Windstones - were drop rates ever increased?

[Chaid]

Some time ago (circa SF Fan Faire I think), devs acknowledges that the drop rate of Windstones was too low and they were going to increase the drop rate. Did this ever happen? At least on Drinal, the prices and availability of Windstones really hasn't changed in the past 7-8 months.

[kiztent]

Short answer: yes

Addendum to short answer: but it doesn't matter

Several mobs had windstones added to their loot tables (the blue aliens in TM, the elementals in TS, something in SD - I know I looted one there).

The problem is that the zones that drop them are the most butt remote zones there are, and since windstone mobs aren't easily quaddable or don't have obscene exp bonuses, no one hunts there. And if no one hunts there, no one loots windstones for sale in the bazaar. And you never find windstones on vendors because it requires hiking all the way out to Katta to check the vendors they are usually on, if you find them.

The good thing about PoK is that it made the world a lot smaller. The bad thing is that it made the remote zones a LOT more remote. And Windstones drop from the remotest of the remote zones. (actually the other bad thing is the eveyone sells to Merchant Tekrama and Basur DuQual and they become unminable one day after the patch).

Now...

If windstones were added to the drop tables of recondite bandits, the price would drop (seriously, does anyone exp in Luclin outside of Paludial Caverns any more?).

Adding windstones to the drop tables of mobs no one hunts doesn't help pricing. But mobs have been added.

[Zeralenn]

If windstones were added to the drop tables of recondite bandits, the price would drop (seriously, does anyone exp in Luclin outside of Paludial Caverns any more?)

Yes -- we have an entire group of us whose alts are getting xp through the 20s and early 30s in Hollowshade and Grimling Forest. The northern caves of Hollowshade are nice xp for a 20s group and the drops put HHK to shame.

And I am currently xping on Katta guards in the bank lot.

But most of the time, that's **** near it. I used to level my alts through Paludal but now I avoid it.

...Zera

[Axemaster]

>>
Yes -- we have an entire group of us whose alts are getting xp through the 20s and early 30s in Hollowshade and Grimling Forest. The northern caves of Hollowshade are nice xp for a 20s group and the drops put HHK to shame.
<<

How many Windstones do you see drop when xp'ing here?

I farm Twlight Elementals for other temper parts, and normally in a 2 - 3 hour clearing I can get 30+ essences of wind, 2 - 5 lava rocks, 5 - 10 drops of mercury, 10+ swirling essences, innumerable research pages, innumerable spiny weapons, some iron exide, some charcoal and usually 1 windstone. Yep, 1 windstone.

And thats recent (like last few weeks) - so I doubt the drop rate has been raised to actually effect the game.

[solithan]

drop rate increase

I have noticed a slow rise in avalibility in the bazaar ever since they increase the drop rate, so they did do it and for all the reasons already mentioned the net affect of the increase was about 3% more common. yeah wow like we were going to notice.

[Quinner Sparrowhawk]

I've been gathering acrylia in TM lately (Good xp at 42 as well) and have been 2 for 3 in finding windstones in three separate hunting periods of approximately 2 hours each.

[Gryfalia]

Just to keep tooting this horn...

Please /bug every time you go in and remind them that Grimlings in Grimling Forest and Acrylia Caverns should be dropping LUCLIN gems and not old world ones. Sick of getting opals in AC..;-(

Gryfalia

[Khuldar]

I leveled my mage in his low/mid 40s in TM. He could solo without any problems, and kept handing bags of acrylia, windstones, and essences of wind over to my main, who smiths. Kill every blue alien you see, talk your guildmats into joining you, and check the merchants. It may seem to be the end of nowhere, but you can port into twilight sea and run through katta. You can also bind/bank/sell in katta, so you don't need to run to/from your hunting grounds all the time. It's not a bad place to hunt, and if you smith, it has everything but leather paddings for acrylia plate in ONE zone.

[Gryfalia]

Actually, if you can port land in Grimling Forest and just run a short jaunt north and you are in TM..

Gryfalia