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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: Just how lucky are you?
by Josh Rose 
Jan 8th 2011 at 8:00AM
Getting random drops always involves a bit of luck. In a PUG, not only do you need to have what you want drop, but you have to manage to win a /roll as well. In guild groups, you have to have DKP or whatever currency your guild uses for a loot system. Gear for the most part comes from time; eventually, you get the loot you need, but getting these random drops becomes far worse when farming for low drop-rate items such as pets and mounts. Baron runs, heroic MgT runs, Anzu runs, ZG trying to farm the various whelp and raptor pets ... some of us spend hours or days or weeks, and still never see it.
I have been on a pretty major achievement kick since prior to the Cataclysm launch, topping off old reps, farming pets and mounts, doing fishing achievements, all the things that take a back burner to leveling and new instances and raids. Trouble is, I have awful luck. Being a druid, I have run Anzu so many times I lost count and have never seen the mount; same with Baron, ZG and heroic MgT. No mounts from any of these places in hundreds of attempts. On the other hand, I have a guildie who has both ZG mounts, both Brewfest mounts, the Horseman's Reins, Anzu, and Rivendare's Deathcharger. He even got two of the raptor pets from ZG the same week he got the mount.
How lucky are you when it comes to farming rare drops? Have you been able to go in and get the drops in a few attempts, or have you given up in frustration, cursing the WoW gods?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 8)
Darasen Jan 8th 2011 10:31AM
Terrible system actually there Thunderstriken. There is so much in WoW that essentially awards those with the most time it doesn't need more. Why use a system for items such as non-combat pets and mounts that only serves to dissuade the more casual player?
Sean Jan 8th 2011 10:52AM
@ Naraxis: ONLY saw it drop 6 times and won it twice? I ran those dungeons for months upon months and never saw the hilt drop a single time. Count yourself lucky, not unlucky.
lolikitty Jan 8th 2011 12:01PM
@Thunderstriken : I don't understand your logic. You want "a vendor who sells the, what used to be rare drop, items for a considerable amount of currency", and yet complain that some people put this very rare item you want on the AH. Isn't 9 to 14K G a considerable amount of currency ?
cloudhopper013 Jan 8th 2011 1:12PM
You think YOU have it bad. I don't think the loot system recognizes me of being in a freaking group. This would be better if it didn't try to place me in groups that don't have another mage/warlock. I've been running heroics for two and a half weeks now, and so far, only ONE piece of loot that I can use has dropped (Mantle of Master Cho), and that was with a warlock in the group. I know, random loot is random, but at this point I can't help but make up conspiracy theories. :3
Skarn Jan 8th 2011 3:15PM
The deal with RNG is that Blizzard doesn't WANT everything to be perfectly predictable. They are well aware that some people will get something on the first attempt while others never do. Though drops will certainly increase over time and even the rarest mounts/pets/etc will see more usage, the RNG keeps there from being a hard "cap." With a certain currency like "random points" you would see NO Drakes of the North Wind, etc for a while and then in a single day they would be EVERYWHERE. Everyone that had been farming for one would reach the required total "points" within a day or two of each other and there would be a massive explosion of this supposed "rare" mount.
This is not what Blizzard wants. They want some element of randomness and rarity to exist. Obviously, this isn't true for every mount, pet, etc. Anything from a rep vendor is expected to eventually be very common. But Blizzard wants some mounts and so on to remain relatively rare and RNG is their method. Also, RNG drops are far more exciting than "points." They are also far more depressing, of course.
Do I like this system? If I'm the lucky guy who gets the mount, of course! If I'm the unlucky guy who is farming for hours and hundreds of runs...not so much. Overall, yeah, I like the system. I like that there is some rarity and uniqueness. No, I don't have every mount or pet out there. I'm ok with that.
Thunderstriken Jan 9th 2011 4:16AM
Several people misunderstood what I was saying.
Rare items are cool because they are rare.
If anyone can easily get an item, it won't be rare.
Blizzard has made items rare through an extremely low drop rate. This means someone who really wants the rare item probably isn't going to get it no matter how hard they work for it, while someone else will get it without any effort at all.
I don't want to take away from the rarity of items, but I would like them to be accessible to everyone. I won't cite specific examples because people lose sight of the actual point. So I will make one up, the flying pizza mount. Rather than make the pizza rare by giving it a 1 in 10,000 chance of dropping off a particular mob, give the mob a 1 in 100 chance of dropping a pepperoni token. Have a vendor that sells the pizza for 10 pepperoni tokens.
Now if you really want that pizza mount you can run the instance with that mob every day. It might take a month, it might take a year, but eventually you will get the mount while some random wow dude who just started playing last week isn't going to get it simply through dumb luck. It makes it accessible to anyone who really wants it, yet it maintains the rarity of the item because very few people other than those who really try for it are going to get it.
