Basic question about combines

[nibot]

Ok this has probably already been covered but I was unable to locate complete and concise info.

1. What variables affect whether your combine succeeds?

2. What variables affect your chances of getting a skill-up from a combine?

Please include attributes, AAs and gear.

Thanks =)

[Nift]

1: The Random Number Generator

2: The Random Number Generator

That is all that truelly has any bearing. There is no Absolute due to it. There are things that are suppost to affect the formula but the final awnser is always the randomly generated number.

Past that Wis, Alchemy Mastery, and possibly the Alchemy +% mod hammer or belt can't remeber is what will alter the formula some.

[Shabura]

Well, yes, fundamentally it DOES come down to the RNG, but that answer applies there is no way to help tip the scales. So, here's a more detailed response...

1. What variables affect whether your combine succeeds?

Skill, including modifiers, and AA. Stats have no effect on the success rate whatsoever. This means that a character with the current game-max best chance possible of succeeding a very difficult alchemy combine would have 300 raw skill, an Umbracite Swarm Orb, and Alchemy Mastery 3. Lest the difficulty of acquiring a USO (or even a Philosopher's Stone) deter you, the benefits of increased effective skills have some measure of diminishing returns, especially with the AA taken into account. A 300 + 5% skill character is very nearly as good at tough combine (i.e. OoW augs) than a 300 + 15% one.

2. What variables affect your chances of getting a skill-up from a combine?

Here, stats matter. Alchemy has no secondary skill, so your Wisdom (techincally, the higher of your Int and Wis, but since we're all shaman here...) is used in the first part of the formula to determine whether or not a combine produces a skill point. Higher Wisdom is better. Note that this process DOES respect caps. It doesn't matter if you have enough +Wis gear and buffs that you "could" hit 600 ... only what you're actually allowed to utilize counts. There are a number of AA, tribute purchases, and DoN progression bonuses that can expand this cap.

Also, you have roughly twice the chance of a skill point on a successful combine as on a failure. That's not an exact figure - because the so-called "Y-value" (a measure of the difficulty of skilling up) is not known for alchemy, any more precise odds aren't possible. Regardless of Y-value, there is a soft cap at which further Wis is not useful on a success (Devil's advocate, if alchemy is the worst-case Y=4, that's 400, if I remember correctly), but higher Wisdom continues to make an impact on the chance of skill-on-failure.

Do keep in mind, that at any skill of 190 or higher, your chance of a skill point is no higher than 5% even under ideal circumstances. Expect a lot of combines.

[nibot]

Thanks

Well, yes, fundamentally it DOES come down to the RNG, but that answer applies there is no way to help tip the scales. So, here's a more detailed response...

1. What variables affect whether your combine succeeds?

Skill, including modifiers, and AA. Stats have no effect on the success rate whatsoever. This means that a character with the current game-max best chance possible of succeeding a very difficult alchemy combine would have 300 raw skill, an Umbracite Swarm Orb, and Alchemy Mastery 3. Lest the difficulty of acquiring a USO (or even a Philosopher's Stone) deter you, the benefits of increased effective skills have some measure of diminishing returns, especially with the AA taken into account. A 300 + 5% skill character is very nearly as good at tough combine (i.e. OoW augs) than a 300 + 15% one.

2. What variables affect your chances of getting a skill-up from a combine?

Here, stats matter. Alchemy has no secondary skill, so your Wisdom (techincally, the higher of your Int and Wis, but since we're all shaman here...) is used in the first part of the formula to determine whether or not a combine produces a skill point. Higher Wisdom is better. Note that this process DOES respect caps. It doesn't matter if you have enough +Wis gear and buffs that you "could" hit 600 ... only what you're actually allowed to utilize counts. There are a number of AA, tribute purchases, and DoN progression bonuses that can expand this cap.

Also, you have roughly twice the chance of a skill point on a successful combine as on a failure. That's not an exact figure - because the so-called "Y-value" (a measure of the difficulty of skilling up) is not known for alchemy, any more precise odds aren't possible. Regardless of Y-value, there is a soft cap at which further Wis is not useful on a success (Devil's advocate, if alchemy is the worst-case Y=4, that's 400, if I remember correctly), but higher Wisdom continues to make an impact on the chance of skill-on-failure.

Do keep in mind, that at any skill of 190 or higher, your chance of a skill point is no higher than 5% even under ideal circumstances. Expect a lot of combines.

Thank you Shabura! That's exactly the info I was looking for.