therealprotexMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 526Arc User
The change related to AF is good for me. There is a guaranteed end of the AF grind and you can speed it up a little if you grind harder. Yes, the drop rates were decreased, but I still got 4 additional AF from the digsites (by doing 18 of them). Too low numbers to derive a proper rate from it, I know, but if the rate continues like this, I am more than content. But even with zero drops from digsites there are still 19 per week. Well done, Cryptic!
About the changes related to Arcane Magical Writings, I am less thrilled. Except for the sercure campain task I got no AMW at all, not from digsites, not from HEs. The change would be less good if the bottleneck simply swapped from AF to AMW.
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adinosiiMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 4,294Arc User
About the changes related to Arcane Magical Writings, I am less thrilled. Except for the secure campaign task I got no AMW at all, not from digsites, not from HEs. The change would be less good if the bottleneck simply swapped from AF to AMW.
Well, I got several AMWs from HEs and treasure chests yesterday, so I don't share your experience - I have already gotten all those I need, just by repeating the "Secure the District" task over and over - go to a low-population instance, visit all dig sites and upgrade, repeat until done. I would get 5-8 per day that way - the ones from HEs and chests are just a bonus.
It's definitely a change to benefit the casual players. You can spend <1 hour now and knock out the daily and get a guaranteed 2 Focii. Previously, you'd probably farm 5 or so dig sites in that time, and get anywhere from 0-3. With the previous cap of 3/day, you'd be getting 21/week, but with some serious variations depending on your luck with the drops.
Now you're getting 2/day + 5 from the weekly for 19/week guaranteed, with less effort. But the option is there to earn more, but at a potentially very frustratingly low drop rate. So the neckbeards who spend 12 hours gaming and want their new mod11 weapons NOW can do so, but are at the whim of RNG which can be rewarding or frustrating depending on your luck (and let's face it, in Neverwinter, RNG always seems very heavily skewed towards the lowest possible chances. *eg. lockboxes; invocation boxes).
So I'm somewhat ambivalent about these changes. I can now more regularly get several focii per day, but my enjoyment of farming dig sites has more or less been wiped out. 7 dig sites now and 0 focii. No thanks. I'd rather spend that time doing a T2 dungeon for 10+k AD, or something else.
*update* - farmed 12 more dig sites this morning between 2 characters. So that's a total of 19 dig sites since yesterday. Not 1 Arcanic Focus. Lol. I'll be sticking with the daily + weekly only and move on to other things to better spend my time. Not sure if that was the intended change, but I now have absolutely 0 interest in farming dig sites.
As @adinosii said, the overall change is very welcomed as it guaranties you will get a minimum amount per day. The problem is that: - It seems that the chance of getting an arcanic focus from any dig site is extremately low now. - We have no clue if the amount of arcanic focus per day is capped. Furthermore, due to the first problem, we have no way to figure if it's capped or if it's so low that it makes no sense trying to farm them.
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beckylunaticMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 14,231Arc User
I think the change to add a guarantee that you'll get some Arcane Focus and not be subject to the whimsy of RNG is good and needed, but do strongly question what the purpose of farming dig sites is now meant to be. If they are basically now an unrewarding and repetitive waste of time better spent doing any other activity, they're a failed mechanic. There needs to be a solid reason to want to bother with them... like viably being able to earn your weapons faster at a rate that actually somewhat reflects the effort you put in (and again, not the whimsy of RNG).
Great change, thank you. If you are wanting more than the guaranteed quest rewards, you take a RISK to grind more. Sometimes your time is worth it, sometimes it is not. That's the way it goes.
I've run about 30-35 dig sites since the server came up again yesterday and received 7 arcane focus, just for reference. Though I'm only restating what others have said, here is some further confirmation. It appears 1) the cap is gone, and 2) I'm either lucky or the drop rate is not that much worse than before. Obviously the sample size is too small to speak firmly on the second point, but there it is.
Personally, I'm very happy with the AF changes. The people who only have a bit of time each day have a steady supply of guaranteed AF, allowing us to set a firm stop date if we have a routine and set amount of play time - and one should note that stop date will be before the 2x refinement event, even if you started today. Likewise, the grind-happy people could go for 30 hours straight and get their weapon/offhand tomorrow if they wanted, and with a bit of luck.
