Why is the game dropping everything but staves?

[belgarathmth 21]

The thread title says it.

 

I have a level 76 Dragon Mage going through Gold - I'm getting gold and orange swords, gold and orange polearms, including a dozen or more %LifeLeech, and ditto with hafted weapons and ranged weapons (except shurikens).

 

But I haven't had a single gold or orange magic staff (or shuriken) drop since about level 25. I've noticed this same problem with some of my other characters.

 

What's going on, here? Do magic staves have a lower percentage chance to drop than other kinds of weapons?

[essjayehm 58]

Usually it's "just my luck" that the weapon / weapon-type I'm looking for won't drop for a long time... I cannot think of any reason why you haven't seen a 'good' staff for a while so I'd chalk it up to that.

 

Keep the faith, and you will find a good one!

[JKtheWonderguy 3]

The thread title says it.

 

I have a level 76 Dragon Mage going through Gold - I'm getting gold and orange swords, gold and orange polearms, including a dozen or more %LifeLeech, and ditto with hafted weapons and ranged weapons (except shurikens).

 

But I haven't had a single gold or orange magic staff (or shuriken) drop since about level 25. I've noticed this same problem with some of my other characters.

 

What's going on, here? Do magic staves have a lower percentage chance to drop than other kinds of weapons?

Seems like that when I'm a dragon mage using staffs.

When I play a TG, I see all kinds of em. Usually two handers.

[Steerpike1 53]

Given the number of weapons in the game, there's more chance of the type you're not looking for dropping rather than then one you are. This is what makes Enhanced Perception and Bargaining such powerful skills. They both up your chances, in different ways, of finding useful items. If you go without them, then you are relient on the game being nice to you.

 

The other option is to improve you magic find*, and farm an area for a while. Eventually you will get what you are after. Eventually (he typed, having been there, having done that...)

 

* Again, Enhanced Perception has a play here, as it opens up more magic find items.

[belgarathmth 21]

Given the number of weapons in the game, there's more chance of the type you're not looking for dropping rather than then one you are. This is what makes Enhanced Perception and Bargaining such powerful skills. They both up your chances, in different ways, of finding useful items. If you go without them, then you are relient on the game being nice to you.

 

The other option is to improve you magic find*, and farm an area for a while. Eventually you will get what you are after. Eventually (he typed, having been there, having done that...)

 

* Again, Enhanced Perception has a play here, as it opens up more magic find items.

 

I've got one hard point in Enhanced Perception plus bonuses, for about 25 or 30 soft points. That's supposed to be about 10% to magic find.

 

I'm wondering if EP has tiered diminishing returns by character level like Bargaining. When I was at low levels, magic items were dropping all over the place. Now, they rarely drop at all - I'd say it's about the same rate as a 1st-15th level character with no EP.

 

And the high level character has the bonus from about 40% map explored.

 

Also, I had another three unique polearms drop in about 2 hours of play last night. I could swear that my Dragon Mage has some kind of modifier that makes more polearms drop, almost like some CM-writer thought that the character was supposed to use polearms and nothing else.

 

These polearms dropped in the swamp region. Do certain creatures have a greater chance of dropping certain items? If so, which creatures drop more staves?

 

EDIT: Hmm, I was just thinking, earlier in the character's career, I was using a lot of rings of +%Find Valuables. As he's progressed, I have switched to using rings and other gear that help keep him alive, like bonuses to attack and defense and +.x Seconds Regen per Hit.

 

I wonder if all sources of magic find are not weighted equally. The bonus from EP does not appear in the summation window, either. How can we be reallly sure that it's functioning?

Edited May 14, 2011 by belgarathmth