Geodes (can someone help me understand)

[Corydor]

hi, can someone help me out here

Geodes other than matching weather and/or day, what helps a geodes to drop?

I have fought mobs left right and centre on these days and i can't get geodes to drop at all, before they used to drop all the time now they hardly exist?

and also do geodes react to TH or not, i have farmed with on my own dnc 99 and with a 99 thf friend who was putting TH 6-7+ on each mob and still no drops???

Did SE do something to the drop rate or something and does anyone have any suggestions??

[Kensagaku]

I'm honestly not sure if TH affects them. They've always been a pain to get to drop; I went on my BST because I didn't feel like changing jobs last time, and went to Grauberg to farm Breeze Geodes. Needed about ten more for my trial so I started farming there since there was a bunch of wind weather (usually is, too!) and it took me a good two hours to get those ten geodes. The T2 Geodes (the -ites) only drop from higher level mobs, and even in an Abyssea party I'm lucky to see more than a handful of them in the pool. Really, as far as I know it's just weather/day that determines which can drop, and I don't think TH has anything to do with it. I haven't tested that, though.

[SpankWustler]

The theory has been put forth a couple of times that there's a mechanism in place for Geodes and "Element"-ites beyond a simple drop rate, similar to how Seals and Crests work. I hope someone can show me this has been disproved, because it would suck very much.

If such a fearful mechanism is in place, Treasure Hunter wouldn't help much over time even if it does affect the drop rate.

[Zinato]

The common understanding is

Geodes - Are affected by TH. Can drop at a low rate from any experience wielding mob on day of the week, chances during matching weather are multiplied roughly by 10. Weather always takes priority over day of the week. Additionally, they drop on the seal system, in other words only one per party per 5 minute period. Personal experience shows roughly a 2% drop rate on day, typically 1-2 per game day of farming and 3-4 with TH.

Avatarites - Drop from any mob over the level of 80, they follow the same basic drop rate and rule of geodes. However, additionally they drop on a separate timer then geodes. They do however, take priority in a situation where both could drop. (If you just got to a zone you will see a -rite before a geode drops)

Additional tips -
Light - can be found frequently in Nyzul and in Temnos Limbus
Dark - Mire and Castle Zvahl (both past and present)
Fire - Rarely farmed in Altepa, Terrigan and Yhoator Jungle (for the most part these are only found on matching day)
Wind - Grauberg, Thickets/Woodlands
Water - Boyada Tree and Pashhow (beaudeux)
Ice - Anywhere in the northlands nearly all the time
Earth - Altepa, Attowa and Mount Zhaloym
Lightning - Vunkerl, Boyada tree and Qufim Island
(with exception to light/fire -rites can often be found in the same locations as geodes)

There are other places but, these are the most fruitful for me. Happy hunting.

[RAIST]

Actually, Avatarites can drop off lower level mobs. I got a Garudite and a Breeze Geode of the Wivres (69-ish) at Grauberg [S] fortification while wind was up--3 kills and got one of each, with no TH (doing Campaigns on DRK).

[Nynja]

You didnt get a garudite off a lv69 mob. I've killed ornamental weapons for 8 hours straight and didnt get a single garudite, but got loads of breeze geodes.

[RAIST]

Actually yes, it was. Look them up...listed as 68-70, I said "69-ish". I slaughtered these things at 75 for trials and they were easy kills back then, so they are definately not restricted to only 80+ mobs.

[Nynja]

Once again...I've killed Ornamental Weapons for well over 8 hours straight, a 74 - 76 mob, and got not one Garudite (or any avatarites), but 30 geodes.

If you got an avatarite off a lv69 wivre, it was a bug.

[Meyi]

If you did get an avatarite off of a level 69 monster, I'd definitely like to see a screenshot.

