Guild Wars 2

Hi guys

for the past week or so I have been unable to get anymore shovels. I do events in silverwastes, sometimes start at 3/4 or 4/4 sometimes all the way from zero and complete the maps. Not getting any shovels for event completion rewards as I used to.

Also, don’t see any shovels available at the vendors, either at Camp Resolve, or individual fort vendors once the forts are open.

So how do I get shovels now ?

You still can only get them from events – you were just unlucky. It is usually the fort defense and capture events that have the best chance of awarding shovels.

There is no possibility to acquire shovels through vendors in the Silverwastes.

I have to say this, as someone who does farm SW a lot (practically live there) I’ve been getting a lot less shovels from events too..

Vova.2640:

I have to say this, as someone who does farm SW a lot (practically live there) I’ve been getting a lot less shovels from events too..

What does “a lot less” mean in terms of numbers?

• How many events did you do per week 2 months ago and how many shovels did you get then?
• How many events did you do this week and how many shovels did you get?

Humans have demonstrably poor memories about things like this: we overvalue recent memories over distant ones, we undervalue average results, and we tend to remember results that confirm our preconceptions and forget those that do not. Without keeping track, most of us are mostly wrong about anything that involves comparing amounts from different periods of time.

tl;dr in the absence of specific numbers, we should “assume” that the drop rate for shovels hasn’t changed.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Vova.2640:

I have to say this, as someone who does farm SW a lot (practically live there) I’ve been getting a lot less shovels from events too..

What does “a lot less” mean in terms of numbers?

• How many events did you do per week 2 months ago and how many shovels did you get then?
• How many events did you do this week and how many shovels did you get?

Humans have demonstrably poor memories about things like this: we overvalue recent memories over distant ones, we undervalue average results, and we tend to remember results that confirm our preconceptions and forget those that do not. Without keeping track, most of us are mostly wrong about anything that involves comparing amounts from different periods of time.

tl;dr in the absence of specific numbers, we should “assume” that the drop rate for shovels hasn’t changed.

I usually complete 2-3 maps per day, 5-6 days a week.

This entire week, I finally got 1 shovel, just now, for all that. Literally, 1 shovel.

Dear Anet, please take my 1000 Gems for a [Golden Unlimited Shovel] <3

I dunno, I had 10 shovels at the start of this week, I have 60+ now. ~shrugs~

Tongku.5326:

I usually complete 2-3 maps per day, 5-6 days a week.

This entire week, I finally got 1 shovel, just now, for all that. Literally, 1 shovel.

That’s about what I was getting sometimes, when I was still working on lumi armor. Literally, 1 shovel for 15-20 maps. (Other weeks, I might have gotten as many as 20.)

Tongku.5326:

Hi guys

for the past week or so I have been unable to get anymore shovels. I do events in silverwastes, sometimes start at 3/4 or 4/4 sometimes all the way from zero and complete the maps. Not getting any shovels for event completion rewards as I used to.

Also, don’t see any shovels available at the vendors, either at Camp Resolve, or individual fort vendors once the forts are open.

So how do I get shovels now ?

Are you using up all your luck items? I used to stock pile luck items in my bank. I don’t know why. I didn’t understand what they were. I had a huge amount of them stock piled up in my bank. Then I looked at my magic find percentage on my account and it was like 24%.

So, I had the same problem. Never getting anything good. Never getting emp fragments and I was building ascended gear. I built my whole set of ascended gear and 2 ascended weapons on like 24% magic find on my account.

Then someone told me I am supposed to use the magic find items you get when you salvage gear. And I used my whole stock pile of those magic find items and now my account is +97% magic find and I get shovels coming out of my ears. I have them sitting in my bag right now. I usually get 2-6 shovels per evening in silver wastes map.

I don’t know what your magic find percentage is on your account, but I noticed a HUGE difference in rewards and ascended mats I am now getting from before when my account was only 24% magic find.

