Rare Spawns DO become broken, I'm sure you can agree

[Anuhart]

Pandora popped not once, not twice, but 3 times in the last 8 hours.

Down to The Predator.

hehe,

On a topic tangent, I noticed something with Pandora and in about 8 kills (4 kills + 4 shout outs) it had escaped me until now.

She arrives by boat . That is, when she spawns on the Island with her two cronies, there are two boats spawn with her, beached on that little shallow. Nice touch that.

[Daberu]

I got Frosthide this morning! \o/

All I need now is that blasted Aelfwar Emissary, which only spawns after resets for a few hours!!

Please trion, look into this rare, see what's up with his spawn timer...

[Kaelani]

I got Frosthide this morning! \o/

All I need now is that blasted Aelfwar Emissary, which only spawns after resets for a few hours!!

Please trion, look into this rare, see what's up with his spawn timer...

Aelfwar Emissary is also the only rare I have left.
Has ANYONE EVER seen this mob spawn where it WASN'T related to a server reset?
(If not, I'd be surprised if that was intentional behavior.)

Down to The Predator.

As far as "The Predator", I got him yesterday night at 6:05pm CDT.
He had also spawned on Sunday night at 6:50pm CDT, but a stinking bot killed it.

So...
Tip #1: "The Predator" can spawn at least once per day.

Tip #2: if there's an obvious bot up in the area, don't read a book or alt-tab out of game.
GMs (at least on Keenblade) are very helpful and responsive to respectful requests to investigate bots.
I've put in nicely worded requests two separate times, and both bots were gone within 20-30 minutes.
This removes a little of the "I don't want to miss it" heartburn.

GLTA!

[Sargonnas_KoA]

Aelfwar Emissary is also the only rare I have left.
Has ANYONE EVER seen this mob spawn where it WASN'T related to a server reset?
(If not, I'd be surprised if that was intentional behavior.)

I'm sure people have killed it at random parts of the day before (i got it after a server reset), but this rare really seems to be the only one in the game that most people only get after server resets. Sure, rares like Nytami just suck horribly and may have you waiting days, but even that one will appear at different times of the day. Ive rarely ever seen anyone talk about killing the Aelfwar Emissary at 7pm at night or some other random time. Its almost always after some server reset or after a patch to the game.

[Anuhart]

I'm sure people have killed it at random parts of the day before (i got it after a server reset), but this rare really seems to be the only one in the game that most people only get after server resets. Sure, rares like Nytami just suck horribly and may have you waiting days, but even that one will appear at different times of the day. Ive rarely ever seen anyone talk about killing the Aelfwar Emissary at 7pm at night or some other random time. Its almost always after some server reset or after a patch to the game.

There's also the effect that people know about reset probability and actively camp then.
Zones are quite empty on a lot of servers too.
Then of course there's the quite harsh despawns, having just done UH on my 2nd and currently closing in on 3rd and 4th together, I have been doing a lot of scout camping with the two completed chars, alt jumping and searching on the two who are still progressing UH, along with shouting out to friends for ones which I don't need: This has caused me to see so many despawns this week, it is quite unbelievable. They do not remain up for long.

I killed Mordant Widow a while back, found on one char, logged another and killed it. I then continued on that character to see if another was up in the north of the zone before switching back to the original. That character logged in, no more than 25 to 30 mins after the kill to see the Widow back up then despawn. This tells us that even an instant repop (unlikely) had the mob live for only 25 mins. I'd guess more like 10 or 15.

So while in the case of Aelfwar Emissary more than any other, there is a lot to say he ONLY pops within the few hours after restart, even more than once; there are other factors which would make this appear even more so, even if it ain't so..

1) Aelfwar is known to pop following a restart, people then camp after a restart mostly, people don't camp far from a restart much at all. The result is then magnified.

2) Empty zones are empty.

3) The despawn timer is very very harsh.

[Pines]

So.

Guildmate had an alt logged @ The Predator spot. She drops a banner, and the mob wanders across the river, just out of sight.

And apparently depopped.

FFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.

[Anuhart]

I was just having this convo yesterday (well today too and several times with different people lately).

I'm sure there are solid reasons for there to be a despawn mechanic, but it is very very harsh.