When I got TH prowess added to my THF subjob, I noticed no increase in avatarite drops. So if anyone with lots of time would be willing to test it out with different levels of TH, that'd be bueno. <3

[Babekeke]

For wind-based drops, I strongly suggest Ordelle's Caves. During weather/day, just slaughter the EP mobs, and when they're down, do page (I did beetles and bunnies). I can't say for certain if crystal yield prowess affects drop rate or if TH affects it, but as my prowesses built, the drops became more frequent.

Brasscaps in Grauberg also dropped Garudite/Leviatite. Maybe it's a bug with Grauberg, or maybe all zones in the past?

[RAIST]

Again, dind't say it was definately a 69 mob.. I said 69-ish. They list as being 68-70. It could have been the odd 70 pop, who knows. But I did get one off wivre. I've also gotten avatarites off of mobs in Ru'anne Gardens as well (the normal mobs go up to 78/79). The point is it does not appear to be a hard/fast rule of being 80+ for them to drop.

As for spending one game week and not getting an avatarite at all, that's actually a common problem with them. Could have been an issue with moon phase or season or who knows what. I solo skillups in abyssea, help out with oddball trials, farming, etc--spend a few hours each day in there and can go almost a whole week and not see a single avatarite....geodes, but no avatarite. Chaulk that up to the randomness of the loot system.

[Babekeke]

Avarite drop rates are significantly higher during weather than day of the week. Abyssea has no weather, so it's definately not the place for farming them.

[RAIST]

didn't say I farm them there....if you read the post I am there for other reasons, just noting they have a very low drop rate in comparison to geodes.

[Babekeke]

didn't say I farm them there....if you read the post I am there for other reasons, just noting they have a very low drop rate in comparison to geodes.

I didn't say you were. I was telling you why you rarely see avarites in there.

[RAIST]

which is the same as the guy talking about farming ornamental weapons for 8 hours straight--with no weather in that zone either.

[Babekeke]

So it is. For some reason I assumed they were in Ro Mauve (which does have weather).

[Nynja]

Again, dind't say it was definately a 69 mob.. I said 69-ish. They list as being 68-70. It could have been the odd 70 pop, who knows. But I did get one off wivre. I've also gotten avatarites off of mobs in Ru'anne Gardens as well (the normal mobs go up to 78/79). The point is it does not appear to be a hard/fast rule of being 80+ for them to drop.

Yes there is, I'm the one who found the rule, by doing Decorative Weapons and noticing that avatarites NEVER dropped from the lv79 weapons, only the 80/81.


which is the same as the guy talking about farming ornamental weapons for 8 hours straight--with no weather in that zone either.

Are you saying that Ve'Lugannon never has weather present? The entire sky region shares weather when its present...Shrine, Palace and Gardens.

[RAIST]

You didn't find a "rule", more like formulated a hypothesis, which is disproven by the fact that avatarites have been dropped by mobs under level 80 (note I mentioned getting them in the Gardens off mobs that are noted to cap at 78/79, in addition to getting them off a mob that is listed as capping out at 70). You also don't have a valid control group either as weather is only a constant in a handful of zones--even then, it is not proven that weather automatically trumps geodes for selection as you can get one of each type on the same family of mobs while weather is up. Granted, you have an increased chance, but it is not absolute. By the same token, because respawns are random, and the drop system is random, may not necessarily be able to say with certainty that it was only the 80/81 mobs out of a pool of 79-81. That could have been simply laws of probablity coming into play--66/33 split on the mob levels would logically mean you may get a larger percentage of drops from the 66% vs. 33%. now, if you had been fighing different ranges that were 100% below 80 and 100% 80+, that would be a better contrast. Regardless, that is still countered by having seen them drop from targets known to cap spawns at 78/79.

It might not even be a hard and fast target level for that matter. For all we know, SE could have done something screwy like making it be influenced by level difference and not binding it specifically to a set level of the spawn.

[Nynja]

Do u have proof? I got a garudite off jaggedy eared jack in ronfaure. Level difference is a non factor because ive fought deco weaps at 95 to 99, and the lv 79s never dropped avatarites.

Youre really trying to save face here with nothing.

