Tier 4 Command Crates - Enough with the blue relics

[ulusid]

Do operations?

 

That is a good way to go but running nightmare ops is a joke. Unless you already in a Nim team there is no point in doing anything other than HM ops and pvp to get the 248 golds. All Nim bosses drop 246 purple except last boss. To the original topic of the crates and the trash they drop, it is sad that the decision they made was to keep this crap system going and at least help the drop rate or prevent the same item from dropping many times over. I have opened 600 plus tier 4 crates since 5.2 hit, alot of saved up cxp packs were used to do this, and so far i have 3 tier 4 golds i can use and 5 tier 4 mending relics that are so useless its not even funny. I have given up on the crates beyond the 1.33% drop rate to have more than 50% of those drops unusable is a joke. just do SM and HM then pvp or do what alot of the player base did a find a different game.

[stoopicus]

Do operations?

 

I would literally rather PvP in vendor greens than resort to that.

[dscount]

That is a good way to go but running nightmare ops is a joke. Unless you already in a Nim team there is no point in doing anything other than HM ops and pvp to get the 248 golds. All Nim bosses drop 246 purple except last boss. To the original topic of the crates and the trash they drop, it is sad that the decision they made was to keep this crap system going and at least help the drop rate or prevent the same item from dropping many times over. I have opened 600 plus tier 4 crates since 5.2 hit, alot of saved up cxp packs were used to do this, and so far i have 3 tier 4 golds i can use and 5 tier 4 mending relics that are so useless its not even funny. I have given up on the crates beyond the 1.33% drop rate to have more than 50% of those drops unusable is a joke. just do SM and HM then pvp or do what alot of the player base did a find a different game.

 

WAIT at MINUTE: I've seen this pattern before... HM OPS giving better gear than NIM... oh the "Highlighted" weekly OPS when everyone farmed EV HM and all the MMO community laughed. Now we fast forward what 2 years I think and see NIM is dropping crap gear again? Does anyone at BW not have ADHD? Seriously - this is a mental time warp or something.

[Avianatorsparkma]

That is a good way to go but running nightmare ops is a joke. Unless you already in a Nim team there is no point in doing anything other than HM ops and pvp to get the 248 golds. All Nim bosses drop 246 purple except last boss. To the original topic of the crates and the trash they drop, it is sad that the decision they made was to keep this crap system going and at least help the drop rate or prevent the same item from dropping many times over. I have opened 600 plus tier 4 crates since 5.2 hit, alot of saved up cxp packs were used to do this, and so far i have 3 tier 4 golds i can use and 5 tier 4 mending relics that are so useless its not even funny. I have given up on the crates beyond the 1.33% drop rate to have more than 50% of those drops unusable is a joke. just do SM and HM then pvp or do what alot of the player base did a find a different game.

 

You are absolutely right and this actually what makes me so sad about the current state of the game.

If you really want to progress with your pve gear...you have to pvp.

[Halinalle]

I would literally rather PvP in vendor greens than resort to that.

 

If you want to limit your own game then there's nothing anyone else can do to help. Not even Bioware.

[stoopicus]

If you want to limit your own game then there's nothing anyone else can do to help. Not even Bioware.

 

Quoting for posterity for the next time you argue against being "forced" to PvP

[exfell]

If you want to limit your own game then there's nothing anyone else can do to help. Not even Bioware.

 

Because being able to gear for pvp through pvp in a reasonable amount of time is such an insurmountable wish.

Does however quite clearly appear that it is not withing the competence of current Bioware to design such a system..

[leehambly]

My 2p on the subject... I think its basically inevitable, to a certain degree and I think it is due to a clash between the amount of cxp we now get (and crates we open versus the amount of crates we were "expected" to open per session) and an in-game mechanic for regulating the loot drops.

 

I, too, noticed and commented with my guildies on the blue relics... Time and time again I have noticed a series of the same item dropping... I got 6 tier 3 chest pieces in 7 crates one time... 5 purple and then finally the legendary, it then stopped. I have had similar experiences with both implants and relics, and well, other "trends" have occurred but maybe not so significant. Something interesting to note, maybe, is that when the chest piece "run" happened, I needed a chest piece to finish the set.

 

Was this the result of some mechanic to regulate the drops? (but it might be a little broken?) Is it just a coincidence that we are simply noticing due to the apparently poor return on the relic? Would we notice it any more or less, or significantly, if it were a chest piece that was dropping? I don't know. All I know is that I did notice the more significant chest piece "run".

