Bring Back Random Loot Drops

sarek93 · December 2013

If you had told me a year and a half ago that I would be suggesting that STO should have kept random loot drops, I would have laughed at you and said you were crazy. After running The Cure ground on elite mode 125 times, I had not gotten a single prototype weapon tech. I was all for the new rep system. I was finally going to get my MACO and OMEGA weapons for sure. But now, a year and a half in, I'm increasingly finding that the rep system has made the game boring for me. I no longer have the motivation I used to to spend hours trying to grind out that rare borg weapon tech drop.

I've talked to 30 gamers in the game (note they are probably not "casual" gamers), and many of them are migrating to WoW, SWTOR, etc. It's not that they don't like STO; it's not that they aren't Trekkies; it's simply that the game isn't challenging and there's nothing to work towards. Right now it's a grind fest to get marks. There's no sense of excitement at the end of the STF's I run, the way there used to be. Now it's more like "oh. yay. I got 30 marks instead of 28. woooooo." I used to curse and get angry when I didn't get that rare drop, but you know what? I always came back and did it again in the hopes of getting it next time. The rare drops also made it a lot more fun to run ground and space missions with my fleeties. If we had the item, it was fun going in to help other people get there items.

I believe that reintroducing random drops (like the old borg tech) would serve a few purposes:
1. It would add something back to end game that would entice players who have maxed out their rep systems to come back and play the missions.
2. It would add an incentive to run ground STF's again (now since there's not much difference in mark rewards, it's not smart to run ground missions since they are like 3x longer than space ones).
3. It would give fleets something new to try and get for their fleets, reinvigorating fleet runs of STFs.
4. It would give players a reason to start coordinating and talking to each other in STF's again.

I don't believe that random loot drops should replace the rep system, nor should the old drops be readded in. I think a new system of rewards should be added. Some ideas for new rare drops:
1. Assimilated ships (KDF and Fed ships) that CBS may not want lots of players having
2. Borg Bridge Officers
3. Borg Warp Core Engines
4. MACO/OMEGA/Honor Guard weapons of different varieties
These would be tied to ground and space missions (i.e. you couldn't get personnel or ground weapons in a space STF). You could even add vanity items or ship skins. Something that looks cool that people will want.

So devs, I think random loot drops need to come back, and I strongly encourage you to poll other players (and for other players to post here). I would add it as a separate level of STF's (Master level?). It would be the same as Elite level for difficulty, but instead of dropping marks, it would be a random loot table drop (that would include marks like EDC).

Let me know what you all think!

starkaos · December 2013

Random Bind on Pickup drops just cause grief especially with a low drop rate. If players can sell these items on the exchange, then it will alleviate part of the problem of what the old system suffered from.

johngazman · December 2013

sarek93 wrote: »

I don't believe that random loot drops should replace the rep system, nor should the old drops be readded in. I think a new system of rewards should be added. Some ideas for new rare drops:
1. Assimilated ships (KDF and Fed ships) that CBS may not want lots of players having
2. Borg Bridge Officers
3. Borg Warp Core Engines
4. MACO/OMEGA/Honor Guard weapons of different varieties

Ships probably won't happen, based on Cryptic will want to make money off any ships. Boffs probably falls into the same trap, as all Borg boffs (with the exception of the Sci from Khitomer) are wither Zen or Lobi items.

Warp Cores could be a possibility. I wouldn't mind seeing them, but I suspect they'd be placed into some sort of Fleet Holding.

Frankly, as far as the Ground gear goes, i'm pretty happy with what we have at the minute. My only complaint would be that the Romulans need a ground set that has been made with Romulans in mind, and a set of Costume unlocks to go with it.

jexsamx · December 2013

I certainly don't see why this couldn't be re-added, so long as it doesn't replace the grind-for-guaranteed-gear we've got now. Nothing wrong with a random element so long as it isn't the sole means of acquiring most things.

szim · December 2013

I second this petition. Bring back random endgear drops to increase peoples motivation to play fleet actions even after they've completed their tier V reputation.

