FL Assault ??? appraisal rate

[Fwahm]

Does anyone know an approximate appraisal rate for the rare/ex set bonus items from the First Lieutenant assaults? Some of those sets look mighty tasty.

[ronin sparthos]

It's all low as shit on HQ appraises, i doubt rank matters.

[Gergall]

I'm sure it's just luck of the draw, but I have seen a few of these appraise in not that many runs. I've probably killed the FL bosses 3 times each so 2-3 HQs in 15 runs.

Meanwhile I've tried farming for divisor ring like 30-40 times and never seen it.

But again I'm sure it's all luck.

[Byrthnoth]

Drop rate is probably 5% or less, like everything else. Good luck completing a set.


I got incredibly lucky and scored Breeder Mask and Vampiric Boots on Byrth. I tried for Breeder Mufflers every time I could (but seriously how often do people do Chairguy?), but to no avail. Then I got banned.

Someone in LS completed the Caballero set and I seem to remember the bonus was shitty (10VIT?). Then he got banned.

Someone on these forums completed the Vampiric set and reported that it seemed worse than Sorc. Gloves, but I'm not sure he did a super-complete test.

One JP reported that the Bowman's set bonus was fairly strong, but the only person I know with a piece of the set hasn't been able to get the mask in several dozen attempts. He may have given up by now.

The Carline set, if it follows the Caballero set, could be useful. CHR+10, MAcc+4 for BRD. You'd lose 8 skill and 5 CHR from AF2 hat and skill earring, but idk it might be worth it.


The Breeder Mask was easily the best single piece of gear in FFXI for Summoner. I was the hottest SMN in town when I put on my furry little mask. It just looks so different from everything else SMN can wear. Breeder's Mask, YY Robe, and you couldn't see the rest of me because I'm was Taru. I was almost angry that K-head was so good for Garuda because it meant I had to take it off.


In summary, the only piece worth going for is Breeder Mask, because it's so unique and lets you do /panic ferociously on SMN. The other pieces are too rare to justify the effort you'd have to put forth to get them. That said, if I was still in game I'd still be trying for them. I'd recommend offering help to shout groups that are going for FL assaults on the condition that you get exclusive lotting rights to the armor if it drops/offering to pay/etc.

[Rentwokay]

Last I checked, the HQ appraisal rate in our Assault linkshell was almost exactly 5% after about two years (anywhere from three to eighteen runs per week, depending on attendance) with no indication that different Assault tiers are more generous than others.

We've done another year's worth of runs since then, but just eyeballing the data, it doesn't seem like our luck has improved.

[Kyte]

The Carline set, if it follows the Caballero set, could be useful. CHR+10, MAcc+4 for BRD. You'd lose 8 skill and 5 CHR from AF2 hat and skill earring, but idk it might be worth it.

Fuck BRD, that would be crazy-awesome sex for Eyes on Me.

[Byrthnoth]

4 MAcc and 10 CHR is better than 5 MAB and whatever hat you prefer (4CHR)? Because I'll tell you right now that a Novio/Moldavite combo is going to be a lot quicker and easier to get than Carline Ribbon/Earring.

5% is about what I expected . . . on everything except goddamned Theta sashes and bash earrings. Freaking RvB.

From your data, is that 5% on getting an HQ appraisal at all from the assault or 5% on each HQ appraisal (so 10% chance if it has 2)? Or is it a 5% chance of getting the HQ appraisal after you get the right ??? item?
I mean, obviously if you get a ??? box you're screwed, but I was wondering if you calculated it as 1/20 enters you get an HQ item, or 1/20 ??? rings you get an HQ.

[Rentwokay]

From your data, is that 5% on getting an HQ appraisal at all from the assault or 5% on each HQ appraisal (so 10% chance if it has 2)? Or is it a 5% chance of getting the HQ appraisal after you get the right ??? item?
I mean, obviously if you get a ??? box you're screwed, but I was wondering if you calculated it as 1/20 enters you get an HQ item, or 1/20 ??? rings you get an HQ.

5% of our appraisals were HQ appraisals. Most Assaults have two HQ drops, so I think it's a 1/20 chance of walking out with something cool; not a 1/20 chance of getting a specific item.

It's worth it for me to go through the data again since I've been gone a while. When I find the time to do so (which may be approaching, given all this payment nonsense and the ominous fact that my card was not charged this month), I'll post it here.

[Kyte]

Novio isn't available to me atm. But even if it was, this would still be better. But even if it was:

10 CHR 5 MACC (1 Conserve MP)

vs.

4 CHR 5 MAB (-6 Enmity)

That choice is fucking obvious.

However, the real next best choice in headgear is Ree's. That and a Moldavite would give you:

+2 CHR +7 MAB +2 MACC

So only slightly worse- but it's still assuming that what you have in your other earring slot is a Novio.

[Virtuous Saint]

5% of our appraisals were HQ appraisals. Most Assaults have two HQ drops, so I think it's a 1/20 chance of walking out with something cool; not a 1/20 chance of getting a specific item.

It's worth it for me to go through the data again since I've been gone a while. When I find the time to do so (which may be approaching, given all this payment nonsense and the ominous fact that my card was not charged this month), I'll post it here.

It isn't 5% on everything, mathematical certainty. I am 2/7 Hydra Assault, and it is likely they made these slightly higher % just due to the fact that you need the set bonus so you must get 2 items. Different assaults obviously have a different amount of ??? items obtainable so it isn't 5% chance for everything because that would be even more retarded than the augment system they added.

Also 1/70-80+ Ataractic Solea/Divisor Ring.

[Rentwokay]

Conversely, The Susanoo Shuffle is our favorite FL Assault, and we haven't received a single HQ appraisal from it.

Now, I'm really curious to go through this data again...

[Midnightjade]

Someone on alla claimed completion of the carline set a few months ago, although no pics and I don't know their ingame name.

Supposedly the CHR bonus was +15 although no documented proof either way that I know of.

[Byrthnoth]

I bought a ??? headpiece out of a bazaar for 5k at random and appraised it for Breeder Mask before I'd done the Cerb assault. Then I went 1/1 or 1/2 on Vampiric Boots. All told, I was probably ~1/25ish on FL assaults not including the one I bought.
I know a guy who got Bowman's Ledelsens and was going for Bowman's mask. His Salvage group would do it for points pretty regularly and he was offering to pay anyone ~600k-ish for a ??? headpiece appraisal to Bowman's mask, but he never got it that I know of. He had that assault down to a science. It was pretty fun to go with him.

It's not a good drop rate. ~5% on getting an HQ appraisal per entry sounds right to me despite my own personal luck. I've seen 3 drops from Azure Experiments in well over 50 runs. 2 Ataractic Solea and 1 Divisor Ring. It's kind of hard for me to estimate how many Azure Experiments I've done because I did it for so long and there would be streaks of weeks when I couldn't get anyone to go with me.

[Kyte]

Someone on alla claimed completion of the carline set a few months ago, although no pics and I don't know their ingame name.

Supposedly the CHR bonus was +15 although no documented proof either way that I know of.

Arrgaaaaahhhhhh must have o.<;;;