[Meyi]

Again, dind't say it was definately a 69 mob.. I said 69-ish. They list as being 68-70.

Right, but the target level reported thus far has been level 80+. 68~70 is nowhere near 80.

[RAIST]

well, I've been soloing in mostly a very restricted list of areas these last few months. Abyssea, Sky (flamingo/sprinkler/Groundskeeper pages, did a few runs of aura butlers for GoV out of curiosity), Misereaux coast/Riverne (Seaboard vultures, Darners), B. Tree (mourioche/rabbits and korrigan/elder goobbue pages) and campaign. The focus has been on getting certain jobs from 90 to 99, merits, and skilling up weapons and things like magics, guard, shield, and parry with level appropriate targets to the skills. Got a couple avatarites off the groundskeepers early on with SAM, was still only 91 because I had just finished the kill list for WS trial and hadn't dinged again yet (was shooting for ranged skills and hoping for some odd parry as I had luck with it there in the past). Since then, I've been going with the assumption it's targets over 75, which also seemed to fit with me getting them off the Canyon Scorpion (91 MNK, Solo, WS trial) and Shadow lizards since their levels start right around 75 and was getting avatarites off them when using them for trials.

In this case with DRK, I've been doing almost exclusively Campaign/besieged/abyssea and just the other day I hit the wivre after a Grauberg campaign battle ended abrubtly while I was getting tags. Wind was up and I didn't want to leave empty handed--it was the ones right there at the fort. Forget what level I was (levels fly by at 9k+ a campaign and 15k per besieged), think I was getting 40 a kill from them. Got one of each on back to back kills and was shocked because I knew they were such a low level, even commented on it in LS chat because it didn't seem right.

As for what is reported at wiki, they still have verification tags up....probly because not enough data has been gathered for enough confidence to lock it in yet. The same thing happened when KC's were added. Everyone started high and then we found they dropped from lower level mobs as time went on. This could be the case here as well, it's just such a rare rate that the sample may not be showing the bottom level just yet. Killed roughly 220 shadow lizards last week for a friend's trial across two runs on firesdays (@94 DRK or so, Fell Cleaving with others) and we only got 3 Ifritites to drop--not a large sample set, but in the scope of those kills that is just barely past 1.3%, and that was a kill rate of better than 100/hr, so it was a steady stream of rolls for them to drop from. Even when we did the first 100 in a short slaughterfest on Dusk Lizrds (on SAM with Tachi: Shoha, spawns are 83+, capped azure and started TE's in about 20 minutes by popping the NM a few times too) and I stayed in there soloing for almost 3 hours after, I only walked out with a handful of avatarites. They simply have a crappy drop rate some times (well, most the time if no weather). So it may very well take a while to get a complete sample set on just where the cutoff is. Maybe it's level diff, maybe it's not. Hard to test for that when the people testing it are capped levels (or at least 90). Who knows for certain without something specific from SE on the issue or more reports from 70-somethings coming up outside abyssea to provide a more diverse result set.

DRK hit 99 and just needs skills topped off now, so I'll be switching to WAR soon and will be doing trials on that as well--possibly in some lower level areas as well. Maybe I'll see it happen again, who knows. If it does, will be spreading the word.

[Babekeke]

Yes there is, I'm the one who found the rule, by doing Decorative Weapons and noticing that avatarites NEVER dropped from the lv79 weapons, only the 80/81.


I got a garudite off jaggedy eared jack in ronfaure.

Youre really trying to save face here with nothing.

Contradicting?

[Nynja]

Contradicting?

a lv5 NM dropped a garudite in ronfaure...perhaps I should have pointed out it was firesday to really make the sarcasm point out? dumdum

[RAIST]

Brasscaps in Grauberg also dropped Garudite/Leviatite. Maybe it's a bug with Grauberg, or maybe all zones in the past?

Missed this post (http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/threads/20145-Geodes-(can-someone-help-me-understand)?p=269026&viewfull=1#post269026) yesterday.....looks like I'm not the only one noticing the anomoly?