Yeah, no more instances for me.

I've done 3 and walked out with exactly 1 item for all 3 runs. All three times it gave me the sculptor's choker. Seriously, what are the odds of this happening? I can't imagine trying to run these with a full group and one item for 6 people drops.

I'm glad I got some other games for Christmas. I can't imagine spending 6-8 hours in those and walking away with no sense of accomplishment or reward.

ChodeNode1 wrote:

Bet you are a carpenter too. My sage got the full sage set, which she didn't need at all. I sold it to get the money to buy the other things she did need.

It's the way the RNG works. Sometimes you get lots, sometimes little. If you pay attention, chances are very good you walk out with some rares from Far Seas Innovation events, regardless of anything else.

ChodeNode1 wrote:

8 hours? Wow, took me about 3 soloing. It's MUCH faster to do them in a group as intended

Wow, 8 hours is a long time. If I solo these I get them done in about 2 1/2 hours. If I duo with a friend, we get them done in about 1 1/2 hours.
I certainly wouldn't quit a game because of loot issues. I'm sure eventually you will get something you need/want. I can imagine getting the same item 3 times would be annoying. If it were me, I would skip the TS instances for a week or so just to let the frustration die off and then start hitting those instances again.
If you're really leaving to play other games, good luck and have a good time.

ChodeNode1 wrote:

Coincidently I have done 3 also, each instance one time. Each took roughly 3 hours and probably was the single most boring thing I have ever done in this game. First instance I did I received book #2. Second instance I did I received, yup, you guessed it, book #2. Third time, no book dropped.
Since they are not the least bit entertaining and certainly not an effective use of time, I see no point in doing the instances. In the final analysis I will earn far more void shards utilizing my time to run adventure instances than I could possibly ever save by obtaining the books. As for the crafting gear, it woud only be marginally useful for one thing - running the instances. If I do not run the instances I do not need the gear at all. Therefore, there really is no carrot for running the crafting instances for me at least. Others mileage might vary.

With 4 people, it should not take longer than 1 hour to complete these. I will agree that it is wrong that they can reward as few as 1 item in the chest. It should be a minimum of 2-3.

I solo the instances and it usually takes me about three hours. But that is because I gab in chat or read a web page or two when I get bored, LOL.
8 hours sounds...welll...odd!

Qandor wrote:

I feel the same as you, Qandor.
Absolutely no incentive to do the books or to gain the faction rewards. Crafter friends who were early into the instances and who also gained the high faction when the amount was too high have everything. I have no interest in the harvesting mounts. The only thing that has my interest slightly are the new charm items, but I have access to that from crafter friends.
The only things I was really hot after were the faction furniture books and once I found the work around, I utterly skipped the daily quests and had my books in a few days.
But hey, if others like/love doing these and are having fun, more power to them.
I'm interested in what's being planned, as hinted about in another thread...all I really want from that is please, oh please, no more 24 hr lock out of questing content for crafters. >_< Personally, I feel that lockout timer really hurt the TSO crafting content. Really, what does it matter that they gain faction fast? Yah, I know, longer to get rewards = longer players subscribe. Bleh.
May the new year be good and kind to us all!

Pheep@Unrest wrote:

Heh.. sort of the idea behind the whole business model.

I'm fed up with chests dropping No-Trade recipe books everyone in the group already has.
Why is there not a smart loot system for crafting instances?

Pheep@Unrest wrote:

Explain?

I believe the work-around for the daily tradeskill tasks would be if you have a high adventure level. You can get the furniture books at 0 faction with any of the groups. (If I recall accurately)

Bridgeplay wrote:

Even for the adventure zones that have 'smart loot', it's not always that smart. Honestly, I think 'smart loot' works about 50% of the time. Still, it would be nice if they did add it to the TS zones.
If a recipe book drops that no one in the group needs, you can invite a guildie or friend that needs the book. They can then zone in and snag it. Or advertise in the level channels and sell the loot rights. It's a great way to help out friends/guildies...or make some cash.

erin wrote:

Sure.
I worked out it'd take two months or more to do the daily tasks for Guktan faction on my L24 retired Fury/L76 Carpenter. I was going for just the Guktan furniture book at first, taking the faction hits on the Grobb faction because at the time I didn't want that furniture book. But after I saw what Vesla did with the stone pieces, I wanted the book. I did the extra Grobb faction quests, but was still in the hole to Grobb. With how the dailys worked, it'd be months before I could get faction balanced. So I looked over what I know of game mechanics and came up with a theory on how to gain faction faster.
So a L80 guildee and I tested the theory. The L80 grouped with my L24 and he killed a Thulosian mob. No faction gain.
Then he rooted another one, but this time I hit Cure, it landed on the L80, my Carpy was in combat. The mob died, faction gain. He rooted a pair, during combat I tossed out Cure and a heal on him, mobs died, I gained faction from both mobs. No xp, just faction, which is what I was after.
So for three days I ran with guildees and friends around the area of Guk killing the Ykeshans. They needed the drops for the language quest as well as more faction for the Cloak of the White Dragon HQ with Tupta, and my Carpy gained faction. Win situation all around. It was probably 10 hours total of faction farming combined I had already done the Ship Out as well as the extra quests for Guktan faction.
For the Grobb book, it was two days, about 6 hrs total combined.
If you do this, you must make sure your toon does something, anything, that'll get them into combat. That's the important part. Cast a heal, a cure, fire an arrow, run up and poke the mob, anything that gets you into combat. If the toon dies during combat, no faction. I found that one out when I was too close to a Ykeshan froglok's aoe and was one shotted. And there's the other factors of respawnage by the mobs, getting too close to their pathing, getting out of range of your group, etc.
So, that's how I gained the Grobb and Guktan furniture books in five days total.

Bkschrad wrote:

It used to be +10k faction until enough complaints were voiced and it was lowered to 0.
It's harder/tedious for a crafter only to get the books than it is for a hybrid, just as in RoK.
But my work around is a bit different, as explained in another post in this thread.

Pheep@Unrest wrote:

Thank you Pheep. This is great to know.

Silken@Butcherblock wrote:

Very welcome!
Heh, something my husband just said: hey, it's getting crafters out there and interacting with adventurers!
Oh, I also tested this work around with RoK faction, and it does work there as well. So if I ever really want those special recipe books, I've a way of gaining them without the omg slog of the over 200 writs per my 8 crafters. Yah, it's a slog for the faction at 25 pts per mob, but it's far more entertaining.

6-8 hours was an aggregate amount for all 3 runs. There's no way I would have sufferred past a second round if it was taking me 6 hours for each one.

I tried doing that with a book drop a few days ago. But it didn't' work, he could not loot the book no matter how I changed the loot options.