Guild Wars 2

I’ve had this game since release (almost 3 years) and watched friends and newcomers alike find amazing items and more importantly precursors (via forge/chest drop/mob drop). To this day I haven’t found really anything of value other than some dyes. One example using SAB back when it was released everyone got at least one skin, whereas nothing dropped for me (same for all events in the past).

I’ve thrown many thousands of gold worth of items into the forge, run literally several thousands of dungeon runs, and farmed every content you can think of, but am yet to see a precursor anywhere. Has anyone else been playing since release and had the same problem?

Back at release I know on the forums some people were talking about having decreased returns and it being something like a glitch or bug. I read the posts and I’m not sure whether anet fixed that issue or not for those people. I guess I’m posting this here hoping that someone can address this issue for me and perhaps fix whatever issue is with my account.

There is no such thing as “decreased returns”, only luck – I have been playing for nearly 3 years, and have only ever had one drop from a mob.

With that said, Heart of Thorns is introducing a new method of acquiring precursors; through that of a tyria mastery scavenger hunt which will award a specific precursor after completing each one.

Although, these scavenger hunts can only be completed once per type of precursor, so you will only get one of each type.

Zalladi.4652:

There is no such thing as “decreased returns”, only luck – I have been playing for nearly 3 years, and have only ever had one drop from a mob.

Actually, a tiny fraction of people do hit Diminishing Returns, which are mechanics in the game designed to make it difficult for botters.

• Dungeon DR is easy to hit (if you don’t know about it), since it shows up if you repeat any path twice in the same day.
• Event DR shows up if you leave a character in the same spot to repeat the same event repeatedly. Anyone who uses just a single character to fight Rhendak or the Commissar runs into this (it can be broken by doing events outside the area, especially those that involve killing other foes — this includes WvW).
• Loot DR shows up if you kill the same set of foes in the same area repeatedly. People hit this who do Maize Balm farming and a small fraction of folks run into in Orr. It’s easily broken up by leaving the area or cycling through characters.

There are a couple of things that don’t have any associated DR (based on comments by ANet and evidence from players):

• Opening containers of any sort, including champ bags, festival bags (ToTs, Wintersday Gifts, …), and loot bags.
• The Mystic Forge (20% chance of upgrade, various range for material promotion, tiny chances of precursors).

tl;dr there are diminishing returns in the game, even though the OP (according to their own post) hasn’t run into it.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Actually, a tiny fraction of people do hit Diminishing Returns, which are mechanics in the game designed to make it difficult for botters.

True, though I was only referring to the lack of Diminishing Returns with obtaining precursors, as per the topic of the OP.

(Though, I didn’t know you will hit DR if you attack the same foes repeatedly in the same area – good to know).

To address you both at once, I wasn’t talking about diminishing returns per say (although this is probably what people may have been talking about at launch where some accounts had diminishing returns all the time; something I think my account has); more that some accounts may have a bugged level of any sort of return. I.E. incapable of finding any drops.

Although according to your responses it seems you’re suggesting it’s all luck based entirely and therefore I’m just really unlucky xD

Feral.3609:

To address you both at once, I wasn’t talking about diminishing returns per say (although this is probably what people may have been talking about at launch where some accounts had diminishing returns all the time; something I think my account has); more that some accounts may have a bugged level of any sort of return. I.E. incapable of finding any drops.

Although according to your responses it seems you’re suggesting it’s all luck based entirely and therefore I’m just really unlucky xD

You aren’t really unlucky; you are about as lucky in precursors as most people.

Feral.3609:

To address you both at once, I wasn’t talking about diminishing returns per say (although this is probably what people may have been talking about at launch where some accounts had diminishing returns all the time; something I think my account has); more that some accounts may have a bugged level of any sort of return. I.E. incapable of finding any drops.

Although according to your responses it seems you’re suggesting it’s all luck based entirely and therefore I’m just really unlucky xD

If by “incapable of finding any drop” means zero drops at all not even trophys and white gear then yes you should talk to support.

If its only a rant of not finding exotics, rares and precursors then thats entirely luck based after you got all the daily boss chests above mini map for the day.

Its just random. Lots have been playing almost 3 yrs now and haven’t got a precursor. It’s just luck of the draw. Heck I’ve been doing Teq 7 days a week for 2 yrs and still have not got a teq hoard =p Just the luck of the draw sadly

Soren.9316:

Its just random. Lots have been playing almost 3 yrs now and haven’t got a precursor. It’s just luck of the draw. Heck I’ve been doing Teq 7 days a week for 2 yrs and still have not got a teq hoard =p Just the luck of the draw sadly

Atm Im saving up to 100 exotic chests from teq and will open em when i have that(got 91 now)

Hope I will see something from it.

Join the “I never got anything good” club, I am a founder member, and have never got a decent drop or anything good from a chest, bag, crate, box or any other form of container, since (and including) beta.

Nada, nothing, zilch, whatever nothing is in your language.

DR maximum, luck minimum, optimism at an all time low, pessimism at an all time high.