Curse

Navaros · Jan 12, 2007, 09:39 AM // 09:39

I'm new to UW farming. I've been solo killing all the UW smites for a about a week now.

Tonight I killed them all on 4 different trips, and in those 4 trips of 100% smite killing, I got zero ectos.

On other nights on most runs I also usually end up with zero ectos for killing all of them, although sometimes I get one, sometimes two and once I got three. But it seems much more often than not, I get zero.

A poster on the comment of where I originally saw the build said he gets an average of 2 ectos per run (build was posted a month or so ago in case they changed the drop rates since then). I have no clue how he gets an average of 2 ectos per run since my average is way closer to zero.

Is getting a lot of zero ectos per run normal?

Is there a trick to not getting stiffed with zero ectos?

Does the anti-farming code apply to ectos that drop from smites if I kill all the smites then zone to LA and go back in UW and kill all the smites again?

Cebe · Jan 12, 2007, 09:47 AM // 09:47

It's entirely down to luck...which I'm sure you didn't want to hear

Yes, it's likely you will get zero ectos per run...the most I've personally ever seen per run is 4...so I guess zero-4 ectos per run....but I've had my fair share of zero-ecto runs.

Navaros · Jan 12, 2007, 09:53 AM // 09:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celestial Beaver

It's entirely down to luck...which I'm sure you didn't want to hear

Would have preferred if it was a more solid drop rate not based on luck.

I've seen many people bashing ecto farmers on this site for getting rich or getting FOW armor in an easy way and based on that I thought if I finally get in on it then it would be smooth sailing to mass ectos once I figure out how to survive and kill all the smites. It's quite shocking to realize that that isn't close to being the case.

Makes me completely bewildered why anyone would ever want to 2-man or 4-man farm the UW if the ectos already don't drop enough with a solo run.

laurson · Jan 12, 2007, 10:52 AM // 10:52

my guildi had 4 ecto's and 3 golden in 1 run oO

Anarkii · Jan 12, 2007, 11:06 AM // 11:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Navaros

Would have preferred if it was a more solid drop rate not based on luck.

The drop rate is 'luck' itself. If each smite crawler had a fixed 5% chance of dropping an ecto, killing 20 of them doesnt guarantee an ecto. You can get 20 ectos or none at all.

But for your original question, I'd guess around 5%. Its hard to estimate unless you have a massive sample collected from players. In WoW, drop rates of almost every item is known to an extreme precision because of the presence of mods and user-submitted data to 3rd party surveys. No such provision in GW.

irishone · Jan 12, 2007, 11:24 AM // 11:24

what i do is play for an hour in UW then go farmin on a different character then go back to farming UW about an hour later i normaly find that i get ethier 0 or 4 ectos per run but when i do this i find that i get 2-3 ectos on first run or 2nd

Karmaniac · Jan 12, 2007, 11:46 AM // 11:46

According to wiki smite drop rate for ecto is slightly less than 2% and I can confirm this to be about the case judging by my own ventures to UW. Usually I get one or none at all. However the rate doesn't seem very consistent. I remember when I was dualing UW with spirit bond we would get around 2-3 ectos per run. That was before the nerf though.
Finally I would take everything posted here with a handful of salt for example some not to be mentioned person who kept insisting he could solo smites with his assassin in 5 minutes and make some 160k hourly. Yet the said person was very reluctant to post any sort of proof of his exploits.

Deadly Eyezz · Jan 12, 2007, 11:52 AM // 11:52

I got max 3 ectos in 3 man party.As in not solo.

