Upcoming Cultural Changes - Next Full Patch (Estimated End of September)

[Aldier]

Think I saw a note of the next scheduled (data) patch as being set for October 3rd.

[hiyawathadan]

Thanks Ngreth.

Your quick answers are always appreciated by this tradeskiller!

[Wyvernwill]

Fast forward to Level 80 and new cultural drops, it SHOULD be rare, and it SHOULD be 25k a pop minimum considering the likely quality of the armor it will make. I would expect a full set of level 80 cultural to run around 500,000 plat, maybe a little less.

Just as a side note... Given the bazaar prices of MDS and GDH when DoN came out, my full suit cost me roughly 1.5mpp to make at bazaar prices, including failures. Then again, I was never happier with a suit of armor in the majority of my EQ life... it was premium group gear at the time, saved it... now it's premium raid gear. (Currently raiding DPoB)

[Zopharr]

Just as a side note... Given the bazaar prices of MDS and GDH when DoN came out, my full suit cost me roughly 1.5mpp to make at bazaar prices, including failures. Then again, I was never happier with a suit of armor in the majority of my EQ life... it was premium group gear at the time, saved it... now it's premium raid gear. (Currently raiding DPoB)

Yar, I like my GM Ogre Plate - three Last Bloods and a Bazu, looking forward to getting another Last Blood soon. With the new armor will hopefully be able to keep my augs and just upgrade the armor.

Heck, 500k for a full set of the new gear (including symbols) would be on the low end. Couldn't even do a full set of the current elaborate armor for 500k.

Garshok

[Zopharr]

yeah. We are trying specifically to **NOT** patch any data with that, because we would not be able to properly test the migration of the data.

Of course things do go wrong in our patches, but the plan is to **NOT** patch data, which means these changes should **NOT** go in

Here's hoping nothing goes wrong!

Garshok

[Impudent]

Hey all.

I have a question..

With the recipe changes in the cutural armor, can you tell us if the component drops are going to continue to be rare as {heck}?

Metallic Drakes Scales are rare as hell and require several per armor, plus another for the seal itself. I've head some complain about 30k per scale.. I've not seen scales that low in months, try 40k'ish easy PER SCALE. You can easily hit 200k and only have 3 - 4 pieces.

I guess my question boils down to whether or not it is possible to either increasing the drop rate some, or modifying the recipe to require less scales? (as a for instance)

I know plenty of people who spend DAYS trying to farm scales and consider themselves lucky to get 3 or 4.

Also, consider, with the level of the mobs, you are giving solo classes a playground to exploit with easy to kill mobs (some still xp worthy) that drop CHA-CHING parts.

Either way, it is a worthy question to be asking.

[Aldier]

It has not been pushed to live servers yet so none of us would know the rareity of the drops. What we do know from Ngreth's hints and the people on the test server, is that they are more frequent, but not as common as the parts used for the templates (the skill up parts). Also, when DoN was still new, and Nest missions were good, solid exp, scales were more plentiful and cheaper. Since then, the "farmers" of them have moved on to better exp locations and the supply has dwindled. It will depend on what level mobs your hunting on a regular basis, or friends hunt that will determine how plentiful the drops will be.

[Zopharr]

I'll echo what Aldier said. One of the big issues in scarcity of Metallic Drake Scales is the dropoff of folks doing DoN missions - particularly since TBS came out. People simply moved out of the content that dropped the required items. That reduced sellers, making it easier for those trying to corner the market.

Making the cultural items global drops can only help, as we will no longer have folks moving out of the content. The flow of items coming into the world should remain constant. If soloers are able to get "big-money" drops . . . well heck, at least that should mean that any decent group can get the drops.

Heck, I'm wondering if it is worth trying to get Rishathra to 300 before the patch or if I should just hang back and wait for the new drops.

Garshok

[melkorr]

Dumb question: The cultural changes will affect the gnome tinkering combines for the armor as well, right? So my gnome will be able to do cultural to skill up tinkering?

[Aldier]

Dumb question: The cultural changes will affect the gnome tinkering combines for the armor as well, right? So my gnome will be able to do cultural to skill up tinkering?

Yes, however I do not remember seeing a clear answer as to whether the skill up template combine will be tinkered or just the final combine to create the armor.

If that is the case, tinkering will be hurt a little by this change.

[Xenephex]

I really think the required drops will be much more common than they were before. It requires Cobalt Ore and Soluble Loam to make either GM level armor combines or GM symbols. The ore is so common that it is simply not a factor. I've used 5 or 6 stacks skilling up and still have 2 stacks in the bank for requests.

The controlling factor is the loam and it only requires ONE loam no matter what you are trying to make - Bracer or Breastplate. I think I've said this elsewhere, but I'm in a small guild - a lot of people on test are still not aware of the uses for this stuff - I have asked in guild chat for people to save me ore and loam. Some do. Some forget. If I don't bug people they may tend to forget after a couple days (some have been very good about it though). Nonetheless, I have 20 Soluble loam in the bank right now and I know my GL has retained at least a few. 3 Soluble loam dropped from trash mobs in relic tonight while we were clearing for a raid.

I really believe you will see a steady supply of this stuff flowing into the game - much, much more commonly than Metallic Drake Scales ever did. Putting it in all zones on the level appropriate mobs just makes the supply much larger.

[Zopharr]

I really believe you will see a steady supply of this stuff flowing into the game - much, much more commonly than Metallic Drake Scales ever did. Putting it in all zones on the level appropriate mobs just makes the supply much larger.

Even if the drop rate is inflated on test right now and drops massively when it goes live, the global drops will still be an improvement. While DoN still attracted lots of folks throughout DoDH and PoR, it dropped off tremendously after TSS and, especially, TBS. Global drops will keep that effect from affecting scarcity.

If they do remain as common, it will be very nice to actually make affordable armor again. The drake scale prices drive armor prices which drive all but a few folks out of the market. I'd much rather make lots of armor for lots of folks at lower prices - would feel nice to outfit a large chunk of the server again. <grin>

[Flehmen]

I'd much rather make lots of armor for lots of folks at lower prices - would feel nice to outfit a large chunk of the server again. <grin>

Amen.

I don't need the best armor I just need a little value for the money. I found tradeskills were most enjoyable when I could dress most of the lowbie wood elf, high elf, gnomes and kittens in DoN armor which was good enough for the effort at the time. Boy that named brownie in lfay drove me nuts with his drops. Tops I made a 10% profit if I foget about the... ahem... reinvestment of funds into blacksmithing and tailoring.

[Ngreth Thergn]

Yes, however I do not remember seeing a clear answer as to whether the skill up template combine will be tinkered or just the final combine to create the armor.

If that is the case, tinkering will be hurt a little by this change.

only the final combine. So yes, hurt a bit.
But they can also now make symbols where they could not before. So while the skillpath got hurt a bit, the things that can be made increased.

[Marissas]

Mds

Regaurding MDS/GDH

If you really think about it, there are drakes ALL over the new expansions, they could have made them drop off of ALL drakes not just instance they wouldnt have become rare as {insert expletive}. My theory is there is a reason that they didnt do that. Heck CSS was always rare because no one did that mission and those who did , didnt share the info for many many moons. (again spiders EVERYwhere....)

Would have been easier to just make the current drops universal to the mobs (drakes/spiders) and not totally revamp, but thats just my thought.