Guild Wars 2

This is the second time the same thing has happened.

I’m in my fourth year of play 12K+ ap and running approximately 192% magic find.
In that 3+ years I’ve gotten 4 precursor look-alikes.

For the second time, an inexperienced player (1700 ap, not much magic find ) has gotten a precursor on CM right in front of me. On the same drop I got blues and whites.

This time an ele walked away with Spark, the precursor I’ve wanted for years. Last time the player was on his first dungeon run and walked away with Colossus.

Does ANET punish specific players by reducing drops? Does Magic Find work?

they will tell you they dont… but they do… not even gonna argue with anyone over it so dont bother…

Anet doesn’t punish players by reducing drops unless they hit DR. It’s been stated by Anet that players rarely hit that.

Magic Find’s usefulness is debatable. I personal see no value in it for very rare drops as 400% MF on something that has a 0.00001% drop rate won’t be noticeable.

The entire system is working as intended. Sure there will be those outliers that have multiple amazing drops back to back or those players that get a rare drop with minimal time invested in the game. All of which is very probable when taking into account the entire player base. One thing you’ll have to realize is that the amount of AP that you have, or how many hours that you have played, have no direct correlation with your chance to get a very rare drop such as a precursor.

The effort and coding to affect any given individuals loot is prob something way to convoluted and time consuming to bother with and for absolutely no gain or reason whatsoever.

So, ultimately…it is luck. I’ve been on both ends of what you have experienced. It’s exactly how rng works. As for magic find, anecdotally I find marginally more rares and exotics as time passes, but I can’t throw a stat at you to say I am % better off. It also doesn’t work on chests/champ boxes.

If they are selectively punishing people then how are they targeting them? Forum posts? Don’t like char name? Bad dye combinations? What? Sounds like a theory from the tin hat brigade.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

If they are selectively punishing people then how are they targeting them? Forum posts?

I got forum infraction once because I say not nice thing about arena net. It seem like all I get for few week was junk drop. This of course was RNG work not conspiracy. Just thought funny.

Qugi.2653:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

If they are selectively punishing people then how are they targeting them? Forum posts?

I got forum infraction once because I say not nice thing about arena net. It seem like all I get for few week was junk drop. This of course was RNG work not conspiracy. Just thought funny.

I got a forum infraction once and promptly received The Colossus.

Ithilwen.1529:

It doesn’t look random to me. I do regular tutorial dungeon runs. My loot is probably worse that it was when I started out around lvl 50.

At the same time two separate relative noobs have walked away with precursors.

I’ve invested obscene amounts in Mystic Forge. On one occasion I spent 30K dungeon tokens on weapons and dumped them in, getting primarily yellows back.

I want to know if my drops have been inhibited and if so, why.

It is random. The reason it doesn’t appear that way is because you’re taking your own observations and applying it towards what some other people have also seen. Not to mention that the same size you’re using is very small.

You need to realize that the drop rate is very very low for precursors. Every player has the same chance of getting a precursor to drop as the next person. This isn’t taking into account whatever benefit MF hapoens to give which is fairly minimal towards very rare drops. When determining if something is random, you have to apply it across the entire playerbase otherwise your results or conclusion is unreliable.

Just because you don’t win the lottery doesn’t mean the universe is punishing you.

The chances are so low that most people won’t get them. But fact is, someone will get them.

mtpelion.4562:

Qugi.2653:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

If they are selectively punishing people then how are they targeting them? Forum posts?

I got forum infraction once because I say not nice thing about arena net. It seem like all I get for few week was junk drop. This of course was RNG work not conspiracy. Just thought funny.

I got a forum infraction once and promptly received The Colossus.

That is why I say it was RNG work and not conspiracy.

I’m in a similar boat with the whole playing since launch and no precursors however my favourite RNG is that a guy in our guild got venom and rage two weeks into playing at the same guild mission. One rush and he got two aquatic precursors. Best part was that he then proceeded to accidentally soulbind them both so he had to keep them

Ithilwen.1529:

This is the second time the same thing has happened.

I’m in my fourth year of play 12K+ ap and running approximately 192% magic find.
In that 3+ years I’ve gotten 4 precursor look-alikes.

For the second time, an inexperienced player (1700 ap, not much magic find ) has gotten a precursor on CM right in front of me. On the same drop I got blues and whites.

This time an ele walked away with Spark, the precursor I’ve wanted for years. Last time the player was on his first dungeon run and walked away with Colossus.

