When will Maelstrom Arena reward accomplishement instead of luck? (100+ runs screenshot history)

  • Baconfat79
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    Best-in-slot weapons shouldn't be quick or easy to get. Enough with this same post over and over. We get it.
  • InfaM
    InfaM
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    Best-in-slot weapons shouldn't be quick or easy to get. Enough with this same post over and over. We get it.

    I agree on that , and I'm all for the farm to be long and hard AS LONG AS IT REWARDS THE EFFORT, but atm what you fail to understand is that the farm is easy and endless due to the fact that it's totally random, can take 100/200/400/600/900...etc runs to get the weapon that you want, depending on your luck , what does luck have to do in a 1h boring content ? It's not like reward = the effort we put in the arena, in fact effort are not rewarded at all, it's just a stupid roll of dice that will decide if we are rewarded, if rng decide that 1 run is enough effort for the reward then it is, if rng decide that 100+ runs need to be rewarded then it is.

    So the effort are completly useless in that rng system.

    I'd like to put a number on "random" but I can't , after 100+ runs , I'm still like someone who stepped there for the first time as I still have no weapon.

    So gratz for being one of those lucky players that got their weapon on the 1st run and telling other that this *** rng system is legit , because I doubt that you're even close to the boredom of 100 unlucky run.
    I'm a casual player. My DK tank was my only V16 character for a long time. I re-spec'ed, re-geared, re-allocated CP, etc. Destroyed what I had built my character to do, and re-built him from scratch, just to complete vMSA. Wasn't able to complete it. I levelled a Sorc alt (pretty much just for this purpose), and am now working my way thtough vMSA. I expect to get my first clear within the next week or two. It just sucks that I had to tear down s good character and level a different one just for a small chance at that shiny loot.

    Edited by InfaM on May 15, 2016 8:20AM
  • InfaM
    InfaM
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    649866arenafail3.jpg

    Updated with 10 more runs = Updated with 10 more useless items.
  • Neophyte
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    They may aswell just start selling the weapons in the cyro vendor then EVERYONE will be happy.
    Even if it is a silly amout of AP, I would pay 5million AP for the sharpend fire staff
  • InfaM
    InfaM
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    They may aswell just start selling the weapons in the cyro vendor then EVERYONE will be happy.
    Even if it is a silly amout of AP, I would pay 5million AP for the sharpend fire staff

    Yep that would still be better than the current f**d up RNG system.
    Edited by InfaM on May 15, 2016 10:48AM
  • KingWhyteboi
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    They may aswell just start selling the weapons in the cyro vendor then EVERYONE will be happy.
    Even if it is a silly amout of AP, I would pay 5million AP for the sharpend fire staff

    worst part about it i got that on my 10th run still have no 2 hander no restos
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  • timidobserver
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    The trick is doing it on multiple characters to get the weeklies. That said, I ageee that getting the drop you want is frustrating. I would prefer a token system.
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  • drumbendrum_ESO
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    So I just completed VMA for the 5th time today. It took me a really long time just to complete it and it still takes me 2 days to run the whole thing.

    All 5 chests have been beyond a troll item and the thought have having to lock myself in there for even longer to grind it out even more is just making me feel depressed and not wanting to play the game.

    Its not fun content. There is a lot of time isolated shunned from your friends. For the poseter having the issues and as many times as you have run this thing. I applaud you for your effort, cause just my limtited time in here is already enough to detour me from it. Just keep up the fight and hopefully luck will find you soon!!

    I think a token system is the fairest resolution for it and have it connect with the leaderboard.
  • KingWhyteboi
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    if this was 2 man i would grind it but being solo is just boring thats why i dont play single player games
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  • WalkingLegacy
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    Best-in-slot weapons shouldn't be quick or easy to get. Enough with this same post over and over. We get it.

    This is where you're confused. RNG does not equate to difficulty. Content itself should be the challenge.

    RNG doesn't miraculously make the game harder or easier. Make challenging content and make it rewarding.

    MMOs are all about that progression and ZOS doesn't want to put effort into endgame content as much as they rather hide what they do have behind huge RNG walls for replayability.
    Edited by WalkingLegacy on May 15, 2016 7:03PM
  • RadioheadSh0t
    RadioheadSh0t
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    They are changing the drop rates in the DB patch.
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  • stevepdodson_ESO888
    stevepdodson_ESO888
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    I wonder when people will realize that Precise is better than Sharpened on a Maelstrom inferno staff...

    wait until DB drops in a couple of weeks then you'll be saying you want Sharpened as well
  • code65536
    code65536
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    They are changing the drop rates in the DB patch.

