Is it still possible to get Black Lion Keys from Map Completion?

[Erye.2714]

In the past week, I've completed 12 different maps across 3 characters (9 completely different maps overall) and have only received transmutation charges (of which I have over 100 so they're quite useless to me).

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

Your results are consistent with bad luck.

There's a 3% chance of that happening, assuming a 25% chance of a key dropping. If the rate is 1:3, then the odds drop to 0.8%.

Streaks happen and when the odds are less than 50-50, it's hard to know when you're on a lucky streak because you'd still get transmute charges more often than not. For example, to reach "parity" with your unlucky 12, you'd need only 4 keys out of the next 4 maps (if the true rate is 25%) or 6 keys in a row (for a 33% rate).

! Were any of the completions in Bjora Marches? If you completed the map during Icebrood Saga Episode 1, you already got to roll for a key. You could still "complete" the full map with Episode 2, but you wouldn't get to re-roll for a key. (I'm not sure if that mechanic was in place for Drizzlewood during E3.) Regardless, even without Icebrood maps, your luck is merely bad, not indicative of a change in drop rate.! edit: OP notes (below) that these were core maps only. Leaving the text visible so that anyone reading down the line is aware of the "no double-dipping" rule for map completion, since it's not well-documented on the wiki.

[DaFishBob.6518]

Why is this in the living world subforum? I can absolutely say that it is still possible to get a black lion key from map completion as I got one a couple of days ago, but that was Metrica Province that I completed, not a living world map.

[RedCobra.7693]

hey man dont look down on charges I've just spent 80 of them testing out looks for my warrior lol, i need thousands. keys are lame you never get anything good

Edit: if youre desperate for keys just do your weekly key for level 10 personal story.

[Vayne.8563]

I've gotten two keys out of the last three maps I did. Before that i felt like I haven't gotten a key in ages. Only the city maps and Southsun don't have a chance of awarding a key.

[SoftFootpaws.9134]

There's only a ~27% chance to get a key from map completion, according to drop research on the wiki. That means, on average, a bit less than one out of three times you complete a map you'll get a key, but RNG is unpredictable.

If you want guaranteed keys then play the story, there's five key drops until the end of HoT, once per character.

[vier.1327]

Is that method time gated?

I mean, like the level 10 story; 1 per week.

[Galmac.4680]

And, to complete this, you will never get a key from completing a city map like Rata Sum, Black Citadel, Lions Arch, etc...

[RedCobra.7693]

your post gave me the itch to do some more exploration just came back to say i got 4 keys in a row then a charge then another key xD its just luck man

[Erye.2714]

Sorry for posting in the wrong sub. This is my first time in the forums and I wasn't sure where to post.

I guess I'm really unlucky then. Does your magic find percentage affect the drop rate at all?

The maps I completed were:Malchors LeapCursed Shore x2Bloodtide coastLornar's Pass x2Snowden DriftsGendarran Fields x2QueensdaleKessex HillsDiessa Plateau

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

@"Erye.2714" said:I guess I'm really unlucky then.Depends if you consider three out of a hundred people (in similar circumstances) being simply unlucky or "really" unlucky.Don't get me wrong: it's depressing to get nothing 12 maps in a row. But overall, it's not that unusual.

Does your magic find percentage affect the drop rate at all?No.

The more complicated answer is

! You can behave as if there is no effect, because you wouldn't be able to notice it even if there were.!! According to ANet, magic find only affects drops from dead foes (or containers that simulate such drops), plus a tiny number of identified exceptions (Lunar New Years envelopes being the most important). The impact on Magic Find on such drops isn't verifiable without 1000s of such drops. (This was tested when Magic Find also affected unidentified gear bags.) The wiki has barely 1200 drops, none of which list the Magic Find at the time of opening, and even if it did, it would be hard to separate the impact of MF from random chance.!! Or, in brief, there's simply never going to be enough data to prove or disprove a claim about MF's impact on map completion. Accordingly, you might as well act as if there is no difference, because it's a lot of extra work for an effect that you can't see.

---

Sorry for posting in the wrong sub. This is my first time in the forums and I wasn't sure where to post.It's fine. Sometimes it's hard to know the best place, especially if you're new to the game or the forums.

If it's important to you to fix, you may self-report the post and use "other" to ask the mods to move it.

[Erye.2714]

If it's important to you to fix, you may self-report the post and use "other" to ask the mods to move it.

Done. Thank you!

[DeanBB.4268]

@vier.1327 said:Is that method time gated?

I mean, like the level 10 story; 1 per week.

Only the level 10 story key is limited to 1/week (resets some time on Monday).

[RedCobra.7693]

@DeanBB.4268 said:

@vier.1327 said:Is that method time gated?

I mean, like the level 10 story; 1 per week.

Only the level 10 story key is limited to 1/week (resets some time on Monday).

I may be wrong here but the keys for story after level 10 are not timegated so you could just spam story if you needed keys fast and despise exploration.

[DeanBB.4268]

Yes, that's what I said, only level 10 story is limited.

[vier.1327]

Yep, they caped it like 2 years ago or so

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

@"vier.1327" said:Yep, they caped it like 2 years ago or so

For very large values of 2.

Key farming was limited to once per week by September 15, 2015 game update.

edit: the estimate in my mind was also too low; I didn't realize how much time had flown until looking it up on the wiki.

[vier.1327]

@Illconceived Was Na.9781 said:

@"vier.1327" said:Yep, they caped it like 2 years ago or so

For very large values of 2.

Key farming was limited to once per week by September 15, 2015 game

update

.

edit:

the estimate in my mind was also too low; I didn't realize how much time had flown until looking it up on the wiki.

Damn... The feeling of being old has stroke me as hard as a truck.

[Quasidivine.2591]

Everyone keeps saying weekly lvl 10, but to those new to the game that description is vague at best. What does it mean? Is there a chapter called lvl 10 keys?

[Eloc Freidon.5692]

4 minutes ago, Quasidivine.2591 said:

Everyone keeps saying weekly lvl 10, but to those new to the game that description is vague at best. What does it mean? Is there a chapter called lvl 10 keys?

If you create a fresh character and do the full story that is accessed at level 10, you get a key for your reward once a week for that step. The weekly resets when guild weekly missions reset.

There are other story steps that also guarantee a key but those can be acquired on multiple characters without a weekly limit.

[DeanBB.4268]

52 minutes ago, Quasidivine.2591 said:

Everyone keeps saying weekly lvl 10, but to those new to the game that description is vague at best. What does it mean? Is there a chapter called lvl 10 keys?

You can save a character slot (or buy one) that you use for a "key run character." Create character (people recommend Human Commoner, I prefer Human Noble) and run it through the full level 10 story. At the end, you are rewarded a black lion key. Next week, delete that character and do it again.

[Gop.8713]

It's somehow reassuring to me that I can read through a dozen posts in a three year old thread before I realize it's three years old. See kids? Our ancestors weren't so different after all! They had all the same problems that we do : )

[Skub.8240]

I finished map completion on a character the other day and got like five keys total in one day, so yeah it's possible. It's just about luck, because I could count the number of keys I'd gotten from map completion on that same character until that specific day on one hand.

[Quasidivine.2591]

Thanks for the clarification, and oh here is a trisket for the 5 keys guy.

[Bollocks.4078]

It's just the whims of RNG.  I once got Transmutation Charges 17 times in a row.

Also keep in mind that the 5 racial towns, LA and Southsun Cove don't give keys for map completion.