Does ANET punish specific players by reducing drops? Does Magic Find work?

Yes, they singled you out the moment you made an account. Maybe it something you said once, or the color of your shirt, but you upset them somehow and so they made sure to flip the anti-precursor switch so that you can’t have one.

Despite your sarcasm, two noobs have gotten precursor drops in the same party ahead of me. One on his first dungeon run with me guiding. At the same time I’m getting pure junk with 192%+ magic find.

The odds are against that. So, I want to know why. Does magic find actually work? Did I offend some dev?

Yes, it could be pure chance… but seeing a smart kittened noob with an attitude walk away with the precursor I have been looking for for years has me a bit kittened.

The odds are against it, but still entirely possible. Presuming of course they didn’t link a chat code.

Did they get it from a chest or a drop? Magic find only affects drops.

Ultimately your account is not being targeted, that is not something any company would go to extreme lengths and workload to code into a game. So, no, you did not upset a dev.

CorrynnStarr.7942:

they will tell you they dont… but they do… not even gonna argue with anyone over it so dont bother…

They don’t punish individuals. Anet doesn’t hate you.

Ithilwen.1529:

Despite your sarcasm, two noobs have gotten precursor drops in the same party ahead of me. One on his first dungeon run with me guiding. At the same time I’m getting pure junk with 192%+ magic find.

The odds are against that. So, I want to know why. Does magic find actually work? Did I offend some dev?

Yes, it could be pure chance… but seeing a smart kittened noob with an attitude walk away with the precursor I have been looking for for years has me a bit kittened.

RNG is RNG. That’s how it goes.

I am going to make new account and do dungeon with OP so I can get precursor.

Ithilwen.1529:

Despite your sarcasm, two noobs have gotten precursor drops in the same party ahead of me. One on his first dungeon run with me guiding. At the same time I’m getting pure junk with 192%+ magic find.

The odds are against that. So, I want to know why. Does magic find actually work? Did I offend some dev?

Yes, it could be pure chance… but seeing a smart kittened noob with an attitude walk away with the precursor I have been looking for for years has me a bit kittened.

Anyone can ping a code. I’ve teased friends before by linking chat codes for precursors and legendaries and claiming they dropped. Codes in chat should be taken with a grain of salt.

Ithilwen.1529:

Despite your sarcasm, two noobs have gotten precursor drops in the same party ahead of me. One on his first dungeon run with me guiding. At the same time I’m getting pure junk with 192%+ magic find.

The odds are against that. So, I want to know why. Does magic find actually work? Did I offend some dev?

Precursor drop rates are very low.

Remember that 300 × 0.00000001 is 0.000003. Still very low. You aren’t going to perceive a difference on drops that already have a very low drop rate.

Yes, the odds are low that two people in the same party on the say day will get a precursor drop. But still possible without any conspiracy being in play.

It’s possible because each individual drop doesn’t care what the previous drops were.

I just find it really weird of the assumption that game developers would deliberately turn on the doomswitch to antagonize their own players. Especially individuals.

Especially when the loot system itself does a fine job anyways.

No, cooled down a bit, I see that it’s improbable that a player would be singled out. I’m still kittened to see relative noobs walking away with precursors when I’m getting junk.

I’m going to be glad when HoT comes out. It’s pretty clear that there is no merit based reward in normal loot.

At least with HoT I may finally be able to get the precursor and weapon I’ve wanted since I started playing. If I understand right, it will be available to earn , as opposed to just being tossed out randomly. I’ll enjoy laughing at the people who have priced precursors right out of any reasonable range. The demand will go insta dry.

Seera.5916:

Ithilwen.1529:

Despite your sarcasm, two noobs have gotten precursor drops in the same party ahead of me. One on his first dungeon run with me guiding. At the same time I’m getting pure junk with 192%+ magic find.

The odds are against that. So, I want to know why. Does magic find actually work? Did I offend some dev?

Precursor drop rates are very low.

Remember that 300 × 0.00000001 is 0.000003. Still very low. You aren’t going to perceive a difference on drops that already have a very low drop rate.

Yes, the odds are low that two people in the same party on the say day will get a precursor drop. But still possible without any conspiracy being in play.

It’s possible because each individual drop doesn’t care what the previous drops were.

+300% magic find gives the following change :

0.00000001 → 0.00000004

You multiply they chance by 4 not multiply it by 300.

