Sorry if this has been brought up before...I scanned recent messages and did a couple of searches and didn't see it brought up. Has anyone figured out the best way to actually loot some of the advanced volumes (any ts classes) for PoP, particularly in the lower range of 101-110? Volume 101 seems especially rare. On the HoF server, advanced jeweler volume 101 goes for 50k...yet advanced provisioner volume 110 is less than the vendor amount (vendor pays 25g, while someone on broker had for just 2g). My looting history seems to follow these trends...I have lost count of the number of volume 110s I have looted, yet volume 101 for any class is pretty rare. I think I looted this once or twice (but not jeweler, which I need for my swash). I remember with the AoM expansion they changed the drop rules for volumes so they are no longer tied to the exact level of the mob you kill. Instead, it is random for that particular level range. It looks like this pattern still holds for PoP, but the distribution is not uniform across the 101-110 range. Thoughts, anyone?
I have to agree with the rarity of 101 through 103. I have all the various crafters and, except for 101, most have their full set of books. If broker is anything to go by, you can see (on AB) 3 level 101s on auction, a fair few more 102, a day or so ago there were no 103s (now there is half page full) ... then we get to 107+ and it's pages full of those! To add about the books, I got a level 97 book in one of the solo instances. I submitted a /bug for that one. I just know that was going to be a 101 book... just know it
A guildie was speculating that maybe the lower volumes drop only in PoM, while the higher levels drop in the solo zones. I just ran the daily solo for today (Sol Ro tower) and 3 volumes in the 106-110 range dropped. Yes, the 110 volume was provisioner. So, maybe farming mobs in the overland zone is the way to go for the lower volumes? The thing is, I've done plenty of hunting there while working on all 3 factions as well as the signature quests...so it isn't like I've been ignoring the PoM zone. Yet, only 1 or 2 volume 101s...
There also seems to be a problem with sage drops, they seems to be far more rare than other classes. Look at their prices of advanced sage on the broker and compare them to others. Yeah I know sage is probably the most common class to get leveled by most tradeskillers because they write spells for 2 adventure classes, but on top of that the recipe books themselves seem really rare.
Perhaps, but my experience has been more sage drops and fewer jeweler drops (the ones I really need). The good ol' RNG may be the culprit on that note. So, after running more solo zones and killing solo mobs in PoM in the last couple of days, my experience has been as follows: Solo instances only drop level 106-110 volumes. PoM can drop any level (101-110) volumes. The chance for a solo mob to drop an advanced volume in PoM is substantially lower than the chance for a trash mob to drop in the solo instance. So, thanks to the combination of all 3 bullet points, we have considerably fewer volumes in the lower ranges (101-105). Level 101 is probably more rare on the broker than others due to the fact it is in higher demand. Once someone gets their crafter to 101, they probably snatch up a level 101 volume if they can afford it. I hope they add all volumes to the loot tables in the solo instances. As more people complete the signature quest and faction lines in PoM, fewer mobs in PoM will be hunted, thus lowering the drop rate of the lower volumes even more.
Well, I guess that blows up my understanding of how they drop. I'm pretty sure I've never seen those drop when I ran those zones. Since I play a swash, maybe the broken dagger storm is spilling over into the loot table logic. OK, I guess I'm done playing the "Monday Morning Developer"...
Having redone all the solos again, I have to agree, it looks like I once in a while get 102, but usually 106-110. I've literally never gotten a 101, of any tradeskill class, despite nearly being finished wit the Destiny achievement and spending lots of time randomly killing things while I harvest.
This is probably because there is more demand for the 3 scholar recipe books than the other 6. Almost everybody has a sage, so there are a LOT more people buying up sage books than say Woodworking.
It's possible, but I also go by my own experience with drops. I have quite a few now of each class, and exactly ONE advanced sage recipe book so far. It could be the RNG but considering I have over 10 each of the others (a few duplicates) it doesn't strike me as purely bad luck. The prices on the broker just kinda confirm it for me. But yes, your points ARE valid and no doubt they contribute to the problem as well, but I'd still bet there's something bugged with the loot table.
I got a sage 101, first 101 ever, it was in the Plane of Disease solos, not sure which though. I thought it was 110 at the time so I didn't pay attention until later.
So, to those of you that have looted lower ranged volumes in the solo instances, congrats! I've run the PoD and PoM zones (4 total) about 3 times over the last few days, and I still only got those in the 106-110 range to drop. So, while it is possible to get 101-105 to drop in those zones, I still think it is much less likely. Hopefully, this will adjusted where needed after the holidays.
I have been in PoM for 14 lvls on two characters. Neither have received a recipe book of any kind from overland mobs... I have been through Innovation and Disease and have received a few lvls 108 and 110... I have also not received ANY spell upgrades for either of the characters. On my server, 50k is the going rate. Rare you think? I have to say that this is the most disappointing expansion I have ever paid for.. And truth be told, I having been paying for two subscriptions since 2000 with EQ1 and 2004 with EQ2 respectively, this may certainly be the last time. Content is incomplete, there is nary a tradeskill bit to speak of. And to be expected to continue mashing over the same 1 - 4 quests to fulfil faction is ridiculous... The Devs / and by extension, their bosses [DBG] could not deign to create enough quests to even necessitate an expansion! E - For the Troops.
Fast forward to October 2019. Same drop rate on the advanced books? I had 4 books drop from PoM overland trash mobs in a 5 minute span then.....nothing....dozens and dozens of mobs...nothing.
I have so many of the darn things and they Broker for so little, I just sell to the vendor. If I knew ppl that needed them, I'd gladly give them away. That is for the ones from CD. I don't really go through the PoP zones much right now so not sure they are as plentiful.
