Stealth nerf on ecto drops
But if you’re making 5,000 salvages a week, every week, then the initial risk might be worthwhile. All future salvages would be at a savings of 29c per salvage, week after week. Plus, the tester would be contributing to the storehouse of knowledge and — should the theory that ecto is outside the realm of “rarer” materials and is indeed a special crafting material — allowing less money to go to the salvage kit gold sink and so having more money available in the economy that the smart trader can get into his own pockets….
Yes, I’m reaching, I know. But I’d really love to know the answer to this question, and I don’t have the means to do testing myself.
Sorrows Furnace
Have you ever considered using a Journyman’s kit instead of a Master’s to test the concept? I don’t salvage 1,000 items at a time, but it would seem that the question could be answered by stepping down the chain instead of up to the Black Lion kit, if someone were willing to risk the ROI that would come if it turns out to be that the kit actually does affect the ecto output. People like me don’t have the money to take the risk in testing, but perhaps some of the major traders would be willing, since in the long term using green or even blue kits would be far more economical than using master’s.
Understand that the margins to be made on salvaging are quite thin and even a gentle breeze blowing through the trading post before you get everything cycled can destroy any potential profit.
As the other poster had said, it does not take much for it to be worth it and I do it as much for the psychic benefit of not having to wonder as I do for the financial benefit.
If I used a lower kit and had a bad streak, I would probably stop – but would that be conclusive? No. I would have to do at least 1000, probably more – and then what?
Someone may do so, but not me.
I had salvaged 60 rares once with crude salvage kits, just to test – i got 34 ectos, this is 0.57 ectos per rare. With master salvage kits i got usually ~0.9 ectos per item, salvaging the same lvl 80 items.
May be i got bad luck, but i think the kit does matter. I won’t risk loosing 330 ectos ((0.9-0.57) X 1000) just to prove it.