Tips for farming / Magic Finding

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VixTrader wrote:

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You don't make money in this game primarily by selling rares. In order, this is how you build wealth while MF-ing
1a) un-ID Chaos Recipe (Regal if 75+)
1b) Sell rares for Alts; sell Alts/Jew/Fuse for Exalts
2) Selling inexpensive/common uniques and rares (everything worth 1 ex or less).
3) Selling expensive/uncommon uniques and rares (everything worth 2+ exalts)

- Higher level maps drop better uniques, due to more high level monsters being killed per run (boss, high level rares / blues, and rogue exiles / monsters from beyond)

- Higher level maps drop more rares to be used in chaos recipe simply due to sheer number of monsters killed in a very short period of time, and more of them being level 75 or higher to get Regals instead of Chaos.

- Higher level maps drop more orbs and currencies, again, simply due to far more monsters being killed in a much shorter period of time, with item quantity mods being implicit on the map.



So yeah, maybe YOU are a Dominus runner. And maybe you've even had success doing it, that's great. But see my last point, random is random. Just because it's worked for you, doesn't mean that's true.


Map running kills far more monsters, higher level monsters, faster, quicker, and more efficiently than Dominus runs. You'd have to have a serious aversion to basic math not to see that maps are simply better from a probability perspective.

No offense :)

I'll just agree to disagree. I've done both, and found it roughly 2x as profitable to run Dom than run high level maps at ~400 IIR / 100 IIQ. The profit per map is higher than the profit per Dom run, but it's a lot easier to get a build with that MF level that can clear 12-15 Dominus runs per hour than 12-15 high level maps per hour. 12-15 Dominus runs will be more profitable than 5 high level maps in the long run.

The only valuable (in Standard) map only uniques are Voltaxic and Void Battery, I believe. Not really missing much by doing Dominus.

Dominus runs are the best but after thousand of them you get crazy and you start seeing Dominus everywhere in real life.

Reasonable post.

But I have to disagree with the "superior map runs" part, as well. Dom provides multiple runs for a short period of time. With a chance of dropping not only high tier uniques, which go fast for exalts, but the ability to make you fed with chaoses/alts.
Dom is the fastest way of gaining net wealth.

According to high maps, the only advantage (besides exp) is the miniscule probability of gated drops and high tier rares.

Sure Dom runs are a good option for newer players to gain wealth, I won't deny that. As far as what's better, this isn't that complicated:

- Maps have higher monster level.

- Maps kill more monsters per minute than Dom runs, by a large margin.

- Maps have implicit increased item quantity, by very definition increasing the amount of orbs and currency drops.

- Map runs have far more blue packs, rare monsters, rogue exiles, beyond monsters, and a boss at the end


I think it's great that you guys have had success doing Dom runs, I really do. Good for you. But this post is for people who want to maximize their chances in farming. It makes no sense to base an opinion on your individual anecdotal evidence that Dom runs work better for you. So? How does what happens to you affect the general gaming community?

Now maybe it's true, for Tackle70, maybe Dom runs have been more profitable. But take my word for it, this game is run based on an engine that computes probabilities not based on the experiences of Tackle70, but based on simple algorithms that value more monsters killed, higher level monsters, and higher implicit item quantity.

Maps will give you more rares, more uniques, more orbs, and more experience per hour of gaming than Dom runs ever will. It is literarily written in the game code to be this way. Not for everybody, and not all the time. But on average, probability wise, absolutely.

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VixTrader wrote:

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You don't make money in this game primarily by selling rares. In order, this is how you build wealth while MF-ing
1a) un-ID Chaos Recipe (Regal if 75+)
1b) Sell rares for Alts; sell Alts/Jew/Fuse for Exalts
2) Selling inexpensive/common uniques and rares (everything worth 1 ex or less).
3) Selling expensive/uncommon uniques and rares (everything worth 2+ exalts)

- Higher level maps drop better uniques, due to more high level monsters being killed per run (boss, high level rares / blues, and rogue exiles / monsters from beyond)

- Higher level maps drop more rares to be used in chaos recipe simply due to sheer number of monsters killed in a very short period of time, and more of them being level 75 or higher to get Regals instead of Chaos.

- Higher level maps drop more orbs and currencies, again, simply due to far more monsters being killed in a much shorter period of time, with item quantity mods being implicit on the map.



So yeah, maybe YOU are a Dominus runner. And maybe you've even had success doing it, that's great. But see my last point, random is random. Just because it's worked for you, doesn't mean that's true.


Map running kills far more monsters, higher level monsters, faster, quicker, and more efficiently than Dominus runs. You'd have to have a serious aversion to basic math not to see that maps are simply better from a probability perspective.

No offense :)

With all of these points, there's a couple of more things to consider. First, the cost of high level maps vs 66-70 maps. Then there's the clear speed, most characters can both clear low level maps much faster, and at the same time wear more IIQ/IIR gear. Also for hardcore, low level maps are much safer.

You're right about regal recipe vs chaos recipe. However, other than that, there is absolutely no difference in the amount of currency that high level maps drop. As long as you are in a 66 zone or higher, Then the only thing that's going to make a difference is the number of mobs in the map (and IIQ ofcourse). There are actually some lower level maps that are bigger in size than most of the 75+ maps, and more open, allowing larger packs to spawn with +pack size mod. Also, most chars can much more easily run lower level maps with hard affixes, resulting in an easier time dealing with high IIQ maps.

