My findings for Mana Crystallization and Alchemy Mastery 2->1

This is an archive of the mabination.com forums which were active from 2010 to 2018. You can not register, post or otherwise interact with the site other than browsing the content for historical purposes. The content is provided as-is, from the moment of the last backup taken of the database in 2019. Image and video embeds are disabled on purpose and represented textually since most of those links are dead.

To view other archive projects go to https://archives.mabination.com

Yogurticecream wrote on 2010-06-13 20:24

After much thought, I decided to ask around for help. I was so glad when someone agreed to help me. So I told them to wait. It took me a few hours to get a Crown Ice Wand proff-ed up for the 28% damage increase upgrade.

Surprisingly, I found 4 people with Rank 1 Ice Spear, but only two agreed to help me. I haven't asked one to help me yet, while the first person I asked didn't sound willing to help.

So here are what my tests came out as...which applies to non-Samhain days.

A was very understanding, and she guessed right on the dot that I was asking about Ice Spear 1 because I had to make crystals. A had 290 int, and Ice Spear Rank 1. At the time of helping out, my Mana Crystallization was Rank F. We made crystals but all we got were Rank 5 and Rank 6 crystals. No Rank 4 crystals. Then A told me that probably 300 int was the minimum. So she went off to level in order to help me with this on another day.

B didn't know anything about Mana Crystallization, and has no experience with it until today, but she was really kind enough to sit through 200 crystal successes as well as Mana Crystallization trial and errors (with the ranks). She had 310 base int. Transformation gives her 500+ int but it doesn't seem to affect crystal results.

I ranked Mana Crystallization to Rank E to improve successes a little bit, and we did get Rank 4 crystals about 60% of the time when we succeeded. Rank 5 was about 39%, and Rank 6 was that 1% and is very rare. However, successes was quite low at about 49%. I ranked Mana Crystallization to D, and there wasn't much effect other than success rates increasing.

The real turning point though was Mana Crystallization Rank C. Successes increased to 61% and we were also getting a lot of Rank 3 crystals. Rank 4 crystals were still common, while Rank 5 is uncommon and Rank 6 crystals only appear once in a blue moon.

So...for anyone who's planning to do entrusting for Rank 2 Alchemy Mastery in the future, Mana Crystallization Rank C is a recommended minimum (unless you are going to do everything on Samhain and sit through with the terrible success rates).
Phunkie wrote on 2010-06-13 21:55

So Alchemy Mastery does apply to you and not the caster.

Thank you so much. Good information!
Flonne wrote on 2010-06-14 01:38

I still have yet to test it with r5 Alchemy Mastery, r3 mana crystallization and a Lightning Wand with pure damage mod. My int in non trans is over 300 by now. Although, I still cannot find any friendly users with r1 IS to help me with this so I'll still have to settle with r1 Thunder.
Hiccup wrote on 2010-06-14 02:10

Ahhh this helps so much~!
Yogurticecream wrote on 2010-06-14 17:25

Apparently Thunder and Fire wands lack the damage % upgrades that Crown Ice Wand has...
So Ice Spear Rank 1 Entrusting is still the best.

336/1190 done. Going to rest early and hope I can grab someone to help me afternoon onwards tomorrow.
Yogurticecream wrote on 2010-06-14 23:17

Sorry about double post but I have more to add after one more test with someone...

I finally got hold of A to do Mana Crystallization with me and with 370 int, we were getting rank 3 and 4 crystals a lot. Extremely stable compared to 310 int. Rank 5 crystals were rare.

Though there is an interesting bit of finding regarding transformation. With A, we never get Rank 6 crystals while she's untransformed, but we do when she is in transformation. I notice this to be consistent to how B gets a lot more Rank 5/6 crystals while under transformation. So even though transformation gives you more int, it doesn't affect the crystal results positively. (Might worsen it on the contrary.)

501/1190 done, 689 more to go.

(Deviating a little from the topic...

I was happy how A was talking a lot more than B and how she was surprised with the mana regeneration army with three Rank 5+ musicians, because making crystals is really boring with someone who doesn't take any initiative to hold a conversation with you.)
Flonne wrote on 2010-06-15 11:39

It seems to me that Crown Ice Wand with IS r1 is the only way to get r4+ crystals reliably. I've already did my tests with myself and another person with r1 Thunder as mentioned before but I still have yet to see a r4 crystal with Thunder.

Better befriend a r1 IS user or rank up IS to r1 yourself for it.
Rime wrote on 2010-06-16 09:32

It seems to me that it's easier to get high ranked Thunder crystals than crystals of the other two advance magic spells. You might want to test this using thunder. Despite its higher mp cost for one charge, it's an easier skill to get. In other words, a Thunder user would be more accessible than an Icespear user.
Yogurticecream wrote on 2010-06-16 10:24

Tested with R1 Thunder user with mana crystallization F, but we only get Rank 8 or 9 Thunder crystals.
Probably also due to the wand, I don't have one with extra damage.
I'm lucky to have a couple of Ice Spear R1 friends. Managed cleared 1190 crystal making requirements today.
Flonne wrote on 2010-06-16 11:28

Quote from Yogurticecream;66308:
Tested with R1 Thunder user with mana crystallization F, but we only get Rank 8 or 9 Thunder crystals.
Probably also due to the wand, I don't have one with extra damage.
I'm lucky to have a couple of Ice Spear R1 friends. Managed cleared 1190 crystal making requirements today.

Even with a Lightning Wand with max damage upgrades, I still couldn't get r4 or higher crystals. What's even more bizarre is that it seemed to have no effect at all in getting higher ranking crystals. I think it has the same rate as an unmodded lightning wand too so it seems like only Crown Ice Wand with full damage mod has a significant impact on the crystals.
Yogurticecream wrote on 2010-06-16 11:48

I also think Magic Mastery has an effect on the crystals made as well.
People with less int but Magic Mastery R1 have about the same effect as high int users with MM6.
Flonne wrote on 2010-06-16 16:49

Quote from Yogurticecream;66322:
I also think Magic Mastery has an effect on the crystals made as well.
People with less int but Magic Mastery R1 have about the same effect as high int users with MM6.

I think that would be a more ap efficient way of getting r4 crystals if that were true. This is to the point with r1 TH, r1 MM and r2 AM with an unmodded Lightning Wand, should produce the r4 crystals at a stable rate but just in case no, I'll leave enough ap for r1 IS when g11 comes around.