So yeah, this is a win in my eyes. Good work Cryptic. Now, fix Prophecy of Doom in the way you described in the patch notes - because it absolutely does not do what the patch notes say you fixed it to do (see thread in the bug forum)
I have done 2 to 3 digs a day since the mid dropped without giving a flip about Foci. They are a fast way to complete the daily, proc RP bonuses and the treasure maps are decent enough, providing some more reclaimed and the odd EoE. Certainly they are less mind numbing than zerging the ship.
"We have always been at war with Dread Vault" ~ Little Brother
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beckylunaticMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 14,231Arc User
edited March 2017
I will say, farming dungeon digs for reclaimed magic on days when you have time supports the absolute fastest way to complete the RD daily I've found for days you have no time (wish I realized this whenever I skipped and went to bed). Do one dungeon dig and recover heirloom magic for your fetch quest, and find a ritual site that's open and complete the campaign task by putting in magic twice. 100% completion all done, and not much waste.
Today I was 4/27. For me the main issue is that after we are done with the boons and weapons, there is no reason to return to RD. SP uses SKT keys. This will be the first Mod where the zone serves no real purpose after you complete it. Please add something worth farming.
You can buy more SKT keys from the Travelling Merchant, so they have tried to keep it relevant. How successfully is uncertain.
minotaur2857Member, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 1,141Arc User
To continue on from what I previously posted, I'm now 2/33 AF from digs across 4 characters and several friends are reporting 0/20+. This was the drop rate I was getting on the first looting previously, but I was getting nearly 10x as many on the second looting. This change has really done me no good as I'm now down from 3/char/day to just under 3 with dailies and weeklies.
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gabrieldourdenMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 1,212Arc User
I like the changes. 19 guaranteed means I can plan everything and if I'm short of time I just do my daily and I'm still on track. It frees a lot of time at a very low cost. And if I just get 2 AF in dig sites in a week I'm exactly where I was in half the time.
Le-Shan: HR level 80 (main)
Born of Black Wind: SW Level 80
Okay, just a stupid me stated a thread I noticed this one:
Several people notices that since the patch they either get no AF at all besides those two from the mission, while others report an dramatically increased drop rate everywhere.
Someone seems to have botched the implementation.
You're sure they botched it? This *can't* be anecdotal?
I only do one dig site a day on each toon. Today, two toons got a focus drop. Oppsie I must have taken them from some people who were farming all day. Dang RNG.
And the change today seems to be another complete disaster. 15 digs, 1 arcane focus across 3 characters, plus the 2 free ones for the daily, leaving me 7 in total, which is around what I'd have got from that many digs before they fixed the double looting of the chests. So I'm now worse off as people are reporting that the main hand has been pushed up from 45->60. ***edit it appears that report is wrong, still 45**, but done another few and now 1/19, other people 0/20.
@nitocris83 you really need to explain what's going on here.
If you read carefully it is possibly to earn more than 3 per day, yet now you get 2 just from your daily quest and can still earn a few more from dig's even without double chest. Although if your comparing 'x' dig's that gave twice the benefit that was not by design. The fact that some had their mainhand weapon restored before they had even unlocked a BOON tells you it was slightly overly generous. :*
Now you your 14 a week plus 5 more from your weekly and a 'chance' to earn possibly another 7-15 each week depending on how many digs you uncover.
Rather than getting upset it be far more productive if others instead nicely asked, <font color=gold>Please extend weekly to include 2 magical writings, and perhaps also 1 for the daily. But remember those aren't bound items so if you're short you can look acquire or trade them from others.
This change has ended up making acquiring writings from doing dig sites and upgrading posts for security worst. Fixed the double looting, yeah, but the original drop amounts were BS so that's why people did it in the first place.
Also the increased drop rate of writings from HEs was a total lie. It seems WORST now.
So good work, you made writings more painful to get,
I'd simply say the same thing I posted above to this person.