As for the unique drop point... Yes there are a few high end uniques that can only drop in the high maps. However, the majority of expensive uniques have an equal chance of dropping in low level maps. For example, shavs, mjolner, and binos all have an equal chance of dropping in a 66 as they do in a 78. Items like Voltaxic rift are some of the VERY FEW exceptions.

Therefore, I'd argue that most people are better off farming 66-70 maps, if only worried about wealth. This is mostly due to the points I made above, combined with the fact that most people can run lower level maps faster, safer (HC), with more IIQ/IIR gear, and with higher IIQ rolls on the maps. The only exception to this may be if you are completely decked out in gg gear that also has IIR affixes, and can just as quickly and safely clear high rolled 75+ maps while wearing this gear. However, if that's true, then you're probably already very rich. I'd assume most of this advice is meant for people who DONT already have large currency supplies and gg gear.

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VixTrader wrote:

- Maps have higher monster level.

Irrelevant for wealth. How many Void Batteries have you seen? Are you just swimming in weapon drops that have Tyrannical/Flaring affixes? Expecting to get rich from farming maps due to higher monster level is like expecting to get rich from farming Dominus due to Shavs drops.

Having one out of every 10K rares roll with great T1 map only affixes does not matter. These things are so insanely rare that it's just "RNG is RNG".

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- Maps kill more monsters per minute than Dom runs, by a large margin.

If you're doing Dom runs properly, you should kill almost no monsters. But Dom has better drops than even map bosses and you can kill him far more quickly than you can complete maps. 3 Dominus kills will give you more and better drops than a high level map. Besides, there's a ceiling on how much loot you can ever take back from a map (6 portals worth) so you're guaranteed to never really outpace Dominus kills in terms of sheer volume of loot.

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- Maps have implicit increased item quantity, by very definition increasing the amount of orbs and currency drops.

Yup. This is the only advantage running maps has. Doesn't make up for the slower speed to run chaos recipe and get uniques.

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- Map runs have far more blue packs, rare monsters, rogue exiles, beyond monsters, and a boss at the end

All of which are less reliable and slower than Dominus for drops.

And let's not forget that if you're wanting to run 76+ maps all the time, you're going to also have the added cost of at least ~2c per map (4x chisel + 1x alch) which essentially nullifies one chaos set per map.


The advantages to mapping are:
1) You will stay sane and probably have more fun
2) You will get experience
3) You will get a larger variety of orbs

But it's at the expense of overall rate of wealth acquisition if your clear speed is north of the 6-7 minute mark. 10+ minutes per map and you are too slow.

The only way farming maps is going to be more profitable is if you could somehow get your clear speed down to ~5-6 minutes per map but that's INSANELY fast for a build focusing on getting 400/100 ish MF. Almost all high MF builds are doing good to get their clear speed down to 10 minutes.

I respect your opinion, but you are still wrong about the maps.

Treat Dom runs as brute forcing the farm process. You target a boss with a high natural IIQ/IIR. Incomparably high compared to an average map, where also the IIR part is missing and it depends only on character's stats. Farming dom you don't rely on the tiny chance of dropping a high tier orb, but of making wealth by high amount of low orbs + unique sell-offs.

Higher level of monsters actually brings you nothing. There's no relation between the level and the chance of high tier unique drop. Gated uniques are a completely different story, but we know that the majority of the most tasty uniques can drop at Dom.

At the time you do a single map, 3-4 Dom runs can be done. With high IQ it's 3-4 full inventories per run.

As already said, maps keep you sane. Dom runs are zombie farming. But there's really no point to discuss if Dom is the most profitable way of gaining wealth. As it indisputably is.

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torturo wrote:

As already said, maps keep you sane. Dom runs are zombie farming. But there's really no point to discuss if Dom is the most profitable way of gaining wealth. As it indisputably is.

Quite so. Its all about speed in maps or dom.

Agree with most of it, wanted to add:

higher item levels are good for their own sake, not just
for usable gear and recipies.

higher itemlevels result in greater odds of a higher mod
tier. Higher mod tiers are worth more shards to the vendor.

while you map hunting for 75+ gear for unid regal recipy,
the garbage rares you vendor will be worth more shards
than the garbage rares you vendor while persuing chaos
recipy gear from dominus runs.

level 60 areas might be the ideal minimum to farm
chaos recipy rares, HOWEVER if you can farm a 70 map
just as fast... the rares that dont match up
with the recipy will be worth more to the vendor.

Like a few people have already stated. I find dom farming more profitable, just a lot more boring.

Rolling high level maps also takes currency out of your pocket if you want to stay in high level maps. While dom is free.

Dom farming with max iiq/iir while killing your dps/defense doesn't really matter as much as it does in higher level maps.

That being said, even low/mid level maps are just as good as high level maps when it comes to currency, only reason to do high level maps is for the exp or maybe if you're playing self found and need item upgrades.

I rarely do dom runs because it's so boring and like playing in high level maps for the exp but for the sole purpose of making money, I'd go dom 100%.