Maelstrom Sharpened trait : a Myth

sluice

I have been enjoying VMA lately...
(Enjoy : LOL)

This is a simple observation on my traits drop.

Here is my current drop history :

Total drops : 24

1. Mace & Shield - Powered
2. Lightning Staff - Nirnhoned
3. Maul - Defending
4. Lightning Staff - Precise
5. Sword & Shield - Charged
6. Maul - Powered
7. Sword & Shield - Infused
8. BattleAxe - Nirnhoned
9. Restoration Staff - Precise
10. Greatsword - Infused
11. Mace & Shield - Defending
12. Maul - Charged
13. Dagger - Charged
14. Ice staff - Nirnhoned
15. Dagger - Defending
16. Greatsword - Precise
17. Sword & Shield - Powered
18. Sword & Shield - Charged
19. Sword & Shield - Nirnhoned
20. Bow - Infused
21. Bow - Precise
22. Restoration Staff - Infused
23. Mace & Shield - Decisive
24. Greatsword - Sharpened

Trait drop count (21):

• Charged : 4
• Precise : 4
• Nirnhoned : 4
• Infused : 4
• Defending : 3
• Powered : 3
• Decisive : 1
• Sharpened : 1 *Finally got my first sharpened at my 24th run

TL;DR

• I haven’t received any sharpened weapon in my first 23 Maelstrom Drop. (Not even one of those 7x useless 1H & Shield combo)
• I have received 8x 1H & Shield combo. Including 3x Sword & Shield in a row.
• The odds of getting the same weapon drop (any trait), 3 times in a row is 1 out of 1728. Call me lucky!
• Took me my 20th run to see my first bow. I then got 2 in a row.
• I seem to be getting the same weapon drops close by : 2x lightning staff in 3 consecutive runs. 3x shield in 3 consecutive runs, 2x shield in 3x consecutive runs. 2x daggers in 3 consecutive runs.

I made a thread discussing the current odds in vMA, here. Hint: They are NOT good.

#VMATOKENSYSTEM

Solariken

I would love a token system too, but Rich made a stand-offish comment at PAX West about this, essentially stating that it's not going to happen because he wants you to keep doing the content. He doesn't care how brutal and frustrating it is. Sorry OP.

VizigothAlaric

Omg i was waiting someone to do this ! For the love of God bring back the ring drops, and remove %100 weapon drop chance at last chest and make the arena drop sharpened,precise and defending once again. Me and my friends in weekly with 3 chars minimum and we are keep getting crap! It was much better with the ring drops tbh

sluice

Solariken wrote: »

I would love a token system too, but Rich made a stand-offish comment at PAX West about this, essentially stating that it's not going to happen because he wants you to keep doing the content. He doesn't care how brutal and frustrating it is. Sorry OP.

At least removing some useless traits from the Maelstrom Drop table, such as Charged would alleviate the issue.

Jaronking

Its not a myth my buddy gets a sharpened 2h twice a week it blows the crap out of me because only sharpened weapon I have is a sword.I don't need the sword I need a sharpened maul or greatsword.

Daggerfall_Bones

They should allow 9/9 crafters to retrait items. Add some rare material like a temper to allow for it.

Solariken

sluice wrote: »

Solariken wrote: »

I would love a token system too, but Rich made a stand-offish comment at PAX West about this, essentially stating that it's not going to happen because he wants you to keep doing the content. He doesn't care how brutal and frustrating it is. Sorry OP.

At least removing some useless traits from the Maelstrom Drop table, such as Charged would alleviate the issue.

Agreed! They are intentionally griefing players by having a couple of those traits in there. @ZOS_JessicaFolsom please advocate for us and let the devs know how disrespected we feel with the current vMA loot situation.

sluice

Daggerfall_Bones wrote: »

They should allow 9/9 crafters to retrait items. Add some rare material like a temper to allow for it.

Or make it that when you re-trait the item becomes white or whatever.. that is something I could live it.
Or even make it cost an absurd amount of gold. I would much prefer to pay 1 million than spending another 20+ hours in this arena and not getting my item.

At least when grinding gold, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Jaronking wrote: »

Its not a myth my buddy gets a sharpened 2h twice a week it blows the crap out of me because only sharpened weapon I have is a sword.I don't need the sword I need a sharpened maul or greatsword.

Out of curiosity, about how many drops do you have in total ?

VizigothAlaric

Just so u know , i did +100 runs in vma and only sharpeneds i have ;

- 2h Maul
- 2h Sword
- 1h Sword
- 1h Maul


And i need sharpened 1h axe and dagger, so far i have like 8 dagger 2 of them precise and 0 1h axe

code65536

It's just RNG.

I just got my 4th... or was it 5th... sharpened 2H last week. Which would be great if I PvP a lot on multiple stam toons... which I don't do. Still don't have a Sharpened 1H axe, a Sharpened lightning staff, and I'd love to get a 2nd (or 3rd) Sharpened fire staff.

Junipus

It's entirely RNG.

Got a sharpened Inferno staff on my first run, a sharpened 2H maul on my second run and a powered dagger on my third run.

Have yet to go back there but am prepared to accept a slew of bad traits providing I get the weapon I'm after.

