Definite Bug

[Bageera]

As Bageera 66 shaman on the Druzzil Ro server I have been supporting my wife's rogue with alchemy sales for several months. I quit trying actively to get my skill beyond 203 (wisdom at the time 315 and dex for attempts at 305) due to the expense--i.e., I spent 36k deliberatley trying to get to 204. I made beautiful and nonsaleable things like mystic infustion and divine endurance--still have several of each. I do have the GM bag and have had it for some time. I do have all 3 levels of alchemy mastery. This should be an 85% reduction in failures if, as is true, I read the info about the aa's correctly. This means that instead of 1 potion of antiweight in 20 failing for a 5 % rate I should have 15% of that which is identical to 75 in 10,000 failing. Then I made 10 dose potions of Greater Concentration as I usually do. I normally have run ten to twelve percent failures or one every 10 dose on the average with an extra one thrown in to keep me humble occasionally. This time I had six (6) failures in forty attempts. I noticed that I was running a lot of failures extra but put it up to a run of bad luck. (helps keep my bloodpressure above 200). I then checked to see if I had had a skillup--hope springs eternal. I found my alchemy skill had gone down to two hundred (200). I petitioned. The response I got that same day was that the GM (Hyena ?was the name) could not help and suggested I report it as a bug. The response was altered half an hour ago to simply suggest that I report it as a bug.
Today, only as an example, I made 6 10 dose antiweight potions--trivial 52 so you dont' have to look it up. I had 5 failures. To test further I then combined for ten "10 dose potion of Greater Elixir of Concentration". My average cost to make one last week was approximately (within 10 plat) of 800 platinum pieces. It is now 950 platinum pieces.
There IS something WRONG. Please Be Warned. No investigation,No restitution, and no customer service. I'm really hurt, again.

Bageera 66 shaman on DruzzilRo
Massuw 66 warrior on DruzzilRo
Bthur 65 cleric on DruzzilRo

[Bageera]

add'l info

I apologize. The wisdom I was at today for the combines was 335 and the dexterity 310. That should have been included so the reader can better judge my veracity.

[Auricula]

Believe me, I well understand and empathize with failed combines that are far under your skill. I have seen more than one person comment that the failure rate this past week seems higher than normal ... could be a bug, could be just a couple unlucky streaks after an expansion/patch when everyone is a little jumpy.

However, you are reading the AA wrong. Mastery 1 = 10% reduction in chance of a failure, mastery2 = 25% reduction in chance of a failure, Mastery3 = 50% reduction in chance of a failure .. period. They are not added together to get an 85% reduction if you have all 3 levels.

That probably doesn't make you feel much better, but maybe a tiny consolation?

[Kheera]

The Alchemy skill cap is actually 200. There was an error for a little while where it and Research were able to be raised above the cap; this was a bug, and Sony finally noted that it was a bug and would be fixed, and all alchemists with skill over 200 would have their skills returned to cap. This would be why you a) didn't get any skillups, and b) had your skill at 200 again.

I heard researchers who spent a lot of money at their GM trainers quite angry about this, as their money was not returned when the skills were returned to old levels; LoY research was mostly not trivial at cap, so researchers had more motivation to spend to increase their skill when someone discovered it was no longer capped at 200, than alchemists, with nothing much interesting in that skill range. The general explanation seemed to be along the lines of, "Well, you should have known it was a bug and wouldn't stay around, since it wasn't announced as a change".

Now, as for the high fail rates, that is disturbing, do /bug that ><

[Bageera]

Thank you

I have reported the "bug" by both email and /bug ingame. Thank you both for the courtesy of your responses. REading some of the recent replies in the Safehouse I was wondering if I'd made an error letting others know of something I consider to be "very bad form".

[Bageera]

Reply from eqbugs

This afternoon I received this replay from Sony.

Thank you for contacting the Sony Online Entertainment Customer Service
department.

This is an In Game issue, which a GM can help you with. You may want to
contact a GM in regards to this issue by creating a Ticket in game.

Being as the GM instructed me to contact eqbugs I am now dropping the matter.

[Mukkul]

Alchemy is artificially capped at 200, which you can reach at level 64. No one knows why it does not go above 200; the tradeskill person at Sony is not forthcoming. There was a one month period this summer where you could go over 200, but they called that a bug and reset the cap back to 200.

Alchemy Mastery 3 is a 50% reduction in failures.