Cosmic Key of Power/Master Key FAQ

trailturtle · October 2012

I know a number of you probably have questions about how the Cosmic Key of Power and Takofane's Cache of Treasures work. You can get a lot of information in the blog post, but I'll work to keep this thread updated with answers to your questions.

Clarification:
-The Cosmic Key of Power that the Cache's tooltip mentions is the Master Key, available in the C-Store.

-The full prize table for Takofane's Cache of Treasures is available at the bottom of the blog post. The rewards are primarily gear, MODs and transformations, with bonus Salvage guaranteed.
-No matter what prize you get, you'll also receive 2+ Salvage.
-The Drifter store has been updated with a number of Legacy items. Each kit includes 1-3 items from the kit's category.
-The Cache has been added as potential loot for almost all enemies.
-Despite the name, this is not loot from Takofanes. This is going to be dropped from almost all enemies, and is not tied to Takofanes.

I've got a fairly busy day, so I won't be updating this every second, but I do want to clarify any questions you have. I'll work to keep an eye on this thread and on in-game chat.

vendince · October 2012

Would just like to point out that Takofane's is a misspelling, since his name is Takofanes. It should be Takofanes'.

flyingfinn · October 2012

I'll just wait full list of what Kits have before charging in.

jonsills · October 2012

Lockboxes. Really. With 100-Zen keys to unlock them.

I didn't buy them in STO, I'm not buying them here. If I want to gamble, I'll go buy a lottery ticket - at least there, winning against cosmic odds would yield actual cash, not the one or two items I'd actually want out of the list.

Basically, I'm saying the idea sucks. Maybe it's a big seller in Korea or something, but it doesn't seem like a good idea around here.

neuraldamage · October 2012

flyingfinn wrote: »

I'll just wait full list of what Kits have before charging in.

Yah how about a list please.

trailturtle · October 2012

neuraldamage wrote: »

Yah how about a list please.

Working on getting that information. I agree, that'd be helpful.

somebob · October 2012

Waitasecond.

Frankenstein Be-Critter, 4-slot gear and 5x of one Rank 6 MOD.
Ghost Be-Critter, 4-slot gear and 5x of one Rank 6 MOD.
Mummy Be-Critter, 4-slot gear and 5x of one Rank 6 MOD.

I got 5x of a R6 MOD but did NOT get the gear and Critter device.

Also, the RNG needs to be kicked. I opened 10 boxes and got 21 Drifter Salvage. 2 on every box short of 1 which was 3.

flyingfinn · October 2012

Full prize table: [All prizes come with 2+ Salvage]

25x one MOD (Rank 3) + one resource/XP boost.
25x one MOD (Rank 4) + one resource/XP boost.
25x one MOD (Rank 5) + one resource/XP boost.
5x one MOD (Rank 5)
5x one MOD (Rank 6)
One piece of gear with 3 slots for MODs.
Frankenstein Be-Critter, 4-slot gear and 5x of one Rank 6 MOD.
Ghost Be-Critter, 4-slot gear and 5x of one Rank 6 MOD.
Mummy Be-Critter, 4-slot gear and 5x of one Rank 6 MOD.
Become Doomlord, three pieces of 4-slot gear and 5x of one Rank 7 MOD.

guyhumual · October 2012

Lock boxes are worse then getting nothing as a drop because with nothing you don't have that moment of hope fallowed by the realization that you might have had something useful instead. :mad: Also with the way you deal with inventory in this game you actually need to pick up the lock box before discarding it. Another added step to make these things even more despised. I suppose I could leave them lying around rather then picking them up but that feels like littering and I don't know if it's because of Sesame Street or if it's because I'm Canadian but I can't stand litter.

vendince · October 2012

Might be because of Sesame Street, because I'm Norwegian, and I despise litter too.