The system favors the hunter and the hunted. Whether a solo hunter or a group of hunters in a pack, there being only windows of opportunity is all fine and good. You will encounter the odd despawn this way, whether before you engage or while in combat and they suck, but they are rare occurrences as you usually target and kill within a few seconds.

The system doesn't favor alt camping/switching, scouting different zones on multiple characters where the rares needed are not unique to the scouting characters, sharing sightings via /tell /50 etc, or guild rally bannering to a lesser extent. I've had 6 despawns in the last 3 days , non of which would have been if I had killed on sight.

[Daberu]

Well, the posting-on-the-forum-to-get-rare-to-spawn tactic kinda works... I logged on this morning and went to aelfwar emissary's spawnpoint and HE SPAWNED RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!! I killed him fast and got my Exterminator title and the most epic cooldown item in the game.

So yea, if you want this rare, get on about half an hour- 45 mins after the server is back up after a reset or patch. You'll find it in most cases.

[Pines]

Yup. Predator spawned after 1.8 patch then again an hour or so later.

Done, and pushed me over the 9500 achieves mark.

[Anuhart]

Finally, Hogger down after a near 3 week IPP sit in.
That's 3 UH's done. Now Hogger again left for number 4.

[Leif]

Awful lot of rares actually spawning for a thread about rares never spawning.

I wonder why...

[Anuhart]

Lol so true, Leif.

FWIW, you wouldn't believe the amount of alternative spawns I've found recently. Many mobs known to have one or two spawns actually having 6 and upwards.

Also, the amount of despawns was quite unbelievable.

'Broken' mob x is actually spawning at 5 other locations and despawning somewhere between 15 and 30 mins later on average, if it isn't claimed.

[Glamour]

Aelfwar Emissary is also the only rare I have left.
Has ANYONE EVER seen this mob spawn where it WASN'T related to a server reset?
(If not, I'd be surprised if that was intentional behavior.)

I found him last saturday in the middle of the day (for me, not server time). I was just doin a loop around looking for artifacts and he was chillin near Kirna's Arbor.

[Tacitus]

Just wanted to drop in here to say that this thread is not unnoticed.

I cannot go into many details over how rare spawns work since that unknown factor is part of their "rareness", but I will say while some of you have quite a bit of valid insight to the nature of rare spawns, there are elements at play that remain undiscovered. What this means it that the spawns are rarely actually "broken", but due to the impact of some other elements the observation that rare spawns are easier to find after a reset is still valid.

NOW... saying that the events are not broken does NOT mean we are happy with how the rares currently work. We do have an interest in doing a broad clean up pass on rares, but it is no small task. It is, however, a pet peeve of mine so I am going to be looking into it. I make no promises on what will be changed or when. I already have a full schedule for the foreseeable future, but I will try to start getting some improvements in. This might be a gradual process.

One thing I can say for certain that I will look into is rare mobs despawning - all rares despawn after a set amount of time if nothing ends it sooner (i.e. mob death). This is terrible. We want to change it.

I have a lengthy list of other details I want to consider, but those aspects are still being discussed internally. I mainly post here to say - we hear you.

[Anuhart]

Nice response Tacitus.

What really peeves me about despawns, is not that I've had the odd one despawn just before I engage it, not that I've had the odd one despawn in combat at as little as 10%, but that it is quite negative in the social/community sense.

Meaning, I see a rare that I need, but I also know other people need. Or, one I don't but shout it out anyway.
Unless I see this rare spawn, which itself requires more than just happening upon the mob at a known spawn point and see it begin to pat (as without player proximity the mob would remain at the spawn point anyway, inactive) I don't know if it is about to despawn or not. This has a catch 22 to it. Do I kill now (if I need) or do I chance helping out others. The times I've seen despawns lately which could have been kills but have been lost to me or friends because of a community incentive is disheartening. Conversely, the mobs I've killed because I need them, knowing others need them too, is similarly disheartening.

One proposal, due to the way rare mobs work, spawn becomes active, mob waits at spawn point but inactive and invulnerable, waiting for a client, client comes within the required distance/subzone, mob spawns proper and begins to pat (if not static): This says that there is already something to go on for the timer to be suspended/paused. Meaning the 30 min (or whatever) timer can still be, a live spawn can still time down, but a client prompting the rare mob to be in a vulnerable and active state can suspend the timer to despawn.


Thanks, Tacitus.