Convocation quest active. I leave Maatu Fort, chat to Togo, then take him on a boss hunt. When I'm done, I abandon it and go back the Altruum Ruins and get the quest again! Hope it's working; I got a green drop on my first boss.

2) What is YOUR recommended general farming guide?
PLEASE don't say "Use the search function" as it just returns a bunch of people asking "What is farming" and being told "Use the search funtion" (try it for yourself and see. For someone just wanting an answer, this response is very annoying).

Paste a link to your favourite general farming guide here!

Hengis · Jan 17, 2007, 02:37 PM // 14:37

I haven't got a clue about whether allied NPCs (rather than heros/hench) take their share of the drops or not. It's a pretty good question actually!

On your second question, one simple and utterly obvious tip for farming is to start out with an empty inventory (or as empty as possible) and pick up absolutely everything that drops!

Also, identify everything before selling to the merchant, as indentifing the item almost always increases its value by more than the cost of indentification.

A Guildmate of mine often complains of having no money, but whenever I team up with him he always leaves the vast majority of his drops on the ground... Strangely enough he always picks up gold that drops. Think about it though, a drop of 120g shared between 8 people = 15g each. Whereas a crappy white staff for example will probably merchant for 30-40g minimum, probably more.

This isn't a get rich quick plan, but it is something I have done the whole time I have played the game and I have never been particularly short of money.

fotovince · Jan 17, 2007, 02:42 PM // 14:42

Yes, npc's take there fair share in drops, like real people do.

Efreeti Cynder · Jan 19, 2007, 09:04 AM // 09:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hengis Stone

I haven't got a clue about whether allied NPCs (rather than heros/hench) take their share of the drops or not. It's a pretty good question actually!

On your second question, one simple and utterly obvious tip for farming is to start out with an empty inventory (or as empty as possible) and pick up absolutely everything that drops!

Also, identify everything before selling to the merchant, as indentifing the item almost always increases its value by more than the cost of indentification.

A Guildmate of mine often complains of having no money, but whenever I team up with him he always leaves the vast majority of his drops on the ground... Strangely enough he always picks up gold that drops. Think about it though, a drop of 120g shared between 8 people = 15g each. Whereas a crappy white staff for example will probably merchant for 30-40g minimum, probably more.

This isn't a get rich quick plan, but it is something I have done the whole time I have played the game and I have never been particularly short of money.

Thanks for your response, Hengis! I remember about a month into playing GW (this time last year, before Factions came out) I realised that item drops give much much more money than money drops, and stopped cursing so much when I got that plain white item.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotovince

Yes, npc's take there fair share in drops, like real people do.

Thanks for this Fotovince. The GW Wiki tends to have statistical evidence of these things. I don't mean to put you though the ringer Fotovince, but do you have evidence that backs this up?

I guess if NPCs do get included in the drop rate, it then makes me ask whether other enemy groups that get involved in the fight against your foe are also included in the drop rate, and leave you for short...?

EC.

Across The Battle · Jan 19, 2007, 11:21 AM // 11:21

I dont believe NPCs take drops, only your party does. I could be wrong but I dont think I am.

jeanne p · Jan 19, 2007, 12:19 PM // 12:19

hi,
You can BE SURE that npc DOEUS NOT take drops.
try to solo greth footprint with an monk NPC (ALKAR), he will follow you all time and alls the drops are for you with NO EXEPTION.
the gold is only for you too, your party doeusn't "share"; 100gold dropped = 100gold for you.

Bye-bye
Jeanne P

random.name · Jan 19, 2007, 12:32 PM // 12:32

Let me put it this way... I solo something and every single enemy drops something. I then get npc to follow in the exact same area, and all of a sudden I dont get a drop with every single death. Proof enough for me.

Feme Assassin · Jan 19, 2007, 01:39 PM // 13:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeanne p

hi,
You can BE SURE that npc DOEUS NOT take drops.
try to solo greth footprint with an monk NPC (ALKAR), he will follow you all time and alls the drops are for you with NO EXEPTION.
the gold is only for you too, your party doeusn't "share"; 100gold dropped = 100gold for you.

Bye-bye
Jeanne P

lol man i hope you were just j/king
of course hench and heroes take their share and they DO SHARE THE MONEY you get

TeeJay · Jan 19, 2007, 01:48 PM // 13:48

People are mixing up words here.

NPCs are also heroes and henchmen. But what Jeanne was trying to say: There are some npcs who fill folow you around while not being an actual part of your partie. Heroes/Henchmen DO take their share of drops and gold. NPCs like the Alkaar in GF don't. They also can't be controlled, henchies can.

isamu kurosawa · Jan 19, 2007, 01:59 PM // 13:59

If the npc's at a canthan shrine attack a foe before you, then you dont get the drops however.