Moridin Jan 8th 2011 8:26AM
Baron rivendare's mount the first time on two different characters and zin rokh the first puzzle solve of troll at 450. Ashes of alar in a pug yea I'm gonna stop there. :)
wow Jan 8th 2011 8:36AM
"It's sad really, since it only takes about 1 minute and 45 seconds to think up a much better system. A far less random currency type drop, such as crystals, gems, tokens, and the like. Have a vendor who sells the, what used to be rare drop, items for a considerable amount of currency."
Wow, that's probably one of the worst ideas I've ever read.
There's nothing wrong with rng.
Sel Jan 8th 2011 8:36AM
I don't tend to to be too lucky at the random stuff. I did get an Anzu mount, but I contribute that to effort. My friend and I ran Heroic Sethekk Halls every day in an effort for both of us to get one, which we both did within a month or so.
When it comes to luck though, I think I lose out more often than not. I've now missed Aeonaxx in Deepholm by minutes 4 times in the last 10 days, several of those times I knew he was going to spawn and just wasn't in the right place. And for dungeon mount drops, I just don't ever see them, so winning it isn't even the problem.
I know I'm not completely unlucky, but I also know there are people out there who get things far easier than I ever could.
Zune Jan 8th 2011 8:39AM
I've managed to get the Horseman's Reins on 3 toons, 2 Brewfest mounts and I picked up the Fox Kit on my hunter after less than 20 kills. On the other hand it took more than a year and a half to get the proto-drake from the Oracle egg...
pancakes Jan 8th 2011 8:40AM
I won the roll on a blue once. That was pretty special.
kebosangar Jan 8th 2011 8:43AM
Same with other people. Though I just got the epic tanking chest from Grim Batol Regular run. The awesome thing is, I was dpsing, then the main tank left (because the second boss didn't dropped what he wanted) so the 3rd or 4th pull, the thing dropped.
Now that's quite lucky.
Zaber Guard Jan 8th 2011 8:46AM
I have pretty good luck. Got the Green Proto-Drake after only like five eggs, and on the very next egg, I got the proto-drake mini pet. And got it four more times after that. Apart from that, there isn't much else. I usually win rolls I really want, but I still have never gotten Rivendare's mount...or the gorram Brewfest drops.
Jéru Jan 8th 2011 12:10PM
Got green proto last night....I bought at least 75 eggs
Rajinnu Jan 8th 2011 8:49AM
I used to be lucky in Vanilla and BC, but Wrath killed my luck mojo and so far in Cata I am doing ok tho.
I still don't have the phoenix pet from mgt tho! drop you stupid thing.
My biggest wow regret was failing to get the Zulian Tiger tho.
Zalvi24 Jan 8th 2011 8:58AM
i have really weird luck when it comes to mounts drops, i farmed the ZG mounts on my pally for a year and never got it, while this was happening i was leveling my mage from 70 to 80 and right before brewfest i decided to make him my main, second day of brewfest both mounts drop in the first boss summon and i won them both( this was before the changes to the holiday bosses drops), then next brewfest i was leveling my rogue to 80 and he got one of the mounts, 1 month before cata hit i level a warrior to 80, on his first oculus and UP runs he got the mounts, now i made a priest my main and hoping i get a special mount for him :)
calicojack Jan 8th 2011 9:01AM
My main character - a troll - has tried at every Midsummer to get one of the dropped pets, but to no avail. In fact, he's only ever got one drop from that event that he won [or that showed up in the bag, this year]. On the other hand, one of my bank alts being a forsaken death knight, I thought "it'd be cool maybe to get one of the Headless Horseman vanity items." And Lo! and behold, doesn't almost immediately have the full set: helm, sword, horse and pet and all.
One of the MVPs in the EU farmed Zul'Gurub from Vanilla onwards, trying for that tiger mount. Never once saw it, in all those years, although it looks like every blood elf or night elf death knight has it in one go [grins].
Yes, RNG is random.
Tuberon Jan 8th 2011 9:09AM
I'm convinced that the PRNG is seeded against me.
I lose almost every roll (even 5way greed/dench, I should, theoretically, win 20% of the time) but it's closer to about 5%.
The giant sewer rat? over 3500 casts.
Murdertime Mar 14th 2011 9:10AM
I didn't get anything in Naxx until Ulduar came out.
Because nothing dropped for me. Ever.
I am still bitter about this.
All these people bitching about the easy epics...
WHERE WERE MY EASY EPICS?
HUH?
WHERE WAS THE EPIC LOVE FOR MURDERTIME?
Eric J Jan 8th 2011 9:17AM
Honestly, RNG conspires against us all.. I think i personally have funded any and all disputes between the Oracles and the Frenzyheart on my quest for that mount.