I was only ever able to double loot 2 or 3 times total, not every chest, and rarely got anything from the 2nd opening. Only 1 time did I ever get 2 AF from one dig. Since Thursday, I have done somewhere around 60 dig sites just to see how bad this really is, and I've gotten a grand total of 2 AF, both of those on Thursday. Someone claims to have gotten 9 in one day. I don't have a problem farming for these the slow way, but it should be fair across the board. I hate it when rules/benefits are not equal.
Since the change, , I run 9 dig sites per day just like I did before (you couldn't pay me enough to grind more than that,, kripes,, I have other content in game I like to run plus ARCS Stronghold Kingdoms on the side). I get me garaunteed 2 from the daily and usually 2 or 3 bonus from the sites. Before the change, I averaged 3 per day from sites and picked up bonus ones from chests (yes, they DID drop from those ocasionally, not sure if they still do after the change, haven't noticed any). Before the fix I had nearly enough to restore my offhand and now by the end of this week I'll have a practically garaunteed half way there on my main hand without even having to work at it. You really can't ask for much better.. c'mon people.
Okay, just a stupid me stated a thread I noticed this one:
Several people notices that since the patch they either get no AF at all besides those two from the mission, while others report an dramatically increased drop rate everywhere.
Someone seems to have botched the implementation.
I this or another thread, I reported having a very similar drop rate from before. So, we have some reporting more, some reporting less, and some reporting the same. It's almost like it's some kind of random number generator at work, or something...
At first I thought this was a bad change due to the run i've done with 0 AF drops. But the drop rate seems pretty fine to me after more runs as tomorrow I will get the main hand because I got 15+ AF these 2 last days through dig runs. It allows casual players to get AF from dailies and farmers to get it faster through dig sites farming. Good change.
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lordseth1985Member, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 319Arc User
Well. I never got Af from treasure maps, all my source of it was from dig sites. Since the change I only get the ones from dailies/weeklies and rarely any AF from dig sites.
BUT... I noticed something odd: while I have the ostaram quest up [either unfinished or finished and ready to talk to ostaram] I can't get any AF from dig sites. After I talk to him and finish the quest, I always get 2-3 AF from dig sites... someone also noticed that or is just RNG trolling me?
Avestruz.Q.T.Seduz - Rogue, natural born assassin.
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silverkeltMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 4,235Arc User
edited March 2017
New rate exchanges a slightly quicker restore time to a longer one , for much less rng and much less wasted time..
I have no idea why people are upset about the change.. what I do know is people were relying on a bug to get focus...
I am fairly fine with the exchange.. however.. you know.. at the same time, would have it killed them to just add 2 more to the weekly? to match old totals..?
Just seems odd that they went the route and didnt make it match.. not that Im complaining about it, im not.
This new system.. ALLOWS a far better and freer route to get things done, without so much wasted time of doing nothing.
I would prefer to get 2 a day + 5 a week , then go 0-8 or 3 out 12 again.
I spent 1.5 hours on my dc one day for zero focus..
I MUCH prefer this system.. yes.. some people exploited the HAMSTER out of things and got a heavier return rate.. which again.. I know why they did that.. since the rate was CRAPTASTIC... there wasnt really much of a choice. Some of these poeple are upset that it was changed at all and wish the old system was still in place.. But im not one of them.. this new system is much more efficient on a daily basis.
but now.. you do a dig site or two.. get a he in, turn in some reclaim magic and your done.. for a guarantee and you CAN do it at any point of the day.
If you get some random RNG arcane focus.. fine , your just going tgo restore a bit quicker then others.. but at least there is a end day for all people doing it.
Got 6 today (2 from daily and 4 from digs) and 5 yesterday (2 from daily 3 from digs.) 20 digs today and 18 yesterday. So yeah, if you spend your time grinding digs it will move things along faster. The change is good as far as I can tell.
Comments
About the changes related to Arcane Magical Writings, I am less thrilled. Except for the sercure campain task I got no AMW at all, not from digsites, not from HEs. The change would be less good if the bottleneck simply swapped from AF to AMW.
With the previous cap of 3/day, you'd be getting 21/week, but with some serious variations depending on your luck with the drops.
