Old research drop locations?

[Xtailia]

There is a thread for new research drops, but what about for old research drops? As a young int caster, I find it frustrating trying to find drops. I am currently a 29 enchanter and have not found enough components to even really try a combine on any of my 24 or 29 spell. I was just hunting in Najena last night. We saw numerous words drop, a few runes, but only one page for a level 20? spell I already have. I would like to go somewhere I could get the pages for the missing spells, but I have looked all over and see nowhere that has a good list of where to go for various research drops besides the generic "mobs within X levels of the spell".

[Moraganth]

It's because, the "mobs within X levels of the spell" is the only qualification there is. Sub-50 spell components are random throughout the game.. and is ONLY based on creature level.

We've yet to establish if this is followed through for the 50+ level spells, but at this point i personally think it is... we'll see with more data.

[Xtailia]

Is it though? I've never, for example, seen any of the mushrooms or zelniaks on Dawnshroud drop any researc components. And in Najena I saw lots of words but few runes or enchanter research pages. There is at least some creatures that drop it often and some that never drop it. Certainly there must be something better than what I'm doing now.

[Ericdb]

Best to find old research is in Old Wordl,Kurnak and Velious.. but where i disagree is that its ONLY level based drop .. for Example i got for my Mage alaot research stuff for level 20/24 in South Karanas.. but i never got Words for the Food/Water spells there even if its same level
Same counts for my Chanter in LoiO i never got even a full combine there .. but i had same words couple of times..my suggestion on Researchstuff is that the researchstuff is divided into Level AND Zone at the new researchstuff it looks to me pretty much the same so far but we will see once we get more info.
Well best example for me was with my Necro in Overthere forgot what the spell was thou .. it had 2 diffrent words needed .. i got like 15 .. almost a stack of the one word.. but never got the 2nd word there.. in Burning Woods it dropped like candy and sold the other copies i researched with the words i had from OT then.. i played all casters but Wizzies through research yet and always made research myself and im pretty sure of that zone issue =)

[Xtailia]

I completely agree. I was happy when I saw the thread for drops, but disappointed it was only the new stuff.

I am not entirely sure it is purely level based, either. See, greyhoppers are around level 20, but the few enchanter research components I got were for 24-29 spells if I recall. We need something similar. I can scour my logs for all research drops I've ever gotten and post something.

[Moonlilly]

Although I do agree with the mob/level argument to a degree, I also believe you can find components in specific zones.

As an example at lvl 49 Mage research uses Words of Bondage. If you want those words you go to the Plane of Hate, Period. Why? Because they drop like candy up there. Now I HAVE seen Words of Bondage in other places but never the drop rate you see in Hate.

Still not a believer? Ok I've been farming acrylia in Acrylia Caverns to raise my fletching. During that time I get a TON of lvl 49 enchanter pages, but only a few words or mage items, and only the Rune of Frost and Ap Sagor (sp). I mention these specifically because I've never seen any of the other runes drop there. So this tells me that the loot table of zones only have certain research drops.

[Lilosh]

Hunting Spirocs in TD, I see a cosmic buttload of level 34-39 Enchanter pages, Words, and runes.


Very very little mage research. Though I did get A Glove of Rallos Zek.


-Lilosh

[Xtailia]

Well I just did a quick parse of my log files and I will confirm.. In two visits to PoHate, clearing 3/4 the first floor, I saw 4 Words of Bondage looted. I have only seen this word otherwise once in ME and once in Sebilis.

Plane of Hate seems to be good for high lever stuff. Stonebrunt for low level stuff. Avoid Velks and Paw, I've never seen any research components there. Marus Seru isn't bad but you will be getting mid level components off stuff you will be killing in lower levels. Netherbian Lair is actually very good for enchanters, though that may just be from all the time I've spent helping a gnome wizard farm the netherbians for porous mineral blocks.

Looking at the limited stastics I have, it is not so much a matter of what drops where, but different zones tend to drop different amounts of components. Unfortunately the rate they drop is hard to get a feel for with simple log parsing.

Some hotspots however:
Plane of Hate is very hot, research components drop like flies
Dawnshroud if you hunt Tribals and maybe the hoppers
Stonebrunt is good, not sure if it's the kobolds or the animals
Eastern Wastes is good
Estate of Unrest is good
Marus Seru is not bad if you want to bank for the future
Rathe Mountains, hunting giants gets lots of money and decent amount of research components
OOT hunting the seafuries

Places to avoid:
Dreadlands hunting around KC (Don't know about elsewhere)
Echo Caverns
Kael
Velks
Paw

Unfortunately I am just going on my limited experience. I could have just been hunting in the wrong spot in some of the above zones, or int he right spot in others. Paw I'm pretty sure is a black mark as I spent a good amount of time there and only ever saw one research drop. On the other hand, it's also possible we were just letting them rot but I don't think so, as this was multiple different parties with several research classes.

Unfortunately I still can not say where is and is not a good place to get pre LoY research drops.

[Eumerin]

I spent some time in Paludal last night at the Recondite camp and saw a lot of drops for level 20 spells. Necro words (don't think I saw mage words) and a few chanter drops, but no wizard runes that I recall.
My level 16 spells are starting to bug me, as I consistantly have trouble finding the components (they don't seem to turn up much on vendors in PoK), and the two combines I've made so far have both been failures.