So frankly, I'd love it if things like recognition and other currencies got auto-picked up, because it's a pain to run around and pick them up. Especially when you know you could have gotten something cool instead.

somebob · October 2012

flyingfinn wrote: »

Full prize table: [All prizes come with 2+ Salvage]

5x one MOD (Rank 6)

That was NOT there when I looked at Trail's post when I posted. I see he's still editing things.

flyingfinn · October 2012

somebob wrote: »

That was NOT there when I looked at Trail's post when I posted. I see he's still editing things.

But that would be false marketing?

jonsills · October 2012

Well, at least they stack to 999, so I'll only have to waste one slot at a time on this crap...

flyingfinn · October 2012

Do we get Cosmic Cube Lock Box soon?

caycepollard · October 2012

vendince wrote: »

Would just like to point out that Takofane's is a misspelling, since his name is Takofanes. It should be Takofanes'.

They can't even decide if "Max Plankc/Planck" is the proper spelling, or proofread the loading screens for typos, so... Y'know. Expect this kind of thing.

neuraldamage · October 2012

trailturtle wrote: »

Working on getting that information. I agree, that'd be helpful.

I see the list for the Lockboxes (Thanks!) but I was referring to the items contained in the kits. Were you able to or still working on pulling that information together? It would indeed be most helpful.

I'd feel a lot better about plunging funds into keys to obtain salvage if I knew there were something in the Drifter store I would like to have.

Thanks!

gerberatetra · October 2012

Wow this is a load of &^%$#

crypticbuxom · October 2012

To Trailturtle,

I know that these grab bags and lock boxes are released based on a business formula. But has the company ever tried releasing the items we want instead of randoms for the same price? It has been proven that putting the items up outright for a set price guarantees satisfaction from people willing to spend the money right away.

roughbearmattach · October 2012

Lockboxes make me sad.
It was the last straw before I left DCUO.

I will actively avoid missions that grant lockboxes as rewards. Unfortunately, I am guessing they will become a common reward for events and lairs.

Is there some demographic that really likes these? This is worse than grab bags.

EDIT: The news post says that the lockboxes can be traded. Maybe I can sucker someone else into buying them.

lordfuzun · October 2012

roughbearmattach wrote: »

Lockboxes make me sad.
It was the last straw before I left DCUO.

I will actively avoid missions that grant lockboxes as rewards. Unfortunately, I am guessing they will become a common reward for events and lairs.

Is there some demographic that really likes these? This is worse than grab bags.

EDIT: The news post says that the lockboxes can be traded. Maybe I can sucker someone else into buying them.

You can't avoid them. They can drop from any enemy at any time.

ventani · October 2012

Dumbest
Idea
Ever

magitek3 · October 2012

Don't bother buying any keys, as the drop rates on the tables are probably broken.

Cryptic has a history of leaving crap in a broken state for a long time while telling us it's "working as intended", so we should wait until the odds on this slot machine are publicly posted by devs and can be verified on the test server by players.

flyingfinn · October 2012

publicly posted by devs and can be verified on the test server by players.

In a year 2525?

arblaque · October 2012

Here is an idea that will never gain traction. I will toss it out anyway. Why not allow those old Key to Millennium City rotting in many banks open one lockbox per day. It would finally be a nifty leftover. Ofcourse this item no longer drops and many have deleted them and so the backlash would likely outweigh the support.

blademaster5121 · October 2012

Will Master Keys be a reward drop for anything? Hopefully from Takofanes in the next Bloodmoon, or something related.

blademaster5121 · October 2012

arblaque wrote: »

Here is an idea that will never gain traction. I will toss it out anyway. Why not allow those old Key to Millennium City rotting in many banks open one lockbox per day. It would finally be a nifty leftover. Ofcourse this item no longer drops and many have deleted them and so the backlash would likely outweigh the support.