Now you're getting 2/day + 5 from the weekly for 19/week guaranteed, with less effort. But the option is there to earn more, but at a potentially very frustratingly low drop rate. So the neckbeards who spend 12 hours gaming and want their new mod11 weapons NOW can do so, but are at the whim of RNG which can be rewarding or frustrating depending on your luck (and let's face it, in Neverwinter, RNG always seems very heavily skewed towards the lowest possible chances. *eg. lockboxes; invocation boxes).
So I'm somewhat ambivalent about these changes. I can now more regularly get several focii per day, but my enjoyment of farming dig sites has more or less been wiped out. 7 dig sites now and 0 focii. No thanks. I'd rather spend that time doing a T2 dungeon for 10+k AD, or something else.
*update* - farmed 12 more dig sites this morning between 2 characters. So that's a total of 19 dig sites since yesterday. Not 1 Arcanic Focus.
Lol. I'll be sticking with the daily + weekly only and move on to other things to better spend my time. Not sure if that was the intended change, but I now have absolutely 0 interest in farming dig sites.
- It seems that the chance of getting an arcanic focus from any dig site is extremately low now.
- We have no clue if the amount of arcanic focus per day is capped. Furthermore, due to the first problem, we have no way to figure if it's capped or if it's so low that it makes no sense trying to farm them.
Neverwinter Census 2017
All posts pending disapproval by Cecilia
they drop nothing !
That's the way it goes.
Personally, I'm very happy with the AF changes. The people who only have a bit of time each day have a steady supply of guaranteed AF, allowing us to set a firm stop date if we have a routine and set amount of play time - and one should note that stop date will be before the 2x refinement event, even if you started today. Likewise, the grind-happy people could go for 30 hours straight and get their weapon/offhand tomorrow if they wanted, and with a bit of luck.
So yeah, this is a win in my eyes. Good work Cryptic. Now, fix Prophecy of Doom in the way you described in the patch notes - because it absolutely does not do what the patch notes say you fixed it to do
Neverwinter Census 2017
All posts pending disapproval by Cecilia
Neverwinter Census 2017
All posts pending disapproval by Cecilia
Born of Black Wind: SW Level 80
Now you your 14 a week plus 5 more from your weekly and a 'chance' to earn possibly another 7-15 each week depending on how many digs you uncover.
Rather than getting upset it be far more productive if others instead nicely asked, <font color=gold>Please extend weekly to include 2 magical writings, and perhaps also 1 for the daily. But remember those aren't bound items so if you're short you can look acquire or trade them from others.
Before the change, I averaged 3 per day from sites and picked up bonus ones from chests (yes, they DID drop from those ocasionally, not sure if they still do after the change, haven't noticed any).
Before the fix I had nearly enough to restore my offhand and now by the end of this week I'll have a practically garaunteed half way there on my main hand without even having to work at it.
You really can't ask for much better.. c'mon people.
BUT... I noticed something odd: while I have the ostaram quest up [either unfinished or finished and ready to talk to ostaram] I can't get any AF from dig sites. After I talk to him and finish the quest, I always get 2-3 AF from dig sites... someone also noticed that or is just RNG trolling me?
I have no idea why people are upset about the change.. what I do know is people were relying on a bug to get focus...
I am fairly fine with the exchange.. however.. you know.. at the same time, would have it killed them to just add 2 more to the weekly? to match old totals..?
Just seems odd that they went the route and didnt make it match.. not that Im complaining about it, im not.
This new system.. ALLOWS a far better and freer route to get things done, without so much wasted time of doing nothing.
I would prefer to get 2 a day + 5 a week , then go 0-8 or 3 out 12 again.
I spent 1.5 hours on my dc one day for zero focus..
I MUCH prefer this system.. yes.. some people exploited the HAMSTER out of things and got a heavier return rate.. which again.. I know why they did that.. since the rate was CRAPTASTIC... there wasnt really much of a choice. Some of these poeple are upset that it was changed at all and wish the old system was still in place.. But im not one of them.. this new system is much more efficient on a daily basis.
but now.. you do a dig site or two.. get a he in, turn in some reclaim magic and your done.. for a guarantee and you CAN do it at any point of the day.
If you get some random RNG arcane focus.. fine , your just going tgo restore a bit quicker then others.. but at least there is a end day for all people doing it.