Smuggler Bottles should be rarer

  • DrBensei
    Master
    Insider

    Apologies if this has already been mentioned, but Smuggler’s Bottle Quests feel far too common in their current state.

    I’m fine with them being frequent during their launch season, and with Smuggler skeleton ships guaranteeing one. However, the Season 18 “reduced spawn rate” doesn’t feel reduced at all. Ideally, these voyages should be about as rare as Breath of the Sea bottles. Right now, normal bottles feel even rarer than those by comparison.

    Bottle Quests were reworked in Season 11 to encourage staying on a server, since diving removes them from your Quests. They had high value loot for a wide range of companies. Because of that, it feels odd to replace older, more varied bottle quests - including ones tied to unique commendations - with a generic Trading Company quest that has limited long-term progression.

    This may improve if Smugglers gain more relevance with the Black Market update, but at the moment the previous bottle quests felt more rewarding overall.

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  • BurnBacon
    Vanguard
    Insider

    They are still technically "New" so they want anyone who hasnt yet done them to least have the time.

    If they become "Rarer" that commendation will be...well Rarer to achieve and be another Merchant Commendation complaints down the road.

  • KarminiumSOT
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    @burnbacon

    The main issue I see with them was that they were way too common, and the main reason why Merchant commendations were being complained about was because the smuggler voyages were taking up the spots for merchant.

    Their spawn rate on smuggler skeleton ships is actually perfect. The commendations for smuggler, unlike merchant, aren't completely voyage exclusive, as you can find smuggler loot almost everywhere.

  • ShenLongKazama
    Commander
    Insider

    Aye. They are too common and not worth the effort. I rarely get a regular bottle currently.

  • DrBensei
    Master
    Insider

    @karminiumsot Aye, especially as smuggler skeleton ships are not only emergent, they also spawn consitently along the smuggler's route (anyone attempting molten Sands in the last month can tell).

    The loot is also not exclusive to bottle quests, as you can get the loot from these ships, shipwrecks or even washed ashore. Those are even better as you only have to turn them in at ANY smuggler. Not get them first and then sell them to a dedicated person.

    I don't see why 95% of Bottle spawns should still be Smuggler bottles, which essentially locks players out of keg/crate-voyages and kingly loot - which was designed to keep players on a server in S11.

  • ShenLongKazama
    Commander
    Insider

    Also an issue with shipwrecks. The smuggler shipwrecks should also be not as common as they are now.

  • ShadowFox327533
    Sailor

    @drbensei
    Yeah I agree. Smuggler’s Bottles show up way too often and it makes them feel boring instead of special. On top of that they replaced older bottle quests that had more variety and better long term rewards. Unless the Black Market makes them way more meaningful soon this feels like a step down.

  • DrBensei
    Master
    Insider

    @shenlongkazama This feels less like an issue to me because one can just ignore the extra loot, as Smuggler's wrecks and skelly ships just have more loot. They don't lock you out of old content.

  • ShenLongKazama
    Commander
    Insider

    @drbensei

    True. But i usually find only Smuggler shipwrecks and no regular ones, which i prefer the loot of. Someone on reddit said the smuggler bottles border on littering. That was kinda funny.

  • DrBensei
    Master
    Insider

    @shenlongkazama Do they have different loot pools? I personally felt like they have the same loot, but Smuggler loot on top on new spots that weren't vacant before. But I haven't done the pirate science yet! :D

  • ShenLongKazama
    Commander
    Insider

    @drbensei

    They have 80% smuggler loot. Unless you care about the smuggler loot you'll be disappointed. Barrels still have food and whatnot atleast.

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