 

This is background info: When the loot system was first announced, as an analyst programmer, I set up and ran some loot simulations in order to find out what the best tactic for advanced class switching was in order to maximise your chances in completing a dual dps-heal/tank setup asap. Should I focus on one spec completely and then switch? Should I keep changing my approach based on the gear I still need? Is there a benefit to any one approach over the others? (Hint: Tanks are screwed - two complete grinds; Heals should respec to whichever advanced class they have least of - you fill in both quickly while trying to get the other, given the cross over on usable pieces)

 

So, I have run these loot simulations over thousands of loots across millions of "characters" with these different loot approaches and while it is theoretically possible to loot a set bonus suit in just 6 crates... even with an equal drop rate, it should take many, many thousands of crates to get a set bonus suit at tier 1, 2 or 3 (or a purple/legendary set in tier 4). UA aside, the fact that anyone at all has gotten a complete tier 1, 2 or 3 set at all would be virtually miraculous within the 90 crate bandings... I've now done it a number of times. This leads me to believe that something must be intervening and regulating the loots. I simply cannot be THAT lucky and my experience is in no way unique, it doesn't take a lot to beat those odds, by a long way.

 

TLDR: I reckon something in the game somewhere is doing this... and it might need a tweak maybe? I think it has always been there and we are probably now noticing it more because we loot more crates now than was originally intended.

Edited May 2, 2017 by leehambly

[FerkWork]

That is a good way to go but running nightmare ops is a joke. Unless you already in a Nim team there is no point in doing anything other than HM ops and pvp to get the 248 golds. All Nim bosses drop 246 purple except last boss. To the original topic of the crates and the trash they drop, it is sad that the decision they made was to keep this crap system going and at least help the drop rate or prevent the same item from dropping many times over. I have opened 600 plus tier 4 crates since 5.2 hit, alot of saved up cxp packs were used to do this, and so far i have 3 tier 4 golds i can use and 5 tier 4 mending relics that are so useless its not even funny. I have given up on the crates beyond the 1.33% drop rate to have more than 50% of those drops unusable is a joke. just do SM and HM then pvp or do what alot of the player base did a find a different game.

 

Actually NiM bosses sans Apex boss can drop a random 244 blue or random 246. When I mean random I mean random to the point your getting gear for classes not even present in the raid. And 244 vs 242 the only difference is the Armoring and only barely. And even on the Apex bosses in NiM the complete 248 loot table is not even there. Unless you get lucky from crates or PvP to eyes bleed it's impossible in the literal sense right now to get 248 Mainhand, OH, Belt, Bracers, Chestpiece, and Headpiece from NiM.

Edited May 2, 2017 by FerkWork

[mike_carton]

Actually NiM bosses sans Apex boss can drop a random 244 blue or random 246. When I mean random I mean random to the point your getting gear for classes not even present in the raid. And 244 vs 242 the only difference is the Armoring and only barely. And even on the Apex bosses in NiM the complete 248 loot table is not even there. Unless you get lucky from crates or PvP to eyes bleed it's impossible in the literal sense right now to get 248 Mainhand, OH, Belt, Bracers, Chestpiece, and Headpiece from NiM.

 

Agree with rest of the post except the 244 vs 242 bit.

 

244 Armorings and Enhancements (barrels and hilts too) have better stats than their 242 counterparts. When it comes to Mods, the 242 Mods are significantly better for DPS and Healers than 244s since the 242s put more into Power than Mastery or Endurance.

[stoopicus]

Agree with rest of the post except the 244 vs 242 bit.

 

244 Armorings and Enhancements (barrels and hilts too) have better stats than their 242 counterparts. When it comes to Mods, the 242 Mods are significantly better for DPS and Healers than 244s since the 242s put more into Power than Mastery or Endurance.

 

242 left side gear is better than 244 as well due to the bonus stat.

 

240 unlettered mods are better than 244 mods.

 

244 armorings, hilts and barrels are good though.

Edited May 2, 2017 by stoopicus

[FerkWork]

Agree with rest of the post except the 244 vs 242 bit.

 

244 Armorings and Enhancements (barrels and hilts too) have better stats than their 242 counterparts. When it comes to Mods, the 242 Mods are significantly better for DPS and Healers than 244s since the 242s put more into Power than Mastery or Endurance.

 

I should have clarified but Last time I looked at the stats.

 

Armoring/Barrel/Hilt 242<244

Mod 242>244

Enhancment 242=244

[SentinelThain]

Maybe the best thing to do is get to 242 and be happy with that.If you get something nice from loot crates fine,thats a bonus.But the drop rates of blue junk relics/implants needs to be addressed,it 's literary every crate I've opened since reaching 300,and it's getting old fast.

The reward for time spent getting cxp just isn't worth it anymore.