    But also adding new traits to the table.

    So you'll have a better chance of getting a fire staff.

    But a lower chance of getting sharpened fire staff.

    @ZOS_Finn Please take into consideration that sharpened in DB is going to be miles above all other DPS traits when you adjust the loot tables. Either that, or please convince @Wrobel to adjust the DPS weapons traits so that the other traits--especially nirnhoned--are actually competitive with sharpened.
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  • InfaM
    InfaM
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    986291arenafail4.jpg
    pfff 10 more runs for nothing

    updated main post with new screenshot
  • Valrien
    Valrien
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    lathbury wrote: Β»
    InfaM wrote: Β»
    lathbury wrote: Β»
    look on the bright side by the time we get the gear we want a new set will make it obsolete and we will have to buy a new dlc to do 200 runs in that.

    I'm sure a ZOS employee with some lack of inspiration will come to that thread and only notice that one post.

    like that isn't already the business model. the tin foil hat side of my brain thinks gm's put this gear on streamers accounts so that they demo it etc and we like muppets try and obtain it. #divines scathing gloves are a lie

    I have divines Scathing gloves. Just those and pants, though.
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  • Artis
    Artis
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    LOL that's the problem with kids these days. They thing they deserve something just because they spend effort.
    No one cares about effort in real life - only about the result and luck is a part of success.
  • sirrmattus
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    I'm just trying to complete the arena in 1 day much less 60 time
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  • InfaM
    InfaM
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    Artis wrote: Β»
    LOL that's the problem with kids these days. They thing they deserve something just because they spend effort.
    No one cares about effort in real life - only about the result and luck is a part of success.

    First of all I know by the way that you comment that vma is not a place that you farmed a lot, so you kinda have no clue about what you talking and about how boring it becomes at a certain point (100+ in my case ) to farm it with only undesired items as reward in last chest but well let's go on.

    So let's say that you do a great works at your job and you have good result , now what if customers or your boss were rewarding you with a roll of dice ? Some month you'll get your money, some other you'd simply works for free.
    That's a *** up system and no one would support it in real life , but this is pretty much what you defend, now I don't know what is so appealing to you about the idea of doing 200+ runs in vma for no rewards but as you believe in luck maybe you're trying to represent yourself as a zenimax fanboy on forum and agreeing on everything they do even if it makes no sense and lean toward a fail decision, for the purpose of increasing your luck and get their favor to get a vma weapon gifted as mail rather than reward for the effort that you would of instead have to do.

    All jokes aside , if you put effort you have good result and earn your money, if you slack you have bad result and get fired up/bankrupt.
    Unless you're born with everything and then that aspect of life is just something you'll never have to worry about.

    The result of my effort is 100+ runs, the reward of my effort is 0 item that I need. Luck is the only thing that matters in that case, which is why I say that this staging is ***, they should spare us some time and makes the arena a casino already, we don't need to waste 1 hour for 1 roll of dices, make each stage an empty room with a npc that allow us to gamble gold for the weapons, stage 1 = 10k, stage 2 = 20k...etc , that logic is silly as *** but it still makes more sense than the way it works at the moment, and it stick perfectly to the way they makes their arena rewards the weapons...

    If you want to compare vma to real life then simply put a price on vma weapons because money would buy anything in real life, and I'll be more than happy to buy vma weapons with gold.

    Edited by InfaM on May 16, 2016 6:02PM
  • Sotha_Sil
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    Artis wrote: Β»
    LOL that's the problem with kids these days. They thing they deserve something just because they spend effort.
    No one cares about effort in real life - only about the result and luck is a part of success.

    NEWSFLASH ! THIS IS A GAME, it's supposed to be fun
    Edited by Sotha_Sil on May 16, 2016 5:24PM
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  • imenace
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    i think i have something like 5 defending axes, got 2 in a row aswell, im going for the sharp 2h so seeing that makes me not want to do it anymore.. doing it 1 time a day and when i get the motivation i can run it almost 5 times + a day.. still get nothing, i think ive done it about 70~ times give or take and the only sharp weapons that i got is the inferno staff, which is useless to me because i dont have a single magicka character, im curious to see the drop rate in DB because most of the time i dont even get a maelstrom wep at the end ..
  • Fignutz821
    Fignutz821
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    been trying to farm for precise one handers for awhile now... apparently the game thinks I need 8 resto staffs and ice staffs with defending...
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  • InfaM
    InfaM
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    imenace wrote: Β»
    i think i have something like 5 defending axes, got 2 in a row aswell, im going for the sharp 2h so seeing that makes me not want to do it anymore.. doing it 1 time a day and when i get the motivation i can run it almost 5 times + a day.. still get nothing, i think ive done it about 70~ times give or take and the only sharp weapons that i got is the inferno staff, which is useless to me because i dont have a single magicka character, im curious to see the drop rate in DB because most of the time i dont even get a maelstrom wep at the end ..
    been trying to farm for precise one handers for awhile now... apparently the game thinks I need 8 resto staffs and ice staffs with defending...

