Incursion: a possible solution for the Augmented Capes

[Martel]

Honestly, I think expecting the devs to do anything about this at all is what's unrealistic. And sure, The reroll is more likely, because it's easier.

But I really doubt the combination system would be any kinda of real challenge to a professional programmer. I think even I could code something in lua that would spit out new cape augs, given the old augs. And I'm no more than an rank amateur at coding. Sure you'd need more that just that. there's got to be a interface. A way of storing the augments on the traded capes on a NPC(Synergy and skirmish NPCs hold both your old and new augs for viewing, so there's precedent for this). A way to get back your first cape if you don't trade a second, etc. But I don't really see any of that as a massive challenge either. But hey, amateur. What do I know?

But since we're both dreaming of a change that won't happen, I say may as well dream big. If we get any improvement at all, I'll be happy. But I'd rather tell SE what I want, over what scraps I think they might throw me.

[Crevox]

Yes.
But as I stated before, Megaboss NQ crates have roughly the same chance of content being a cape as normal bosses' HQ crates.
When you factor that in, most likely you'll get more chances to get what you want from Grammk's coffers, despite the larger pool, compared to farming specific bosses for a specific type of cape.

Even if this is accurate, it goes from being a 1/5 to get the cape you want to being a 1/22.

Is that really worth it?

You might say like, oh, well you can get any of the other capes too, so you might get one for another job you want, but I literally only care about the SMN cape. The GEO cape might be nice (even though I have one already), but I don't care enough to bother. I only want the SMN cape.

[Protey]

could be worse, could have no augments at all. plus the event gives a ton of exp and CP. I like it.

[Zhronne]

Honestly, I think expecting the devs to do anything about this at all is what's unrealistic.

Alas, I concur.
Unless a massive drama were to outburst somewhere, but it's clearly not the case here.
Despite the odds (furtherly lower because they seem to have little concern for feedbacks coming from the non-JP playerbase, sadly) I still thought it was worth the 5 mins it took me to write it down, nothing to lose in trying, no?

[Zhronne]

Even if this is accurate, it goes from being a 1/5 to get the cape you want to being a 1/22.

I'm no math expert, but I think it's different than that.
Allow me to make a silly example using fake numbers. Let's say this is the (fake) table with rates. It shows the chance a coffer will have a cape (of any suitable type) inside.

NQ Boss => 5%
HQ Boss => 10%
NQ Mega => 10%
HQ Mega => 15%

Now you have to consider how many crates each killed NM drop. Let's say ilevel 129, I don't remember how many crates 129 drop, let's say 7 since it's just an example I'm making.
These 7 will be split between NQ and HQ, depending on luck and TH. I dunno about average but let's say uhm 5 NQ and 2 HQ?
So a more accurate comparison would be:

5x 5% + 2x 10% ==> * 1/5 (chance of being a cape you want)
versus
5x 10% + 2x 15% ==> * 1/22 (chance of being a cape you want)

Another important aspect you might consider outside of these numbers, is that if you're fighting MB you won't have to bother to find people specifically interested in that specific NM and who also have the jobs you need.
Anybody will be interested in MB.



tl;dr
Not saying it's completely worthless to target a specific boss, especially if you have the good conditions/friends to spam it.
But do not rule out MB runs like I used to do.
I used to think like you but had to change my mind after reading reports from Malithar and other people on BG forums.
Now I kinda prefer to spam MB runs honestly. It's just faster, more efficient, and in the end I manage to make more runs (i.e. even more chances) thanks to the time I save setting the group up.

[Ramzi]

Has anyone else already obtained all the rare/ex equipment from incursion that they want, and are only after capes now? I know thats the situation I'm in. Just got the final pieceI was looking for- Meko Harness, last week on a 127 MB win. Felt like the rare/ex equipment dropped like rain, while the capes are so rare, and when you do get a cape it's trash or not for the job you want.

Last run I did manage to get a RNG cape with I think AGI and STR mods, plus maybe subtle blow? Can't remember. Not great anyway, but better than NQ. On that same run 3 different LS mates said they got BLU capes, and I've yet to get one, and it's the job I play the most.

RNG sucks. (random number generator, not Ranger lol)

[Malithar]

Mega Boss spam runs are surely the way to go. You give up your reduced job pool for specific capes for a vastly increased cape drop rate, while gaining people that are more interested since you're not targeting only 4ish capes. There's the money aspect as well, as little as it may be anymore; Arise is still a good half mil on most servers AFAIK.

Doubt we'll see any changes in the short term to Incursion, but eventually things will need to be changed I think. Some capes are simply "better" pieces for the jobs, like Wars, it's just a better DD cape. But Smn? You get BPII -3 in a slot where none was available, while gaining many other important avatar stats. Geo gets a direct +20% up time to Entrust. Pld gets Phalanx +5. Rdm gets a large increase to buff duration. Pup gets Automaton TP+500. The effects are too specific and too powerful to be forever locked behind RNG and finding other interested individuals IMO, but they'll stay locked behind that for awhile longer no doubt.

[dasva]

Not only locked behind RNG but RNG that requires you to redo a whole event just to reroll. People groan but at least somewhat put up with skirmish because you don't have to do a skirmish run everytime you want to try for another aug (that and there are more close equivalents). Plus it's not even necessarily specific stats that make some of these capes so good. Some just stack so much good they become great. Look at rng with no augs it's decent but then with augs it can become itself +empyrean cape which is still good and even some snapshot which doesn't exist elsewhere in slot. Or run... combine augments with original stats and you get a cape great for DDing and tanking with 8 DT a bunch of acc, DA and mab. Bst is another example. Right now for bst pet capes you have to decide between stats like pdt, acc or att. With the augments you can get all 3 except that pdt becomes DT. Really you can make an argument for almost every cape and why it shouldn't be so frustrating to get

[Zhronne]

Not only locked behind RNG but RNG that requires you to redo a whole event just to reroll.

Exactely!
Which is kinda the point of the suggestions we made.

[Zhronne]

So in the new patch there will be an NPC allowing to augment JSE capes with arcane glyphics.
Wonder how much this will turn out to be something similar to what was originally requested in the opening post of this thread