mikefl · December 2013

I like the idea... I would like to see the old STFs back though and done this way... The combined space ground mission for those diehards that are willing to play longer missions for a chance for some unique loot. Still keep whats there like it is but add back the old STFs with the random loot table. I'm amazed at how many people have no idea of the story behind those missions now that they are broken up. Very few people ever queue for the ground since the space is faster/easier and gives pretty much the same reward. I'd be happy either way... but miss the old style runs.

jetwtf · December 2013

Allot of people like repeating the same content and not make any progress at all unless they get lucky I guess. It's bad enough having to repeat enough times doing rep and getting what gear you want, having to do it the same amount and have 1-2 pieces of gear would turn me away far faster. Sorry but I hate having random drops for the gear I want to use. The chance of never getting it is the biggest turnoff, repeating content for 1 piece hundreds of times is a big turn off. I would rather use junk drops from story missions rather than grind for nothing.

sarek93 · December 2013

I respect the opinion of those who don't like having to play something over and over again with little chance of getting something. It's a legitimate concern. That's why I propose adding it as an additional option for players. You never have to play for random drops if you don't want. The purpose of them isn't to create game breaking items for people; it's to create something to work for once you've done everything in the story quests and maxed out all of your rep tiers. Some people want a little extra motivation to keep running the missions; some people just want to be completionists; some just like the challenge. Whatever it is, I think that all options should be available to players.

One of the main reasons I feel that bringing the random loot drops back is a good idea on the whole is that it provides an incentive for people who have maxed out all their rep systems and done all the story line missions to continue playing. Sure you could roll a new toon, but then you'd just be playing the same story and grinding the same rep over again with no new rewards. Inevitably, content will never be added quick enough to keep up with player demand. There's never going to be a day when the devs release content faster than players play through it. What happens when you max out your rep system and you've played all the missions? You go to a different game until new content comes out, or you whine on the forums about how there's not enough content.

For me at least, I'd like to see the old random drops brought back with new drops that won't be game breaking, but would still offer a fun reward to work for. That way we could keep the guaranteed grind to get gear method and have some new, cool stuff to earn.

At the end of the day, I'd rather have to grind some more to get new drops then sit around going "Gee now I have maxed out my rep and I did all the story missions. Now what?"

sarek93 · December 2013

And yes, not making them bind on pickup would be nice. So long as the items remained rare enough so that it isn't possible for everyone in game to buy the item off the exchange (i.e. 20 pages of x rare drop going for 10,000 ec a pop), then I think that would be fine.

lianthelia · December 2013

szim wrote: »

I second this petition. Bring back random endgear drops to increase peoples motivation to play fleet actions even after they've completed their tier V reputation.

What happens to the person who gets extremely lucky and completes theirs well we before the 100+ stfs? That gives them even less to do...

bobbydazlers · December 2013

personally I think the rep system is great, and you can choose once you hit t5 what rewards you want and don't want, the only change I would make is to lower the high dil cost of gaining these rewards, after working you way up to t5 I think you have put enough work into earning these rewards as it is without having to stomp up loads of dil for the sets or other rewards you want.
I especially like the new system they have implemented in sphere where you get a random mk12 item after filling each project slot, if you want them to use they are nice and if you don't want them you can recycle them for ec.

jetwtf · December 2013

Adding the gear to the loot table for anyone that gets T5 rep as well as a store wouldnt be a bad system. You would have a choice of buying the gear or waiting for lady luck to smile upon you. Plus getting them randomly ontop of the store could get players gear for BOFF's or other ships they wouldnt normaly buy for and could be an incentive to continue doing them.

Myself I wouldnt care if they added the items to the loot table but I want the option to just buy it after the rep grind, and I do not want to see special items added to the loot table but not to the store.

Once spending the 100+ times repeating the same missions I want to grab my gear and do something else, not do it some more. When the other content gets old then I can always revisit and do it for fun rather than for grind. This is even more true for all 7 of my characters of which 4 are T5 across the board except Dyson, do an ESTF? Ummm No, for gear? Umm No I need marks for gear thats in a store as is and am not doing it now.

Bring Back Random Loot Drops

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and if that journey takes a little longer,

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