Give Gold subscribers/Lifetimers a 'golden key' that performs this function...we pay for this game with our subscriptions ($15 a month or $300 for life), we deserve this.

magitek3 · October 2012

Those are good ideas, Blademaster. Unfortunately, they were already pitched to Cryptic back when they put lockboxes in STO, and the only way to get keys there is if somebody forks over Zen for them.

edit: My research has revealed that the drop rate on the good stuff (the Become device w/4-slot item) is a miserly 2%.

trailturtle · October 2012

crypticbuxom wrote: »

To Trailturtle,

I know that these grab bags and lock boxes are released based on a business formula. But has the company ever tried releasing the items we want instead of randoms for the same price? It has been proven that putting the items up outright for a set price guarantees satisfaction from people willing to spend the money right away.

We did just that with the Nighthawk Grab Bag. The Costume Pack and vehicles were all available a la carte. I'd hasten to add that I have no idea what the results were -- I don't see the details of revenue -- but I presume that this was looked at when planning the Takofanes' Cache.

danteandersen · October 2012

magitek3 wrote: »

Cryptic has a history of leaving crap in a broken state for a long time while telling us it's "working as intended", so we should wait until the odds on this slot machine are publicly posted by devs and can be verified on the test server by players.

I can answer that the same way it was handled when STO players asked for the odds:

You will never see the odds. NEVER! The game will close before you see the odds on the lockboxes.

chikahiro · October 2012

Can the Keys be bought then sold via the Exchange?

Just like in STO, I'll happily buy Keys to sell to other players for Resources. Granted, I'm not sure what price I'd ask for (I've got my ballpark figures for STO), but that can be figured out later.

Also, I'm a little surprised that the keys are priced at 100 Zen when STO's is 125. Granted, if I was Gold or LTS, then that'd be 5 keys a month rather than 4 plus change, but still...

chikahiro · October 2012

Actually, can winnings/prizes be sold on the exchange at all? That would really affect my view of this. I find the STO lockboxes to be a good since I can sell keys, sell some of the stuff I win, etc.

randomchance4242 · October 2012

There was one item I got in the few boxes I opened, the "Favor of the Champions," which is a team XP boost that binds on pickup that was pretty much completely wasted on the level 40 soloing character who picked it up. But I think that at least some of the items can be bought and sold on the auction house. If nothing else, the bundles of mods you can get probably would be AH-able.

And last night, I bought a couple of keys off the auction house and then listed another one for sale myself, so unless anything's changed today, the keys should be fine for sure.

Edit to add:
I should probably mention I had to go through a few little search hoops to actually find the keys listed on the Auction House. Just setting the category to "all" and the levels from 1 to 40 didn't work. I had to actually completely clear out the two "from level ____ to level ____" areas, then search for keys in order for them to pop up.

danielpenfold · October 2012

randomchance4242 wrote: »

There was one item I got in the few boxes I opened, the "Favor of the Champions," which is a team XP boost that binds on pickup that was pretty much completely wasted on the level 40 soloing character who picked it up. But I think that at least some of the items can be bought and sold on the auction house. If nothing else, the bundles of mods you can get probably would be AH-able.

And last night, I bought a couple of keys off the auction house and then listed another one for sale myself, so unless anything's changed today, the keys should be fine for sure.

Edit to add:
I should probably mention I had to go through a few little search hoops to actually find the keys listed on the Auction House. Just setting the category to "all" and the levels from 1 to 40 didn't work. I had to actually completely clear out the two "from level ____ to level ____" areas, then search for keys in order for them to pop up.

Is that good then or not Randomchance4242?

flyingfinn · October 2012

danielpenfold wrote: »

Is that good then or not Randomchance4242?

Probably. Most likely.

randomchance4242 · October 2012

danielpenfold wrote: »

Is that good then or not Randomchance4242?

It's... there? I don't know, honestly.

The good:
Not speaking for anybody else, but I do like the fact that I get *something* worthwhile out of the key/boxes this time around, whether it's a ton of mods to fuse/sell or lucking out and getting some of the higher tier awards, or just flat out resources from putting the key up at the Auction House.