[Spyderwraith]

I've opened upwards of 200 or more tier 4 crates on my Guardian. 80 percent of my gear drops have been ****** blue relics. 75% of those 80, have been ****** Blue DPS relics. I'm specced as tank. *********** enough of this ****. :mad:

[stoopicus]

I've opened upwards of 200 or more tier 4 crates on my Guardian. 80 percent of my gear drops have been ****** blue relics. 75% of those 80, have been ****** Blue DPS relics. I'm specced as tank. *********** enough of this ****. :mad:

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the fact that people still defend this is a spectacular exhibition of gamer Stockholm Syndrome. By any objective measure it is laughably bad, but somehow people still feel compelled to stick up for Bioware here.

 

It doesn't matter if it has been subjectively good for Random Player A. There's an equal number of others that have had it bad with RNG. Like exfell and I and our 5-deep duplicate 242 relic pile.

 

I love Bioware games, but this gearing system is simply broken and vapid defense of it helps no one.

Edited May 3, 2017 by stoopicus

[SentinelThain]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the fact that people still defend this is a spectacular exhibition of gamer Stockholm Syndrome. By any objective measure it is laughably bad, but somehow people still feel compelled to stick up for Bioware here.

 

It doesn't matter if it has been subjectively good for Random Player A. There's an equal number of others that have had it bad with RNG. Like exfell and I and our 5-deep duplicate 242 relic pile.

 

I love Bioware games, but this gearing system is simply broken and vapid defense of it helps no one.

The more noise we make about this the better.The drop rates need fixed,simple as that.Opening hundreds of crates (and spending hours upon hours getting cxp) to get rewarded with nothing is a waste of players time and very annoying.

As somebody said earlier to grind for a few hours and then opening crates to disintegrate,you are no further forward than when you started,so whats the point?

[SentinelThain]

The last 4 boxes I've opened,useless blue relics in EVERY one.

Trolling at it's worst.

[Biermacht]

keep getting blue serendipitous assault on my tank

[SentinelThain]

After a couple of flashpoints and EV 8 crates opened.

6 had blue relics/implants.This is beyond a f ucking joke now.

This needs sorted out,either it's rigged or it's broken.

[Zerileth]

Ok good I'm not the only one. 3 alts tier 4, for the past 2 days, several HM/TM flashpoints, and several crates = ZERO gold set pieces. Did something change w/ the last ptach?

[Kyuuu]

there the new green, cause the drop like greens basically tierd 4 has same rates and crates prior to 5.2 too Edited May 4, 2017 by Kyuuu

[stoopicus]

there the new green, cause the drop like greens basically tierd 4 has same rates and crates prior to 5.2 too

 

Oh BTW, I'm pretty sure when you hit 300 it cripples your drop rate for Tier 3 crates too. I was getting (purple) 240 or 242 gear nearly crate over 290 but I hit 300 with five of them and started getting blues/greens again. YMMV, but I would pop as many Tier 3 crates at 299 as you can.

[mike_carton]

Oh BTW, I'm pretty sure when you hit 300 it cripples your drop rate for Tier 3 crates too. I was getting (purple) 240 or 242 gear nearly crate over 290 but I hit 300 with five of them and started getting blues/greens again. YMMV, but I would pop as many Tier 3 crates at 299 as you can.

 

When you hit 300, you go to Tier 4. You are back to getting Blue items (244 rating), with low probability of getting purple (246 rating) and even lower probability of getting gold items (248 rating). There are no green items in tier 4, so once you reach 300 you'll not get any more green items.

[Halinalle]

Chance is a lot higher than most players here claim. They most likely don't even have rank 300 on any characters, I guess.

 

First of all, 244s are good if you didn't get 242 or 240 for that slot. 244 blue with set bonus is upgrade for anything else. Armoring and enhancement are upgrades compared to 240. Yes, 248s are quite rare but getting one isn't that difficult if you keep playing. Difference to 246s is minimal. Chance to get 246s seems to be a bit higher than getting 230s at the end of tier1, 234s at the end of of tier2 and 240s at the end of tier3.

 

Getting duplicates or just wrong relics (248 Boundless Ages :/) is another issue entirely and has nothing to do with chances of actually getting purple or

Edited May 5, 2017 by Halinalle

[stoopicus]

When you hit 300, you go to Tier 4. You are back to getting Blue items (244 rating), with low probability of getting purple (246 rating) and even lower probability of getting gold items (248 rating). There are no green items in tier 4, so once you reach 300 you'll not get any more green items.

 

I know.

 

What I was referring to is if, like many people, you hit 300 with a bunch of T3 crates still in your inv (I had 5-10), those are likely gimped for drop rate too. When I did that I started getting greens in those surplus T3 crates.

 

So, if you are approaching T4 and have a bunch of T3 crates unopened, I would advise you open them at 299, because I got crap in mine after hitting 300.