WOW Lockpicking = Joke! WTF?

[Ram]

After leaving the forums, I recalled something else, it used to start getting really difficult to gain skill at about 90. Then later on, OSI upped that to 95.

And finally, OSI eventually opened the flood gates by diluting all skill gain, which resulted in many players becoming self-sufficient with up to five GM characters. This destroyed player inter-dependency, interaction, and the profitability of professions.

They should have left skills difficult to gain...

[Ram]

Ok I'm starting to find some Vanq data.

Keep in mind, this is well after the Trammel updates and release of Trammel.

UOSS Treasure Hunters of Britannia, Wednesday, June 14, 2000 1:15:44 PM:

And YES - it might take quite a few bottles, but I'd say one in 25 chests will have a weapon of VANQUISHING. We've done over 60 bottles and got two. =)

http://web.archive.org/web/200009010214 ... s.com/thb/

60 chests for 2 Vanq weapons - no saying what type or quality. Pre Trammel was even harder.

Of course these are level 3 chests, but the chance was supposed to be the same, you just get more chances with a higher level chest.



Here is a typical chest loot table, Last modified: 07/24/1999 10:29:32:

* Level One: 1000 gold, 2-6 magic items, 2-5 scrolls, 10 gems, 15-20 reagents
* Level Two: 2000 gold, 10-15 magic items, 10-15 scrolls, 20 gems, 25-40 reagents
* Level Three: 3000 gold, 30 gems, 15-20 magic items, 20 scrolls, 30 gems, 20-40 reagents
* Level Four: 4000 gold, 15-20 magic items, 30 scrolls, 40 gems, 40-80 reagents
* Level Five: 5000 gold, 20-25 magic items, 25-35 scrolls, 50 gems, 100-150 reagents

http://web.archive.org/web/199910040452 ... easure.htm

So with a level 3 chest you would have 15-20 chances to get a Vanq. With a level 5 chest, you would have about 5-10 more chances.

[Ram]

Level 3 chest loot:

THE TREASURE
Below is a list of what you can expect to get from a Level 3 map. And keep in mind while reading this list that the treasure from Level 4 and Level 5 maps are that much more gratifying. =)
Items below are the combination of the Treasure Chest and loot from the monsters that spawned.
5000+ Gold
22 Scrolls
35 Jewels
46 Reagents
---
Ring of Night Eyes - 48 ch
Necklace of Protection - 19 ch
Bracelet of Night Eyes - 38 ch
Wooden Shield of Strengh & Defense 19 ch
Suubstantial Wooden Shield of Defense
Durable Buckler of Hardening
Wand of Feeblemindedness 6 ch
Wand of Fireballs 3 ch
Wand of Great Healing 9 ch
Substantial, Surpassingly Accurate Bow of Ruin
Ringmail Sleeves of Defense
Indestructable Leather Gloves of Defense
Accurate Club of Ruin
Substantial Accurate Quarter Staff
Dagger of Might
Durable Helmet of Fortification
Durable, Accurate Cleaver
Cloak of Night Eyes 70 ch
Fortified Axe
Substantial, Accurate Long Sword
Feathered Hat of Night Eyes
Body Sash of Agility

Last modified: July 13, 2000

http://web.archive.org/web/200008311753 ... hunt.shtml

[Ram]

Ok, apparently it was still pretty difficult even after Trammel. Here's a thread that says it got hard at about 98.5 after Trammel, instead of 90 or later 95. But still required about 400 treasure maps. However at this point it does say that gains could come off level 2 maps instead of just level 4:

Well its been a long road and I still have .4 to go but ever since realizing that you cant gain cartography making world maps beyond 98.4 base my wife and I have bought and decoded about 400 maps during power hour. We have managed to gain up to 99.6 and have only .4 left to go!

Of interesting note and I thought everyone would like to know the last cartography point we gained was when we were doing maps for a customer. The map turned out to be a level 2. That is right. Level TWO!!!! So its possible to gain from something less than a level four. Good luck everyone.

9/23/00 09:23 PM

http://web.archive.org/web/200010241921 ... apsed&sb=5

I had my first gain from 98.4 base skill to 98.5 base skill (98.6 adjusted) in over a month yesterday.....IT WAS A LEVEL 2 MAP!!! I was really shocked and needless to say very happy all day from this little 0.1 gain in a month

I still think it is broken if you have to get 400+ t-maps to decode especially with everyone else trying to get that many maps to get to GM....that would seriously make it the toughest skill in UO to GM....it is not fair....plain not fair.

9/30/00 09:26 PM

http://web.archive.org/web/200010241921 ... apsed&sb=5

So in T2A it went from 90+ being difficult and requiring treasure maps, to 95+ being difficult, to finally 98.5 being difficult after Trammel, but level 2 maps also began giving gains.

[Derrick]

Thanks much for this data!

[Caswallon]

On a related note Derrick a metal chest has randomly spawned in the brit smith near the grave yard. I unlocked it out of curiousity and its not respawning its just...sitting there.

[Ram]

Ok I'm starting to find some Vanq data.

Keep in mind, this is well after the Trammel updates and release of Trammel.

UOSS Treasure Hunters of Britannia, Wednesday, June 14, 2000 1:15:44 PM:

And YES - it might take quite a few bottles, but I'd say one in 25 chests will have a weapon of VANQUISHING. We've done over 60 bottles and got two. =)

http://web.archive.org/web/200009010214 ... s.com/thb/

60 chests for 2 Vanq weapons - no saying what type or quality. Pre Trammel was even harder.

Of course these are level 3 chests, but the chance was supposed to be the same, you just get more chances with a higher level chest.

I had a bad link there. Here's the correct link for Treasure Hunting:

http://web.archive.org/web/200010181424 ... hunt.shtml

[Oddity]

I got a +25 vanq from a lvl one map I got on my second day here.

I was happy.

[tenduil]

My only question on this whole thing is: How did you gain the lockpicking? It seems annoying.