Ithilwen.1529:

Despite your sarcasm, two noobs have gotten precursor drops in the same party ahead of me. One on his first dungeon run with me guiding. At the same time I’m getting pure junk with 192%+ magic find.

The odds are against that. So, I want to know why. Does magic find actually work? Did I offend some dev?

Yes, it could be pure chance… but seeing a smart kittened noob with an attitude walk away with the precursor I have been looking for for years has me a bit kittened.

You make it sound like they cut the line. Random is random, I know people hate hearing that but one person could get it on the very first time they have a chance to get it or the millionth. Probability is a fickle thing.

mtpelion.4562:

Qugi.2653:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

If they are selectively punishing people then how are they targeting them? Forum posts?

I got forum infraction once because I say not nice thing about arena net. It seem like all I get for few week was junk drop. This of course was RNG work not conspiracy. Just thought funny.

I got a forum infraction once and promptly received The Colossus.

I got a tequatl hoard the very day I complained on the forum about killing him multiple times every day for months and never getting one.

I remember getting 2 Teq hoards in one week, and an ascended weapon.

Then nothing ever again from Teq. :/

If you have been playing for three toward you should have had more than enough good to buy a precourser…

Of course Anet target individuals.
They hate you specifically, and all the bad skills and balancing problems there are exist because they want you to suffer.
Bad AI and clipping issues are there also to bother you only.
RNG is a lie: everyone except you have indeed a 1/100 chance of obtaining a precursor, while you and only you have a 0% chance.
That is how this kind of bussiness work. It is known.

Oh god theories about arenanet punishing individual players now.

ARE PLAYERS GOING INSANE IN THIS FORUM OR WHAT!?! XD

“All Luck” Would Be My Guess. Friends Have Magic Find Across The Spectrum, From 0 To XXX And Seem To Have The Same Luck.

This one time I made a forum post about how awesome the devs are, threw 16 rares into the mystic forge, and got 5 precursors out of it. True story.

Sizer.3987:

This one time I made a forum post about how awesome the devs are, threw 16 rares into the mystic forge, and got 5 precursors out of it. True story.

No it isn’t, you’d need at least 20 rares for 5 precursors ^_^

Of course Arenanet punishes players. Was I the only one who had to enter a ‘safe’ word when I created my account?!?

That’s just how much the devs rewarded him. They gave him an extra precursor.

Agemnon.4608:

Sizer.3987:

This one time I made a forum post about how awesome the devs are, threw 16 rares into the mystic forge, and got 5 precursors out of it. True story.

No it isn’t, you’d need at least 20 rares for 5 precursors

No he doesn’t: 4 precursors from 16 rares, 1 precursor from 4 earlier precursors. Technically…

Qugi.2653:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

If they are selectively punishing people then how are they targeting them? Forum posts?

I got forum infraction once because I say not nice thing about arena net. It seem like all I get for few week was junk drop. This of course was RNG work not conspiracy. Just thought funny.

I’ve had a few infractions. Mostly for not being nice to other people, but I still get nice things.

When the chances are below 0.001%, no individual case is going to be predictable.

Basically, if you approach this subject scientifically, the most unlucky instances are perfectly within reason.

Because the precursor chances are so low, there simply cannot be enough evidence to support the idea that certain accounts are “cursed” or “punished.”

I know dyes are not in the same league as precursors but back when I first started, when you found dyes in cabbages and lettuce and they were exciting to find, I used to group with a guy who was forever finding dyes when the rest of the group found none. Every run we did, he seemed to find some dye.

The hateful thing was that he only ever used blue and black for his colours so they were wasted on him.

At the dragon bash event he got at least three tickets for weapon skins (I got none). He was not interested either. He was only in the game for a friend and quit soon after they left.

Just… Just buy one

Ayrilana.1396:

Magic Find’s usefulness is debatable. I personal see no value in it for very rare drops as 400% MF on something that has a 0.00001% drop rate won’t be noticeable.

I have been playing since launch on my main account, i got 300% mf and recently started a ftp account with no account mf. The difference in droprate of rare items and mats is huge in my opinion, i get more rare gear than white gear on my main account, not so much on my ftp account.

Wanze.8410:

Ayrilana.1396:

Magic Find’s usefulness is debatable. I personal see no value in it for very rare drops as 400% MF on something that has a 0.00001% drop rate won’t be noticeable.