Electra.7530:

Tongku.5326:

Hi guys

for the past week or so I have been unable to get anymore shovels. I do events in silverwastes, sometimes start at 3/4 or 4/4 sometimes all the way from zero and complete the maps. Not getting any shovels for event completion rewards as I used to.

Also, don’t see any shovels available at the vendors, either at Camp Resolve, or individual fort vendors once the forts are open.

So how do I get shovels now ?

Are you using up all your luck items? I used to stock pile luck items in my bank. I don’t know why. I didn’t understand what they were. I had a huge amount of them stock piled up in my bank. Then I looked at my magic find percentage on my account and it was like 24%.

So, I had the same problem. Never getting anything good. Never getting emp fragments and I was building ascended gear. I built my whole set of ascended gear and 2 ascended weapons on like 24% magic find on my account.

Then someone told me I am supposed to use the magic find items you get when you salvage gear. And I used my whole stock pile of those magic find items and now my account is +97% magic find and I get shovels coming out of my ears. I have them sitting in my bag right now. I usually get 2-6 shovels per evening in silver wastes map.

I don’t know what your magic find percentage is on your account, but I noticed a HUGE difference in rewards and ascended mats I am now getting from before when my account was only 24% magic find.

my current base account MF is 267% without any buffs or bonusses. yes, i use up all the luck items, occasionally i also salvage stacks of 250 globs for dark matter and T6 dust so i can make more ascended for alts and i get all that luck left over as well in addition to regular item salvaging.

I could have sworn we used to get a shovel as part of the reward for capturing a fort in Silverwastes. Did that change?

Shovels are random rewards iirc.

Is it not like every 4th or 5th reward you get one.

I’ve gotten shovels recently but you don’t get them every time you defend a fort. You get them some of the time. It’s not guaranteed.

I was wondering, because several people on the maps I’ve been on, including myself and my friend, had noticed a distinct decline in shovel rewards. I was used to getting several during a run, but then after the BWE, I noticed I was only getting 1 or 2 a run. I guess it was just RNG, and some of us are getting a dry spell, lol. I had thought it was tied to specific fort rewards. Thanks for the clarification

There was just another thread on this same topic.

Shovels still drop, perhaps you are just getting unlucky today with RNG.

Well, I didn’t know it was superstition. I have been getting better rewards since I increased my account luck.

But my account luck is nowhere near as high as yours is.

But today, I actually have not gotten any shovels and someone else started a thread about the same thing. So, when more than one player is noticing something, I’d think there’s something behind it.

That being said, I have noticed the mobs are a lot harder to kill in all the maps now. Seems I’m getting knocked on my backside left and right by all the mobs now in all the maps from lowest to highest levels.

So, they are definitely tweaking things here and there. I wouldn’t put it past them to nerf drops anywhere — if that’s what’s happening with shovels. Maybe it’s not.. I’m not saying it is.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Vova.2640:

I have to say this, as someone who does farm SW a lot (practically live there) I’ve been getting a lot less shovels from events too..

What does “a lot less” mean in terms of numbers?

• How many events did you do per week 2 months ago and how many shovels did you get then?
• How many events did you do this week and how many shovels did you get?

Humans have demonstrably poor memories about things like this: we overvalue recent memories over distant ones, we undervalue average results, and we tend to remember results that confirm our preconceptions and forget those that do not. Without keeping track, most of us are mostly wrong about anything that involves comparing amounts from different periods of time.

tl;dr in the absence of specific numbers, we should “assume” that the drop rate for shovels hasn’t changed.

I didn’t say the drop rate was decreased. I only pointed out that I have been getting less shovels in general. I don’t know what’s up with that. Maybe my memory is failing me… but I doubt it

I do a lot of events almost daily. Usually if I go to SW I do at least 5 full maps (breach + VW). I cannot give you exact number (never bothered counting) but I do FEEL like I have been getting less shovels from events (but at the same time I started getting a lot more rares and exotics from EVENTS)

Again I’m not claiming that there were any changes in drop rates, but I personally feel some changes in drops. Maybe it’s luck. Maybe not. I don’t know.