Beats vDSA where I'm up to 6 daggers in 7 runs, and only one of those could be considered a good trait.

If you're experienced enough to run the content a few times a day, or know it to do it under 1-2 hours then you really should accept that you're not always going to get the item you want otherwise it's not that much more than introducing CP531 accounts for sale.

Jaronking

@sluice am on my 80 run maybe more currently been taking a break from it will probably start doing it again next week

Minute_Waltz

FYI you still got 4 really good/useful weapons out of 21 runs.. thats pretty good actually. (The two bows, precise lightning and resto)

I have sharpened in every single weapon type but I don't have a precise resto yet...

sluice

Junipus wrote: »

It's entirely RNG.

Got a sharpened Inferno staff on my first run, a sharpened 2H maul on my second run and a powered dagger on my third run.

Have yet to go back there but am prepared to accept a slew of bad traits providing I get the weapon I'm after.

Beats vDSA where I'm up to 6 daggers in 7 runs, and only one of those could be considered a good trait.

If you're experienced enough to run the content a few times a day, or know it to do it under 1-2 hours then you really should accept that you're not always going to get the item you want otherwise it's not that much more than introducing CP531 accounts for sale.

I accept it and I don't want the weapon I seek given to me. I intend to work for it..
But it's safe to say that I'm sitting at about 30-35 hours spent in vMA. (The first run alone was about 10 hours, the second 2.. then gradually went down to ~1h per run)

This thread is just an observation at how the current system with many trait is bad for most.
I say most, because some like you are extremely lucky.

Do you know that the odds of never getting that Sharpened Inferno staff, you so easily got in your first run, is a possibility?
Each run you have 1/96 chance of getting this drop. The probability of getting this item after 100 runs is only 64.14%!
That means that after spending like 100+ hours in vMA, you still have 35.86% chance of not having this weapon!

Some people in the forums have 200+ runs under their belt and are still searching for that sharpened Inferno staff or dagger, with no luck.

PS: plus vDSA is a total different ball game... For one, you can trade with your group. BIG difference.

sluice

Minute_Waltz wrote: »

FYI you still got 4 really good/useful weapons out of 21 runs.. thats pretty good actually. (The two bows, precise lightning and resto)

I have sharpened in every single weapon type but I don't have a precise resto yet...

I don't really consider the precise lightning useful (not BiS trait and can't weave).
I do, however consider that Defending Maul good. Not BiS, but good and viable in PvP.
I'm currently using it and I see a DPS lost of about 6-12% depending on target.

Yes, I was "lucky" in those last two run.
Stupid me, I made that infused bow gold...

At least, that Precise Resto is BiS for magplar healer in my opinion. And trust me, if I could, I would trade this in a heartbeat for any 2H sharpened you could spare.

Anyway, remove those two bows, and that would make 2 useful weapons out of 19.. not so great.

@Jaronking, best of luck buddy! I truly hope you get what you are seeking!

Jaronking

@sluice am pretty sire you get it before me were after the same thing lol.I say they should allow for MA weapons to be tradeable with someone who have completed the arena its the best change in my opinion which will allow for people to get the weapon they need easier.

Junipus

Oh I agree I got extremely lucky. The amount of hateful congratulations I got from guildies when I linked it helped highlight that, but if I'd gotten a powered inferno staff or charged 2H maul I'd have been happy to just get those, especially since both my good traits came from before SotH.

As was mentioned here, or possibly in the other thread, ZOS mentioned they want us all to repeat the content ad infinitum until we either get what we want or we give up and make do with the best of the crappy traits. It's very doubtful they'll add in a token system since that would overrule the existing loot tables and make it even more difficult for others to get the item they want, especially if they would otherwise get lucky with their first few runs.

As for vDSA, it is different but mentioned it to highlight the bizarreness of the RNG Gods since all these weapons were with the same character. It would be nice if I didn't have to rely on generousity of guildies for good weapons and would actually have something useful to trade.

wookikiller95

Got 2 sharpend:
Shock und Fire (i got fire in my First run)

RNG is with me

Joysheeped

I am sorry to hear that from OP but as code said it is just RNG.

The current system is a BS.
The current system is a BS.
The current system is a BS.
The current system is a BS.
I said it 3 times because it is very important... umm? Ummmmmmmmm!?

I got 2 sharpened battleaxes, 1 sharpened greatsword and 3 sharpened mauls I last counted but I still don't have a single sharpened axe because I started too late and my dear ZoS decided to include all those rubbish traits into the leaderboards rewards and chests.

And if what @Solariken said is true that I can only said Rich is unfitted to do his job because he lacks the knowledge/ logic to find a way to make players to keep doing the content and reward the players with suitable rewards simultaneously. You make players to keep doing the same content by making that content enjoyable not by making it extremely overwhelmingly difficult (because of the randomness) to get the best gears behind the content. In fact, he is contradicting his own statement by using the currently system because what if I get my weapons in my first few tries because I am lucky then I have no reason to get back into the arena if the content itself is boring. At the end of the day you make a game to let people have fun, and making enjoyable content is the only way to keep players around but not let them suffer from the woe of randomness. You keep making new contents to give players new excitement and experience not to imprison them in an old content forever. You only lose (the faith from) players this way. I, myself, am still doing the arena partially because it is still a bit fun to me if there are no lags and bugs and such (which is, in my opinion, rare).