It also kind of depends on your expectations when you get the key. I decided to put in 400-500 zen into the keys fully expecting to get nothing but the lowest tier or two of rewards (I was not disappointed) and drifter salvage, so that I could grab what I really want out of the promotion, which is all the legacy stuff that had been removed during On Alert.

Which is where we get to...
The bad:
My choice of username notwithstanding, I would much rather prefer to not leave things to chance. And double chance at that. I just want an Elder Worm Humidity Dome (insert your own preferred legacy item here. It'll be LolRaptorz for lots of folks, I'm assuming), I don't want to buy a bag for a chance at a bag that has a chance of having a chance to get one. Especially with items that we used to have in game for free. And the drifter store prices need to get waaaay reduced, or we need to get waaaay more drifter scrap from each bag. Or better yet, alternate means of getting drifter scrap, like a permanent daily mission. Or even better than that account wide drifter scrap.

And also, expectations again. If you're planning to buy cosmic keys going "Oh, boy! I just know I'mma get me a Doomlord/4 slot gear/whatever on the very first try!" chances are you're going to be very disappointed. If you're still buying cosmic keys going "*#$$& it, I've already spent $45 bucks on this stupid thing, GIMME MY DOOMLORD AND SET OF GEAR, YOU $*#$&#! Fine! Ten more keys!" then you're also going to be very disappointed.

killiandros · October 2012

jonsills wrote: »

Lockboxes. Really. With 100-Zen keys to unlock them.

I didn't buy them in STO, I'm not buying them here. If I want to gamble, I'll go buy a lottery ticket - at least there, winning against cosmic odds would yield actual cash, not the one or two items I'd actually want out of the list.

Basically, I'm saying the idea sucks. Maybe it's a big seller in Korea or something, but it doesn't seem like a good idea around here.

Agree.

I've recently come back to actively playing CO (I would still always tinker in the costume creator) so I'm getting acquainted with the changes since I was last here.

As a lifetime supporter I had some Zen built up and while I generally abhor gambling, I bought a couple of keys to see how it works and what I'd get etc.

While this came out of my Zen allocation, I still felt horribly ripped off so I can only imagine how people might feel if they're actually spending real money on this.

I love the availability of purchasable costume packs, travel powers and a few of the other bits and pieces but I find it morally objectionable to encourage gambling. While I'm assuming most of us are informed adults, there will be kids playing this game that may just go and ask their parents to add more $$ to play the game - with the parent not knowing that the kid is gambling away $$.

Shameful.

mersenneprime · October 2012

neuraldamage wrote: »

I see the list for the Lockboxes (Thanks!) but I was referring to the items contained in the kits. Were you able to or still working on pulling that information together? It would indeed be most helpful.

I'd feel a lot better about plunging funds into keys to obtain salvage if I knew there were something in the Drifter store I would like to have.

Thanks!

Was there ever an answer to this?

I'd like to know what's in the kits as well.

gavinruneblade · November 2012

chikahiro wrote: »

Actually, can winnings/prizes be sold on the exchange at all? That would really affect my view of this. I find the STO lockboxes to be a good since I can sell keys, sell some of the stuff I win, etc.

Looks like everything can be auctioned or sold. even the 4-slot gear.

I have sold a few mods myself, and I've seen quite a lot of the other gear and items turning up in zone chat and the AH. Haven't had a chance to try to buy a piece of legion gear (the 4-slotters) but I'm keeping an eye out.

coplayer1951 · November 2012

randomchance4242 wrote: »

There was one item I got in the few boxes I opened, the "Favor of the Champions," which is a team XP boost that binds on pickup that was pretty much completely wasted on the level 40 soloing character who picked it up.

Opened 4 caches and got 4 of the silly things. They're totally worthless until/unless the level cap is raised.

If the HAVE to be bound then at least make the account bound and not character bound.

Cosmic Key of Power/Master Key FAQ

Comments