I have been playing since launch on my main account, i got 300% mf and recently started a ftp account with no account mf. The difference in droprate of rare items and mats is huge in my opinion, i get more rare gear than white gear on my main account, not so much on my ftp account.

I wasn’t specifically referring to the rarity category but rather the actual rarity of the items themselves such as precursors. Having maxed MF will make very little difference for something that has a very low drop rate compared to something that has a much higher rate.

Ithilwen.1529:

Does ANET punish specific players by reducing drops?

No. There’s no evidence that they even have the capability to do this.

Ithilwen.1529:

Does Magic Find work?

Yes, it most certainly does, over the course of thousands of drops, you will, on average, get better loot with higher MF. This means more mostly the same amount of drops, just a larger fraction of higher-value loot.

• It doesn’t guarantee getting specific drops, such as precursors or even named exotics of any sort.
• It doesn’t guarantee that your loot will be better compared to any other individual, unless you are measuring against hundreds and hundreds of drops.

CorrynnStarr.7942:

they will tell you they dont… but they do… not even gonna argue with anyone over it so dont bother…

There’s absolutely no evidence for this. What little evidence that players have provided there shows the opposite: that MF absolutely matters in the manner described above.

tl;dr MF only increases your odds of higher-value loot, which is something that is only noticeable when looking at thousands of drops from killing foes.

Ayrilana.1396:

Wanze.8410:

Ayrilana.1396:

Magic Find’s usefulness is debatable. I personal see no value in it for very rare drops as 400% MF on something that has a 0.00001% drop rate won’t be noticeable.

I have been playing since launch on my main account, i got 300% mf and recently started a ftp account with no account mf. The difference in droprate of rare items and mats is huge in my opinion, i get more rare gear than white gear on my main account, not so much on my ftp account.

I wasn’t specifically referring to the rarity category but rather the actual rarity of the items themselves such as precursors. Having maxed MF will make very little difference for something that has a very low drop rate compared to something that has a much higher rate.

A percentual increase in drop rate raises a low droprate as much as a high one, thats basic math.

Its all luck. I’m an avid gambler, I can go for months wasting thousands of gold in the mystic forge and get nothing and then one Christmas eve I get 5 precursors.

Wanze.8410:

Ayrilana.1396:

Wanze.8410:

Ayrilana.1396:

Magic Find’s usefulness is debatable. I personal see no value in it for very rare drops as 400% MF on something that has a 0.00001% drop rate won’t be noticeable.

I have been playing since launch on my main account, i got 300% mf and recently started a ftp account with no account mf. The difference in droprate of rare items and mats is huge in my opinion, i get more rare gear than white gear on my main account, not so much on my ftp account.

I wasn’t specifically referring to the rarity category but rather the actual rarity of the items themselves such as precursors. Having maxed MF will make very little difference for something that has a very low drop rate compared to something that has a much higher rate.

A percentual increase in drop rate raises a low droprate as much as a high one, thats basic math.

Take a drop rate of 0.01% and increase it five fold. So you’re telling me that it’s basic math that the increase is significant and noticeable?

Ayrilana.1396:

Wanze.8410:

Ayrilana.1396:

Wanze.8410:

Ayrilana.1396:

Magic Find’s usefulness is debatable. I personal see no value in it for very rare drops as 400% MF on something that has a 0.00001% drop rate won’t be noticeable.

I have been playing since launch on my main account, i got 300% mf and recently started a ftp account with no account mf. The difference in droprate of rare items and mats is huge in my opinion, i get more rare gear than white gear on my main account, not so much on my ftp account.

I wasn’t specifically referring to the rarity category but rather the actual rarity of the items themselves such as precursors. Having maxed MF will make very little difference for something that has a very low drop rate compared to something that has a much higher rate.

A percentual increase in drop rate raises a low droprate as much as a high one, thats basic math.

Take a drop rate of 0.01% and increase it five fold. So you’re telling me that it’s basic math that the increase is significant and noticeable?

Yes, because on average, it would give me a drop 5 times faster.

Its not a complicated concept.

MF works, but the effects are far more noticeable with bag/t5/t6 drops (not opening the bag themselves). As time has gone on more and more rewards have been put in chests which are not effected by MF. MF is best when you’re clearing a lot of mobs that drop loot. Some events are still pretty good for this, but even then with the scaling changes the overall number of mobs has been reduced in most of these events.