Again, I am sorry to hear that from OP, I wish vMA will reward you suitably Soon^{TM}.

Dagoth_Rac

sluice wrote: »

PS: plus vDSA is a total different ball game... For one, you can trade with your group. BIG difference.

Should be able to trade Maelstrom weapons with anyone who has completed VDSA in last 2 hours! It would be an interesting dynamic. You would still need to clear VDSA. People with good drops would want to charge huge amounts for them, but are constrained by the time limit. As that 2 hours ticks away, they will be tempted to lower price to move it before it binds and becomes worthless.

Lord_Eomer

How many players have VMSA weapons? May be 5%?

95% in PVP are vulnerable to these 5% , balance does not come this way...

VMSA is all about PVE and mist PVP players are kept away intentionaly from this VMSA stuff!

You are getting one of best PVP weapon from PVE?

ZOS, give something similar to PVP players (campaign reward) and then even start flooding Sharpened Trait to PVE.

DocFrost72

Definately just bad RNG. My first ever clear was last monday, and I got a sharpened Resto. Since then I have gotten:

Nirn resto
Nirn 2H sword
Defending bow
Precise 1H&S (from weekly)

Seems like just luck, my dude.

sluice

I feel like Maelstrom weapon trading could affect the game economy in a way that ZOS doesn't want to go in.

Well, in fact I don't think they will ever implement a token system either.. but I feel like Maelstrom weapon trading is less probable than other solutions:
-Token System
-Trait change on weapon
-Smart Loot system
-Weekly vendor
-etc.

But that's just my opinion.

@Joysheeped, thanks man, I appreciate the good vibe!

Pallio

If we never have a token system (although the crown boxes will have a token system for items you already have) at least make these worth something like 25k gold etc. Not deconstruction like any other worthless drop.

Dagoth_Rac

Lord_Dexter wrote: »

How many players have VMSA weapons? May be 5%?

95% in PVP are vulnerable to these 5% , balance does not come this way...

VMSA is all about PVE and mist PVP players are kept away intentionaly from this VMSA stuff!

You are getting one of best PVP weapon from PVE?

ZOS, give something similar to PVP players (campaign reward) and then even start flooding Sharpened Trait to PVE.

Bizarrely enough, VMSA playstyle actually has much more in common with 1vX PvP than it does with the other PvE in this game. That is one of the reasons players find it so irritating. It is PvE content that requires a PvP playstyle. It does not make anyone happy! VMSA is like a steak-flavored cupcake. People like steak. People like cupcakes. But smushing them together is not very appealing. If you had to eat a steak-flavored cupcake every week before your boss will hand over your paycheck, you would do it. But it is something you put up with, not something you enjoy.

helediron

Solariken wrote: »

I would love a token system too, but Rich made a stand-offish comment at PAX West about this, essentially stating that it's not going to happen because he wants you to keep doing the content. He doesn't care how brutal and frustrating it is. Sorry OP.

There would be more people "running the content", if the drops were predictable. I ran vMA half way through in PTS, until i realized, this would be the same grind again. Walked away and stayed away ever since.

I could run the place 30 times, but only if i knew beforehand i get the item i'm chasing. Rich's logic is turning upside down. All that BoP and RNG repels people away. Too long loot tables, too tedious, too unpredictable.

MrAppleman

How many of this threads are there? Just keep doing. Finally got mine 2 weeks ago.

sluice

MrAppleman wrote: »

How many of this threads are there? Just keep doing. Finally got mine 2 weeks ago.

Not enough!

But congrats on finally getting your holy drop.

Edgemoor

Solariken wrote: »

I would love a token system too, but Rich made a stand-offish comment at PAX West about this, essentially stating that it's not going to happen because he wants you to keep doing the content. He doesn't care how brutal and frustrating it is. Sorry OP.

It's because of the brutal rng system I don't take part in the item grind

Done that in other games many years ago. No happy memories to report from the experiance, usually just frustration and negativity.

Ch4mpTW

helediron wrote: »

Solariken wrote: »

I would love a token system too, but Rich made a stand-offish comment at PAX West about this, essentially stating that it's not going to happen because he wants you to keep doing the content. He doesn't care how brutal and frustrating it is. Sorry OP.

There would be more people "running the content", if the drops were predictable. I ran vMA half way through in PTS, until i realized, this would be the same grind again. Walked away and stayed away ever since.

I could run the place 30 times, but only if i knew beforehand i get the item i'm chasing. Rich's logic is turning upside down. All that BoP and RNG repels people away. Too long loot tables, too tedious, too unpredictable.

Very true. Very true indeed. I agree with you completely, and don't blame you for not running it. I bet you have saved yourself tons of hours of frustration, as well as: Soul gems, gold, potions, etc.

Pallio

RNG is the biggest anti motivation in the game, get burned out grinding over and over for something useful, let alone the one thing you truly want. Might quit after I get it, might quit before..