    Judging by how many defending weapons we all keep getting , I came to the point of contacting support asking them if the items I'm farming are even still in that last chest loot table or if it's bugged or something , here's some quote from my tickets
    wrote:
    "I did a scan for today in particular for these items to ensure they are dropping and can see they are, though not often.
    However, I do see that there are definitely Inferno Fire Staffs, Axes and mauls on the loot table. It looks like Mauls are one of the lower drop rates of the three."

    There are a very large amount of weapons on here and a myriad of variations of traits, which makes your chance lower that you would get a specific item of a specific trait.
    wrote:
    "you will need to continue to try for the items."
    "RNG proves to be fickle, however all good items will come with time."
    "There is no guarantee of when these will drop and we can only encourage you to keep trying"

    As you can see they insist on that advice :

    Keep on mindlessly farming hundred of time/hours more than you already did like a bot for something with lower drop rates than every other items in that last chest , it will probably never drop but it's ok because RNG in VMA is fun and we will never cut the fun by establishing a system that would rewards the effort instead of luck.
    Edited by InfaM on May 17, 2016 1:33PM
  • Neophyte
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    I know this is totally off the vsma subject.
    I had been farming daily quests for kena shoulder divines since IC came out on 4 characters and I only just got it last month. That's bad RNG. God knows how many keys that I tried
  • code65536
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    I know this is totally off the vsma subject.
    I had been farming daily quests for kena shoulder divines since IC came out on 4 characters and I only just got it last month. That's bad RNG. God knows how many keys that I tried

    For a specific shoulder of a specific weight and trait, it will take, on average 250 gold and 250 silver keys on live to get it. Throw in some bad luck into the mix, and substantially higher figures are not surprising.
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  • BeardedOrphan
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    Yeah I have run it 30+ times now and have gotten a total of 4 maelstrom sword and shields a resto staff and a bow from all of those runs, the only way I ever get weapons is from the weekly but even that just gives me greatswordso and bows every week.
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  • willymchilybily
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    I completed Veteran maelstrom Arena on 15/1/2016 according to my trophy on PSN.

    from then onward i completed it at least 1 time per week gaining leader board every time (except for 1 week). for the most part i was doing 2 runs a week and recently running on my dragon knight as well as sorc will continue to squeeze in 2 runs per week.
    I would say (to low ball it), an average 1.5 runs a week and one 1 leader board reward per week minimum. That's 20 weeks ago so assuming i was getting a 50% drop rate that's 30 runs (15 rewards) + 20-1 leader board rewards
    I should be around 34 maelstrom weapons but id guess I'm closer to 28 when i add them up (which calculates to 30% drop rate not 50%). Anyway..... of that: Only 1 Maelstrom Ice Staff (defending), for the most part its bows and 1h+shields, a few DW weapons recently and about 3 resto starves, and 3 2Hs. I'd guess 75% of the weapons if not more is in defending trait. about 15% precise and 10% sharpened.

    by my calculations and assuming a bell distribution, that means... to get the inferno sharpened staff I'll need to receive. 1/(1/34 *10/100 ) 340 weapons. which at my current progress will take 4.5 years. Assuming i run 1 run a day, 2 runs at weekends and always make leader boards on at least one of my characters. It will take me
    92 Weeks = 21 months = 1.77 years


    If i had no life and ran it 9 hours a day every day from here on out and got the 50% drop rate, and made leader boards it would still take me 15 weeks (3.5 months)(0.3 years).

    but the thought that keeps me going is .....or i could get it on my next run, cos that's how statistics works.....
    I HATE RNG LOOT REWARDS YOU DAMN SADISTS!!!
    Edited by willymchilybily on May 19, 2016 1:18PM
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  • Dalsinthus
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    I don't think vMA should reward effort. You can work hard and spend many hours in the arena, but fail to finish it. That effort may be greater than someone that is able to finish it in an hour, but it doesn't deserve a reward.

    I also don't think that luck should be rewarded. The current system is frustrating because of this.

