Your ransack mechanic is terrible and needs to change. Especially in heroics.

[Stimulus]

Because it's possible to run a quest 8 times on elite or higher and get nothing, players are incentivized to run multiple accounts. However, it's possible to run multiple characters through a quest 8 times on elite or higher and get nothing at all.

For current, endgame content, this mechanic is annoying. For heroic content, it's insane. The intention appears to be to make players choose between continuing to level without the items they're after, or to wait a week and try again. I'm not sure being made to wait a week to progress in a game that requires monthly payments is wise.

People will cry if I don't offer a suggestion, so here are a couple:


1. Get rid of ransack. It's terrible and makes me want to do something other than run a zone 8x/week for arrows and gems.
2. Make it so that every time a VIP loots a named chest but does not get a named item, they gain an additional 5% stacking Ransack Sucks Bonus until they successfully loot one.

Yeah, it's the same idea as Exploit Weakness, so you don't even need to think of anything new.

How has this persisted since 2006?

Utter insanity.

[Diracorvus]

Especially in heroics it doesn't matter. You'll get through those quests on your next life anyway and have another chance at the items. And it's not like most quests are so difficult that you actually need some specific items. There are so many named items now plus you get crafting and many random items are good for leveling as well.

[Stimulus]

Exactly.


Having to wait until "next life" to get levelling items is bad design-- and that's assuming I stay interested enough to TR.



Also, it's too bad you don't know about set bonuses. Maybe when you get your first 32-point build, you will be strong enough to find some!

[Saekee]

I like the title you gave forthe ransack bonus.

There is already an xp penalty for repeating the quest, so ransack is one more slap in the face. How about ViPs do not have ransack penalties? I am not ViP, I am ok with this.

It is fun chasing items, ransack is a killjoy.

Let us go into the deep mind of developers on this:
“We do ransack so folks do more varieties of quests.” This does not happen when players use multiple accounts and so forth so ineffective argument.
“We do ransack to sell chest rerolls for microtransactions.” Not true since eliminating ransack means you will get more chest rerolls; ransack therefore costs you money!!!
“DDO is not about getting some item, it is an immersive game of lore and group play.” LMFAO

[Igrovin]

Like trying to get 20 dragon scales in Gianthold Tor... which will take 2.5 weeks to accomplish if it only drops one scale per loot.

[Stimulus]

I've been ransacking the chest in House of Pain for months trying to get the cloak. Three toons, sometimes two sets of three toons.

Just finished ransacking it on three toons again, in fact.

So I just decided to unsub. The game can be fun for brief periods, but mostly it's just frustrating.

After unsubbing, the most amazing thing happened.



I decided to watch a movie. I clicked play, it played, and I enjoyed it.

Now I'm going to do something else.

[Darkwolfer2002]

Items themselves are a bigger issue than ransack. No other game has the item problems DDO has because of the PL system. Other games most equipment is bind on equip (I know there other stuff to like BtA) but you use the item for as long as you need to. Get something better, move on and never look back. In DDO you're like "Oh I'll probably need this item next life". Then you get the heroic and legendary versions that you just hold on to forever because someday you might want to use the item.

We get so little space for how many named items are in the game. It is just dumb.

[kpak01]

Everyone has their own priorities, but...your concern is about whether you can farm a lowbie item while you are at level or not? Personally, if I didn't pull some lowbie item, and for some reason really cared about some specific piece of lowbie gear, I would not hold up leveling but I'd just run again a week later, and not care that I was over-level.

[Toblakai]

Exactly.


Having to wait until "next life" to get levelling items is bad design-- and that's assuming I stay interested enough to TR.



Also, it's too bad you don't know about set bonuses. Maybe when you get your first 32-point build, you will be strong enough to find some!

When you get your first 36 point build maybe you will be strong enough to not care what heroic gear you are wearing.

[Stimulus]

When you get your first 36 point build maybe you will be strong enough to not care what heroic gear you are wearing.

If you PM me, I'd be happy to explain what it feels like to get a 36 point build. You're going to love it!



P.S. If you don't care what heroic gear you're wearing 1-29, maybe you should put those extra points in INT.


Toodles,

S

[Enoach]

Ransack has come across to me as an anti-farming mechanic.

Some people play to have fun optimizing, some play to have fun in other ways.

If optimizing and chasing optimization is fun for you, by all means play that way. However, based on this post it seems that you have reached that point of diminishing return.

If you talk with other players in the game I'm sure each will have a story about how a desired item has never been found, or of amazing finds on first attempts. It is the nature of pseudo-randomization and Lokki being the DDO god of loot.

I'm sorry to hear you are frustrated with the system, I've been there myself, but have also seen the other side too.

What I like SSG to pursue is a different course, similar to what they did with the Sands named loot by creating a trade-in system. That way as a player you can continue to work towards the item you are after.

In the meantime while waiting for that perfect pull, have you considered the crafting system for temporary filler items?

[Igrovin]

Ransack has come across to me as an anti-farming mechanic.

Some people play to have fun optimizing, some play to have fun in other ways.

If optimizing and chasing optimization is fun for you, by all means play that way. However, based on this post it seems that you have reached that point of diminishing return.

If you talk with other players in the game I'm sure each will have a story about how a desired item has never been found, or of amazing finds on first attempts. It is the nature of pseudo-randomization and Lokki being the DDO god of loot.

I'm sorry to hear you are frustrated with the system, I've been there myself, but have also seen the other side too.

What I like SSG to pursue is a different course, similar to what they did with the Sands named loot by creating a trade-in system. That way as a player you can continue to work towards the item you are after.

In the meantime while waiting for that perfect pull, have you considered the crafting system for temporary filler items?

Well with Giant Hold area, one of the items that you have to craft is dragon hide armor. Gianthold of Tor or whatever that one is name, you have three dragons you have to fight after you defeat the giants. Each one drops 1 scale of their color. You have to collect 20 of them. You can only run the quest 7 times a week. Unless there is more chests out there, it'll take you from 2-3 weeks to get it.

[Enoach]

Well with Giant Hold area, one of the items that you have to craft is dragon hide armor. Gianthold of Tor or whatever that one is name, you have three dragons you have to fight after you defeat the giants. Each one drops 1 scale of their color. You have to collect 20 of them. You can only run the quest 7 times a week. Unless there is more chests out there, it'll take you from 2-3 weeks to get it.

I thought it was 0 to 2 per chest. But I will grant that on average it likely comes out to 1.

Heroic
Black can drop from Tor and Mired in Kobolds
White can drop from Tor and Prey on the Hunter
Blue can drop from Tor

These are unbound ingredients so alternative options
1. Run with a group that wants to farm and trade scales - it helps if everyone is after a different color
2. Hunt the AH
3. Use the Trading Channel or Trade with Guild members
4. Use the Trade forums
5. Create character(s) with the purpose of Ransacking Tor (Iconics start at 15 and are geared, create one ransack, delete and go again)