Saltpeter

[Zacatac]

Ok, so everyone knows it drops from reapers in CC. Usually I can't get the camp. Last night I managed to get the camp for an hour, and 5 people asked me when I'm leaving. They hovered around the camp like vultures. And 1 guy even pulled a couple reavers out of my camp by the back hallway out as soon as they poped, before I could get to them.

The database says they drop in PoI, but I'm not convinced. I spent 1 hour inside factory, killed the big guys and some spiders, nothing.

I spent another hour the next day killing mobs all around the loop outside, nothing.

Where is the magicial PoI spot for saltpeter drops? I can't get enough from the CC camp that is usually taken and everyone is farming it to sell in bazaar for 200p each.

[Redi]

AFAIK, it's just a random drop from anything outside the factory (maybe inside as well, but I don't remember seeing it much). I used to get a fair amount crawling from zonein to Nitram and clearing around a bit.

[Caleem]

The last couple times I've gone to PoI I've ended up just crawling toward the Xanamech side (was usually some group or other soloer going the other direction). I've gotten them to drop but didn't pay close enough attention to the rate really. I think on the 2 trips I went I got up to around the big intersection near the Enchanter 1.5 epic mob before gating out. I've gotten about a stack or so of the stuff.

I went and killed inside the factory for a little bit one night (the other areas already had people hunting there) but I didn't get any in the short time I was there.

[Luvimt]

I normally spend a couple of hours killing stuff around the merchant and get 10-20 in that time. If you can get the reaper camp, the drop rate is much better, every reaper drops at least 1, occasionally 2.

[menssia01]

I managed to get my faction upto amiable with Mobs in CC so decided to PBAE a few 'good' mobs to see what they dropped..turns out the saltpeter drop rate is MUCH better on good mobs than bad.
Cleric here so just pull with reverse DS (about 6 per pull), have a shammy DS potion on and basically every hit I take they take 99 damage. HoT and a few AE stuns/dd and can clear a fair few.. Took a while for me to hit indifferent.
Think I have collected about 500 saltpeter in about 7hrs farming (over 1 week) one happy mage in our guild atm .
Other things they drop.. tiny/small shafts and pinion gears and very rarely the gears/coils. Have yet to find tablets, bolts so really only worth farming for the saltpeter and a few items for the AAAA's.

[Ngreth Thergn]

I don't think anything below 50, may 55 will drop a tablet... and most of the "good" are lower level.

[Zacatac]

I spent another hour+ in PoI last night. Killed about 50 mobs. Had THREE saltpeter drop. I killed everything from zone-in to Nitram, including the room off to the side, around his hut, and then back out to zone-in again.

I really think the saltpeter and that "golden ember powder" needs to be switched around on the drop tables. I had 2 stacks of the powder, and nobody needs that stuff (several hundred for sale in bazaar right now for 5p each). Meanwhile the saltpeter that is needed in HUGE quantities (I used up 100 of them to get 4 skill up) really only drop in 1 zone.

I don't consider 3 drops an hour to be a viable source for this particular ingredient.

[Nolrog]

Golden ember poweder is used in poison making, just FYI.

[Zacatac]

Golden ember poweder is used in poison making, just FYI.

I know, but obviously if there is several hundred in bazaar for 5p each (and I often see it on vendors too), it's not a very high demand item.

Currently, the prices of saltpeter are 199-500p EACH in bazaar, 65 total for sale.

The reaper camp in CC is taken 95% of the time. PoI is not a viable option. So it's either pay obscene amounts or give this up.

[Ngreth Thergn]

You guys... you made me go check the server data.... and my spreadsheet with the changes.

and well...

The spreadsheet had the changes... but not the server... so... I changed the data... it awaits a server restart/patch

[Zacatac]

Woot! I'm not Insane!
(ok, I'll stop complaining about it now)

Thanks Ngreth

[Greencorneq]

Currently Saltpeter and Crystallized Sulfur are easy to get, but what has happened to Smudged Runic Parchment drops? At least a few showed up in baz before, now I never see them anymore.

Seriously, make it so I can solo mobs for these even if it's insanely hard, I'd rather that then not be able to get any at all now. With old research I could get drops even if it meant camping mobs for weeks on end.

Skilled up to 224 but not gonna see any more skill ups anytime soon now. Even made a few God spells for Guildies who would repay me with providing the parchments but they can't get any either.

Help me out here, I must be missing something, where can I obtain these now? All help would be appreciated. Thanks...

[Eanelder]

Currently Saltpeter and Crystallized Sulfur are easy to get, but what has happened to Smudged Runic Parchment drops? At least a few showed up in baz before, now I never see them anymore.

Seriously, make it so I can solo mobs for these even if it's insanely hard, I'd rather that then not be able to get any at all now. With old research I could get drops even if it meant camping mobs for weeks on end.

Skilled up to 224 but not gonna see any more skill ups anytime soon now. Even made a few God spells for Guildies who would repay me with providing the parchments but they can't get any either.

Help me out here, I must be missing something, where can I obtain these now? All help would be appreciated. Thanks...

Ngreth has already stated that the drop rate on runic parchments hasnt changed. The reason your not seeing any in the baz is probably becuase

a) when they drop in groups, people save them for themselves or guildies. Id be surprised if each guild didnt have at least 1 sado machochist trying to do research :P

b) whey they do go up for sale in the baz, someones there to snag it right up. Personally, even when i die during a raid, I head to the bazaar to check for them

c) traders are offering a decent amount for them so people just sell directly to them.

My advice is just keep checking the bazaar, or set up a trader (with a fair price). I skilled up from 227 to 243 using only Parchment solutions, so now I have quite a few stacks lying around. With Arcane tongues3 and Salvage 3 im getting a good success rate. So when i see a parchment for sale i snag it, knowing its not to going to be hard to get my money back from selling the spell and that i might get a skill up from it.

[Greencorneq]

I realize that they are prob selling as fast as they show up, and I did not say the drop rate was affected. I was asking if people have noticed that they are showing up alot less lately. (Regardless of why) I also am bound in the baz, and I check in morning, night, when I die from raids also. Used to at least see some but now none in over a week. Maybe it'll improve but kinda doubt it.

Like someone stated before already with the scarity of the parchments, up goes the price of spells (not complaining their) but being able to skill up is gonna take years at this rate. I'll work the parchment solutions angle for now but that will come to a halt in the very near future.

Question then is when alot people hit this roadblock and can't farm the parchment from lack of getting grps, due to the fact that alot are now not interested in grps because they now have their spells, what then? People are already tiring of doing DoDH spell grps.

How else can someone get them aside from a very occassional grp. Neting 1 Smudged Runic Parchment if your lucky in an hour.

Maybe they should up the drop rate. Anyway my point was I have only worked on research as a skill and now it seems that doing it the solo method as in the past is now gone. Seems ashame that it's like get a grp or to bad, get lucky in baz or to bad.

/Rant off

[Zacatac]

PoI has been updated now. I had a dozen saltpeter after killing 2 dozen mobs. Quite a few didn't drop any, but a couple of them dropped 2, and others 1. So much better than before when I had only 1 drop in the same amount of time.