    Instead what I think should be rewarded is accomplishment - i.e., finishing the damn thing. A token system would be ideal. Finish vMA 10 times and earn enough tokens select a weapon & trait combination. If you really want it to be a grind you could scale the number of tokens needed for the better weapons.

    Just rewarding a random weapon for every completion would be fine too; that would still require grinding but would at least lower the number of times you have to compete it and up the odds of getting your desired weapon every run.
  • InfaM
    InfaM
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    I don't think vMA should reward effort. You can work hard and spend many hours in the arena, but fail to finish it. That effort may be greater than someone that is able to finish it in an hour, but it doesn't deserve a reward.

    I also don't think that luck should be rewarded. The current system is frustrating because of this.

    Instead what I think should be rewarded is accomplishment - i.e., finishing the damn thing. A token system would be ideal. Finish vMA 10 times and earn enough tokens select a weapon & trait combination. If you really want it to be a grind you could scale the number of tokens needed for the better weapons.

    Just rewarding a random weapon for every completion would be fine too; that would still require grinding but would at least lower the number of times you have to compete it and up the odds of getting your desired weapon every run.

    The thing is people that are not able to finish vma are not even supposed to claim the weapon, I mean it's only from last chest so I'm always talking from the point of view of people that complete it, when I first stepped there I was not able to finish it, and at no point I would have thought that the hours spent failing at VMA should reward me anything.
    What I call effort is the fact of finishing it many times , like I did the effort to finish it 100+ times, I should atleast expect to have 1 desired maelstrom weapon out of all the time spent and runs done there, and not to end up with a collection of useless weapons, we could probably call it something else than "effort" , I'll even replace my thread title with "accomplishement" to avoid future misunderstanding , but we agree on the fact that luck or more like misfortune in most of the case is not supposed to reward people who can and who actually did sucessfully completed VMA hundred of times.

    Tokens or trading useless VMA weapons for desired one , is sure something that would balance that reward system based on luck only.
    Edited by InfaM on May 19, 2016 5:02PM
  • InfaM
    InfaM
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    I completed Veteran maelstrom Arena on 15/1/2016 according to my trophy on PSN.

    from then onward i completed it at least 1 time per week gaining leader board every time (except for 1 week). for the most part i was doing 2 runs a week and recently running on my dragon knight as well as sorc will continue to squeeze in 2 runs per week.
    I would say (to low ball it), an average 1.5 runs a week and one 1 leader board reward per week minimum. That's 20 weeks ago so assuming i was getting a 50% drop rate that's 30 runs (15 rewards) + 20-1 leader board rewards
    I should be around 34 maelstrom weapons but id guess I'm closer to 28 when i add them up (which calculates to 30% drop rate not 50%). Anyway..... of that: Only 1 Maelstrom Ice Staff (defending), for the most part its bows and 1h+shields, a few DW weapons recently and about 3 resto starves, and 3 2Hs. I'd guess 75% of the weapons if not more is in defending trait. about 15% precise and 10% sharpened.

    by my calculations and assuming a bell distribution, that means... to get the inferno sharpened staff I'll need to receive. 1/(1/34 *10/100 ) 340 weapons. which at my current progress will take 4.5 years. Assuming i run 1 run a day, 2 runs at weekends and always make leader boards on at least one of my characters. It will take me
    92 Weeks = 21 months = 1.77 years


    If i had no life and ran it 9 hours a day every day from here on out and got the 50% drop rate, and made leader boards it would still take me 15 weeks (3.5 months)(0.3 years).

    but the thought that keeps me going is .....or i could get it on my next run, cos that's how statistics works.....
    I HATE RNG LOOT REWARDS YOU DAMN SADISTS!!!

    That arena is already frustrating as ***, and thinking about those numbers and how much more run will be done with no guarantee of getting the desired weapon is discouraging, I'm sure that ZOS are aware of such low chance of getting the desired item for someone aiming for a specific weapon/trait and that they based the lifetime of VMA on that, at some point I start doubting that they care at all about the fact that we'll probably end up doing 400 more runs with no desired weapon , they just want to keep their *** leaderboard active to gives the illusion that VMA is an end-game fun and repeatable content.

    And I honestly think that this RNG they talk about is a scam, there should be the same %chance for all weapons and all traits, but we are all getting so much defending weapon that it's just obvious that they implemented way more % chance to get these defending weapons than sharpened , those defending weapons are just here to *** up the loot table in a way that we'll be spending more and more time getting our hands on a sharpened weapon.
    Edited by InfaM on May 19, 2016 3:13PM
  • Inarre
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    You must sacrifice your waking hours to rngesus, and pray that he has mercy on your soul.
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