How to increase drop rates when farming??

[Glassdarkly]

I am farming Irestone Inlet on Elite for Ioun Stones and picking up festival coins as a bonus. No ioun stones but plenty of copper coins.

What can I do to increase the drop rates of named, rare items (ioun stones, cph, shards, etc), and festival coins (and the value of the festival coin)?

The jewels of fortune add a +1 or +2 to the level of random loot (does this affect festival coins?), but is there anything that can increase drop rates?

When I hit ransack, I still get some loot and coins, does ransack decrease chances of named, rare items or festival coins?

How does all this work?

[-Zephyr-]

I am farming Irestone Inlet on Elite for Ioun Stones and picking up festival coins as a bonus. No ioun stones but plenty of copper coins.

What can I do to increase the drop rates of named, rare items (ioun stones, cph, shards, etc), and festival coins (and the value of the festival coin)?

The jewels of fortune add a +1 or +2 to the level of random loot (does this affect festival coins?), but is there anything that can increase drop rates?

When I hit ransack, I still get some loot and coins, does ransack decrease chances of named, rare items or festival coins?

How does all this work?

Farm harder. There's no way to increase you chances at ioun stones other than looting even more chests.
Festival coins I'm not sure, maybe you get better ones for higher level chests... Wouldn't swear it.
Jewels of fortune increase the quality of the loot, not the drop rates (unless higher level loot tables have a better drop rate, which might be the case for festival coins, but not the case for classic named loot). I don't think ioun stones are boosted by those.
When you hit ransack, you don't get any named loot anymore, the chance simply drops to 0. Festival coins may be an exception to this, as their drop rate is 100%.

[countfitz]

You have to use diplomacy on the chests. Max your diplo.

You can also use bard songs. Serenade the chests. This only works for bards, though.

[Kinerd]

I have heard that those stones only drop from level 5 chests, so you won't see any unless you start farming on Hard instead of Elite. Jewels of Fortune are out for the same reason.

[NostalithilDarkstar]

The only one i found was a +1 protection. Found it in Muck's chest at elite with no jewels of fortune.

[CheeseMilk]

I've found two Ioun Stones ever, both from Desert Rare chests (The Mephit was my latest).

The only way to find 'em is to look, over and over and over and over and over again.

[Vyrn]

Farm harder. There's no way to increase you chances at ioun stones other than looting even more chests.
Festival coins I'm not sure, maybe you get better ones for higher level chests... Wouldn't swear it.
Jewels of fortune increase the quality of the loot, not the drop rates (unless higher level loot tables have a better drop rate, which might be the case for festival coins, but not the case for classic named loot). I don't think ioun stones are boosted by those.
When you hit ransack, you don't get any named loot anymore, the chance simply drops to 0. Festival coins may be an exception to this, as their drop rate is 100%.

Diplo , /grovel, and /bow every chest.

[-Zephyr-]

I have heard that those stones only drop from level 5 chests, so you won't see any unless you start farming on Hard instead of Elite. Jewels of Fortune are out for the same reason.

I got one as far as tempest spine. And there were two drop that one run. So... Nope, not only lvl 5 chests.

[Kinerd]

It is interesting that drops have been observed specifically in Tempest Spine and desert wilderness. I looked into chest levels once and found that wildernesses most closely matched one level below their stated level, so 11 - 1 = 10, and of course 5 * 2 = 10. Has anyone seen them in some place away from a multiple of 5, such as the Inspired Quarter on normal or something?

[Melchon]

I found both my ioun stones in "The collaborator" on elite.

[Kinerd]

Well, so much for that theory! :)

[CaptainPurge]

Diplo , /grovel, and /bow every chest.

Don't forget /beg

[Galeria]

I got one from the Sunken Sewer and one from Freshen the Air, but it's been so long ago that I don't remember the difficulty I was running.

This will probably make you laugh... I pulled the pale lavendar from Freshen the Air. I didn't realize it was one-time use unless upgraded, so I equipped it in a run through Jungle of Khyber and *poof* it was gone.

Ioun stones... wasted on newbs.

[gerardIII]

got a pale lavander as reward from the harbormaster' quest (first time WW reward)