Finished 3 books' fates...each one had at least one that made me wait for ~3 hours...and I didn't miss any pops.
Please tell me what you can do to occupy 3 hours worth of time in a zone. Can't leave for instances or zone out because it might pop while you are gone.
- Mindlessly farming mobs for nothing worth dropping most of the time.
- Crafting...Can you even fill your inventory with 3 hours worth of craft materials?
- Semi-AFK (can't completely afk either because you might miss)
- Can't move too far from FATE spot during prime time because they get finished before you even reach it.

E.g.
South Thanalan - Bridge fight, some Amaljaa "Black Smoke" NPC
Coerthas - Zepps
East Shroud - That mushroom fight in Sylph land