It’s not like when you hit 300% luck MF precursors start falling from the skies. 3-4x a tiny small number is still a tiny number. It’s sort of like buying 4 lotto tickets instead of just 1. Yes your chances are better, but it’s still probably not going to happen.

The difference in overall drop quality is VERY noticeable to a player… just not so much in the precursor department.

Wanze.8410:

Ayrilana.1396:

Wanze.8410:

Ayrilana.1396:

Wanze.8410:

Ayrilana.1396:

Magic Find’s usefulness is debatable. I personal see no value in it for very rare drops as 400% MF on something that has a 0.00001% drop rate won’t be noticeable.

I have been playing since launch on my main account, i got 300% mf and recently started a ftp account with no account mf. The difference in droprate of rare items and mats is huge in my opinion, i get more rare gear than white gear on my main account, not so much on my ftp account.

I wasn’t specifically referring to the rarity category but rather the actual rarity of the items themselves such as precursors. Having maxed MF will make very little difference for something that has a very low drop rate compared to something that has a much higher rate.

A percentual increase in drop rate raises a low droprate as much as a high one, thats basic math.

Take a drop rate of 0.01% and increase it five fold. So you’re telling me that it’s basic math that the increase is significant and noticeable?

Yes, because on average, it would give me a drop 5 times faster.

So a drop rate of 0.000000000000000000000000000000001% increasing by five fold is still significant and noticeable because it will get you the drop five times faster?

Ayrilana.1396:

Wanze.8410:

Ayrilana.1396:

Wanze.8410:

Ayrilana.1396:

Wanze.8410:

Ayrilana.1396:

Magic Find’s usefulness is debatable. I personal see no value in it for very rare drops as 400% MF on something that has a 0.00001% drop rate won’t be noticeable.

I have been playing since launch on my main account, i got 300% mf and recently started a ftp account with no account mf. The difference in droprate of rare items and mats is huge in my opinion, i get more rare gear than white gear on my main account, not so much on my ftp account.

I wasn’t specifically referring to the rarity category but rather the actual rarity of the items themselves such as precursors. Having maxed MF will make very little difference for something that has a very low drop rate compared to something that has a much higher rate.

A percentual increase in drop rate raises a low droprate as much as a high one, thats basic math.

Take a drop rate of 0.01% and increase it five fold. So you’re telling me that it’s basic math that the increase is significant and noticeable?

Yes, because on average, it would give me a drop 5 times faster.

So a drop rate of 0.000000000000000000000000000000001% increasing by five fold is still significant and noticeable because it will get you the drop five times faster?

Instead of getting it 0 times, you’ll get it 0 times.

Also interesting note on RNG:

I did about 500 Teq wins without a single hoard. This week I finally got one. 3-4 days later I got another.

First of all these is RNG.
Second of all there are rumours of lucky accounts.

I think these lucky accounts are due to the fact that RNG, isnt really RNG, because how can you get a program to randomly select a number.
You cant you use an algorithm. The problem with algorithms is that there is a pattern, even if you cannot see one.

So these lucky accounts could be set within account IDs which put then in a group of accounts which are more favoured in the RNG system anet uses.
Hence why you have some players who have played since launch and not seen a single precursor, whilst a trail account might have got one within minutes.

Punish you for what, exactly?

Buy Some Apples.6390:

First of all these is RNG.
Second of all there are rumours of lucky accounts.

I think these lucky accounts are due to the fact that RNG, isnt really RNG, because how can you get a program to randomly select a number.
You cant you use an algorithm. The problem with algorithms is that there is a pattern, even if you cannot see one.

So these lucky accounts could be set within account IDs which put then in a group of accounts which are more favoured in the RNG system anet uses.
Hence why you have some players who have played since launch and not seen a single precursor, whilst a trail account might have got one within minutes.

John Smith.4610:

There isn’t such thing is some accounts getting stuck lucky. Yes there’s an RNG, yes it’s random and there are streaks and outliers and an even aggregate distribution.

John Smith.4610:

wwwes.1398:

John Smith.4610:

There isn’t such thing is some accounts getting stuck lucky. Yes there’s an RNG, yes it’s random and there are streaks and outliers and an even aggregate distribution.

Can you confirm whether it is an RNG that uses some sort of value from the user’s account or whether it is purely random/session based? I have a friend who swears that smack-talking an anet dev during a beta weekend pvp match doomed his account to poor rng for life.

Absolutely it does not use anything to do with a user.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/I-have-a-question-about-the-economy/page/15#post4487484