Navaros · Jan 12, 2007, 11:54 AM // 11:54

Does anyone know if the anti-farming code effects ecto drops?

flipfly2004 · Jan 12, 2007, 11:55 AM // 11:55

my solo smiterun record was 4 ectos + 2 keys + 1 gold + 1 purple

darrengordon · Jan 12, 2007, 12:22 PM // 12:22

It definatly seems slower no adays though im sure it just me, i always duo and the drop rate best i used to see was 5 ectos (not uncommon but that included attaxe) we used to get it most nights at around 9.30 UK time for some unknown random reason it really did seem better but im sure it was just coincidence and we prob forgot the times we didnt get em.
Nowadays we seem to get around 2 or 3 or none at all but dont do it much cause the drop rate is slow for me. There are quicker ways to get a few k an hour so i tend to do those now

Sophitia Leafblade · Jan 12, 2007, 12:26 PM // 12:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Navaros

Does anyone know if the anti-farming code effects ecto drops?

yes it affected all drops that includes Rares like ectos even more so.

ACreator · Jan 12, 2007, 01:52 PM // 13:52

Max I got was in my 1st time in UW in duo mode..

1st 2 aataxes, 2 ectos

1 DNM 1 gold

smites 3 ectos... xD

Jumping Is Uselss · Jan 12, 2007, 01:54 PM // 13:54

A normal run for me is 0-2 ectos, I've had 4 ectos in 1 run, but its rare. As for the anti-farming code, my drops start to go like crap after 5 runs. Also I think ecto drop is affected by which server your in. Because on my Euro account I get ectos after 3-5 runs. While my American account gets ectos during the 1st run.

Hengis · Jan 12, 2007, 01:59 PM // 13:59

I've been messing about with the solo E/Me build this week and still havent got it exactly right, but here is my experience.

I have made about 35 attempts, of those attempts I got to the smites around 20 times, and of those I killed all of the smites around 15 times.

My ecto haul so far is 11 ectos.

Dmevi · Jan 12, 2007, 02:56 PM // 14:56

I ve Done UW alot,,,

ive made runs with duo monk / SS / trapper / fasttrap / warrior....

al i ever got was 8 ectos iin a bout 45 runs:\\\

That sucked like hell!

but now for some reason i made the SS ele and i get sometimes 3 other runs 2 and sometimes 1 and 0 f course, but i had 0 for a veeery long time.. and now ive farmed 34 ecto and 130k in 4 days UW farming (just after school)

w00t

i can see my money pile rise and my fow armor getting closer.

My advice is: Keep on trying.. worked at me (though my friend is 2 FOW armors ahead of me now.....)

Flightmare · Jan 12, 2007, 03:34 PM // 15:34

I think my average is 1 ecto a run (in total)

Arkantos · Jan 12, 2007, 04:06 PM // 16:06

You can get none, and some people (including myself) can get up to 4 in one run, but 0-2 is probably most common.

chessyang · Jan 12, 2007, 04:09 PM // 16:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flightmare

I think my average is 1 ecto a run (in total)

same here.... as of the W/Me build post by Don't feel Pain.... sometimes 2 in 1 run =)... have some screen shots because i was so excited to have two drop in one run.. but now it nothing new....

Solo Monk. which is annoying and boring and slow i remember getting about 3 or 4 per run but again, annoying and boring and slow.

*Note after the smites stop dropping stuff (dust,items,residue,etc..) time to reset the flag =) aka farm other spots.

Hengis · Jan 12, 2007, 04:38 PM // 16:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by chessyang

*Note after the smites stop dropping stuff (dust,items,residue,etc..) time to reset the flag =) aka farm other spots.

With there now being three entrances to UW in the three continents, has anyone got any circumstantial evidence/gut feelings if it makes any difference about where you go to break your farming run..

What I mean is, if for example you constantly enter from ToA would you have to go elsewhere in Tyria to "reset your flag".

Or equally, if you rotate your entry point would you then have to do something else in each continent?

I was constantly using Chantry of Secrets as my entry point, and when my drops tailed off I went to help a guildmate do some quests and a mission in the crystal desert in Tyria, but it did not seem to have any effect on my poor drops. Of course with drops being totally random it can be hard to tell.

In theory I dont think it should matter where you go, but I would like to hear of any other experiences.