Planar Shard Farming

[HAL]

In the Subterraine, does the Planar Shard drop rate vary with difficulty?

[BigSlugger]

Wildernesses don't have varying difficulties.

[HAL]

Ok, never been in there. Thanks.

[Ausdoerrt]

Note: the shards should also drop in the raids (though I saw, like, one in a recent elite VoD), but I have no idea if the rate scales with difficulty. My guess is that no it doesn't.

[HAL]

Yea, I've read that the drop rate anywhere but SubT is terrible. I've read that it's pretty difficult but I'm hoping that with the Epic levels farming SubT is easier.

[RandomKeypress]

Yea, I've read that the drop rate anywhere but SubT is terrible. I've read that it's pretty difficult but I'm hoping that with the Epic levels farming SubT is easier.

Pretty much depends on your build. You need good saves against the living spells, the skellies aren't too bad but can be a little tough. The rest of the trash is trash. I'd suggest setting up Gamarol (sp?) runs - the drops are still kinda nice, and you'll get a few tokens each run from killing the trash.

[dterror]

Some HoX runs, see a total of 3-5 shards drop...some runs see 2 dozen or more. Pure random chance, some days are better than others.

[Matuse]

A run to HoX and VoD will typically get you about 10-15 shards. You can get a fair number inside HoX itself, but that's the only raid that drops them. Outside of the SubT, the only way to get shards is from the spiders that pop out of the planar gate in Ritual Sacrifice.

In the process of getting 20 completions for VoD and HoX (with a few Garamol runs, and some general farting around in the SubT), I got enough shards to get 2 large ingredient bags. They aren't super rare.

[Missing_Minds]

Also, when you have to protect Praetus the first time when the portal opens in Ritual Sacrifice, the fiendish spawns from there can drop planar shards as well.

Sub T may be more deadly (level wise) it is easier to farm shards there.

[dterror]

A run to HoX and VoD will typically get you about 10-15 shards. You can get a fair number inside HoX itself, but that's the only raid that drops them. Outside of the SubT, the only way to get shards is from the spiders that pop out of the planar gate in Ritual Sacrifice.

In the process of getting 20 completions for VoD and HoX (with a few Garamol runs, and some general farting around in the SubT), I got enough shards to get 2 large ingredient bags. They aren't super rare.

Any devil, tiefling, or fiendish whatever can drop the shards, but they're very rare. i've gathered a few from Vale explorer, and in Amrath...no more than maybe 50 or so total though through several lives running around Vale and Amrath explorers and quests. Easiest by far to just gather them as you go on Garamol, HoX, or VoD runs. Don't obsess about collecting them though, other than a couple useful consumable trinkets all you can get is a large bag...something you can get from rare chest drops, AH, or if you're flush with TP, from the store.

[Matuse]

They must be absurdly rare, because I've racked up thousands of kills in the Vale and it's quests, and the only time I've ever seen a shard was during the portal defense of Ritual Sacrifice.

[oldkraft2]

taking up this old tread rephrasing the question :
does planar shards dropping in the subterraen areas scale with f.ex. the level of player delivering the killing blow ?
they are not normal collectables and may have their own algorithm...

the shard farming never 'happened',
and DDO-store interests make sure they never will
(originally and designed for 12 man groups levels 12-21 for bags and raise dead items for non-divines)

Thus the level of the char one can use for farming these shards is today considerable higher than intended in design.
And still a question of interest if a breaking point in drop rates occur somewhere in the mid-20's levels ?

[Zavier]

I have not noticed a correlation in drop rates and levels.

The last couple of lives as I have moved toward 28 I made frequent shard runs in the Sub. The drop rates seem very random. Sometimes a quick run to Garamol or VOD can yield 10 shards and other times I can spend an entire buff cycle down there and only get 4 or 5.

[FAQ]

Ok, never been in there. Thanks.

Deleted 'cause of necro

[Missing_Minds]

I'm not fond of necros, but this is one of the few times I don't have an issue.

I have not noticed a correlation in drop rates and levels.

The last couple of lives as I have moved toward 28 I made frequent shard runs in the Sub. The drop rates seem very random. Sometimes a quick run to Garamol or VOD can yield 10 shards and other times I can spend an entire buff cycle down there and only get 4 or 5.

I agree with this. Level of characters for the Sub-T wilderness area does not effect the drop rate.

And just to be clear, vale area and subsequent quests do NOT drop shards save in the one spot I noted above. So don't bother doing that to farm them. You farm Sub-T. I was just informing of another drop area, that was all.

Shard farming did indeed happen. And LFGs did happen as well, but that was long ago in a different age pre epic. After a while it was a side effect of running Garomol for rune arms and such.

You've never been in the Sub?! Prepare yourself for some fun. At least for me I love that wilderness area!

*sigh* note the date of that post you quoted.

[FAQ]

I'm not fond of necros, but this is one of the few times I don't have an issue.


I agree with this. Level of characters for the Sub-T wilderness area does not effect the drop rate.

And just to be clear, vale area and subsequent quests do NOT drop shards save in the one spot I noted above. So don't bother doing that to farm them. You farm Sub-T. I was just informing of another drop area, that was all.

Shard farming did indeed happen. And LFGs did happen as well, but that was long ago in a different age pre epic. After a while it was a side effect of running Garomol for rune arms and such.


*sigh* note the date of that post you quoted.

Oh, dang! Thanks for pointing it out

[mna]

And just to be clear, vale area and subsequent quests do NOT drop shards save in the one spot I noted above. So don't bother doing that to farm them. You farm Sub-T. I was just informing of another drop area, that was all.

Shard farming did indeed happen. And LFGs did happen as well, but that was long ago in a different age pre epic. After a while it was a side effect of running Garomol for rune arms and such.

Actually, it's only been about a month since I last saw a LFM for shard farming in there... I may even have put one up myself, too.

Then again nowadays with epic levels and EDs, solo Garamol runs should be within reach for a lot of people... IF anyone still wants to. Still, I would recommend at least one sightseeing trip there for those players that haven't seen the place yet.


Shard-farming does seem a reasonable if somewhat tedious way to get large red bags without spending TP. They don't seem to show up in the AH much like the large green bags do - possibly from a lot of TRs getting a new unbound large green every life?

[BrunoM]

A run to HoX and VoD will typically get you about 10-15 shards. You can get a fair number inside HoX itself, but that's the only raid that drops them. Outside of the SubT, the only way to get shards is from the spiders that pop out of the planar gate in Ritual Sacrifice.

In the process of getting 20 completions for VoD and HoX (with a few Garamol runs, and some general farting around in the SubT), I got enough shards to get 2 large ingredient bags. They aren't super rare.

hi there- i spend more time trying to figure out how to find missions than I do playing - I have no idea how to find out what these acronyms mean - you cant google "vox" or "hox" in quotes with ddo and get any information, at least I cannot I am running in circles and all it does is waste time, I want to play the game not sit frustratedly lost as to where to go to progress there are quests by level, but not by acronym, it "seems"

[Mindos]

hi there- i spend more time trying to figure out how to find missions than I do playing - I have no idea how to find out what these acronyms mean

https://ddowiki.com/page/Glossary

[adamkatt]

I used to farm the subt, it usually takes about 1500 - 2000 kills to loot 150.

oh wow didnt realize the crazy rant guy did a nice necro....

Oh and now hes put me on ignore, well thats one way to deal with his issues..

just trying to be helpful as well...