XvArchonvX · Jan 19, 2007, 03:36 PM // 15:36

1) yes, heroes and hench take their share items/drops. This is why people try so hard for to find solo builds

2) I don't care if you told me not to tell you, I'll say it anyways: Use the search button and/or look around the farming section. It may not put every answer right in the palm of your hand, but with a little effort, you can find what you need. If no one took the time to look through the results to find what they wanted, the clutter in these forums would cause some serious problems. If you need a farming build, take a look at what professions/skills/equiptment/areas you have unlocked and go from there. Either scroll around this Farming Forum or search by something like 'Warrior Solo" or "E/Me UW". If you want to farm a certain boss, then type something like "Swiftscale Solo". If you don't know what boss gives drops that are worth much, then look around the Price Check section of the forums. There are baseline guides that can give you an idea of what some items are selling for. Be patient and do a little work for yourself and it will pay off.

AlbinoChocobo · Jan 19, 2007, 03:39 PM // 15:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeanne p

the gold is only for you too, your party doeusn't "share"; 100gold dropped = 100gold for you.

I think jeanne p has the gist of it : watch your gold, if it increases by the amount you pick up, then there's no sharing going on, and it should hold true for drops as well.

glountz · Jan 19, 2007, 04:16 PM // 16:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by isamu kurosawa

If the npc's at a canthan shrine attack a foe before you, then you dont get the drops however.

More precisely,he will take a drop if he kills the boss/mob and not you
Test it farming Geoffer or Milthuran in Cantha with the help of shrine NPCs.
You can be helped by them, but if they do the final blow you won't have anything.
Priest NPCs are the best, as they won't have the offense needed to kill a mob.

qvtkc · Jan 19, 2007, 07:17 PM // 19:17

NPC's that are not in your party will take the loot if they do the majority of damage.

http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Loot:
If a foe receives most of its damage from other sources than the party - NPCs (not including henchmen), other foes, Edge of Extinction, etc - the party will not gain loot from that foe.

Carmine · Jan 19, 2007, 07:24 PM // 19:24

Let me again emphasize that non-herohench NPCs do NOT decrease drop rates --- so long as you do the majority of the damage to any particular foe.

On the other hand...it is my impression that a group of 2-4 PCs will have a better drop rate of rares than solo. With two people, you get half the drops, but as far as I can tell, they're slightly better drops...and you can clear an area nearly twice as fast, which all in all is an improvement.

Let me second Hengis Stone on saying: pick up all drops.

Also, it helps your wallet if you don't spend money on worthless crap. But if you *really* like snowman summoners...feel free to buy mine. : P

Efreeti Cynder · Jan 20, 2007, 04:05 AM // 04:05

I had an interesting experience on a trip through Urgoz. Being a Ritualist, I had the duty to bring Shelter and Union, and also brough Preservation and Recuperation. All these spirits are generally non-targeting effects.

Throughout the entire mission, I barely got three items drop in my name (and I WAS within radius of most of the fighting!). By the end I suspected the problem was that I wasn't hitting any of the creatures.

BUT WAIT! If you don't get drops because you don't hit creatures, then wouldn't Monks be the poor profession! So I figured that in order to get drops, you either gotta hit the creature, or target an ally that's hitting creatures with an effect.

What happened? Well, I thought that I wasn't going to have come all that way and not have a chance in hell of getting a drop from Urgoz just because I do passive effects!! Contrary to intructions from the front lines, I made sure to run in there twice and give Urgoz a good one two before fleeing to safety and letting the others do the rest. The result? Of the four or so items I got from the entire mission, I was rewarded with a nice Urgoz's Flatbow.

Now besides wanting know if my deductions above are somewhat accurate (re: hitting creature or targeting a hitter so Mos and Rts can have a chance), can excluding yourself from the drop rate throughout the mission help increase the chances of a drop for you later??

Carmine · Jan 20, 2007, 05:40 AM // 05:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Efreeti Cynder

Now besides wanting know if my deductions above are somewhat accurate (re: hitting creature or targeting a hitter so Mos and Rts can have a chance), can excluding yourself from the drop rate throughout the mission help increase the chances of a drop for you later??

Spirit effects would be an interesting oversight. Somewhere I saw a note that you are in the system for loot if you are in aggro range for a foe that the party kills or cast spells on party members in aggro range of a foe. However, I've certainly received loot after being dead for several minutes outside aggro range, which violates all theories on the table.

More to the point, and mostly an extension of the point---I've heard from one or two Orders Necros in Tombs B/P groups that they seem to get less loot. That being said, I heard a skill hunter claim to receive rare items far more often than those without the title. As an expert skill hunter myself, I've found this is patently untrue.

Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, and tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief. Your noble son is mad.

er...I mean to say, statistics don't apply accurately to a sample size of three. You may well just be an unlucky boob. As for your Urgoz Longbow...this is a stroke of luck. I would almost guarantee that the system ANet uses to determine loot is entirely local: earlier drops do not affect later drops. ANet relies on pure, solid statistics. Receiving little loot early in the mission has no influence on receiving loot from Urgoz---but it is more likely overall that you receive loot the rough equivalent of anyone else in the group.

My War Can Solo Everythin · Jan 20, 2007, 06:01 AM // 06:01

I've tested the following:
- Heroes take drops
- Henchies take drops
- Allies don't take drops

If u want, take quest allies, they definitely dont get what u drop, cause they're not henchies and
they're not heroes, just follow u in the quest.
I've tested with and w/o them, same quantity of drops.

But, you better start to mess up with a solo build, it's definitely better.
Allies die quickly and don't rez.