Question on MF

[endmybeing]

Is there a guide that explains how much MF I need to find certain items off certain bosses?

If not, I normall run hell countess, mephisto, and pindle. (Who's better to MF?)
I have about 250 MF.

Is this a waste of time since I don't have enough MF, or will certain items just won't drop.

If Meph is to drop a certain item, will MF make it show up more often, or will it only show up if u have MF on?

thanks

[Gorny]

Is there a guide that explains how much MF I need to find certain items off certain bosses?

If not, I normall run hell countess, mephisto, and pindle. (Who's better to MF?)
I have about 250 MF.

Is this a waste of time since I don't have enough MF, or will certain items just won't drop.

If Meph is to drop a certain item, will MF make it show up more often, or will it only show up if u have MF on?

thanks

There are guides around the forums, but there is no specific amount of MF you need to find certain items off of certain bosses...that is a myth.

Generally, the more MF the better, with diminishing returns aftr around 110% or so, and luck of the drop is involved.

As to the question on meph and dropping an item : No, mf will not make that specific item show up more often, nor will it show up (or not show up) with or without MF on.

The only thing MF does in any case, is incease the odds of a drop from any monster on kill.

[buttershug]

In another thread someone described how his friend killed Baal and they only got a couple lousy rares and some magic items.
That is what MF does. It increases the chance an item will be magic, rare, set, or unique. It might still be a crappy rare but the MF made it a crappy rare instead of an even crappier magic item.
Increasing your runs per hour is usually better than increasing your MF even though it will decrease your "luck"
Finds per hour is better than finds per run.

[Ladvarian]

Okay just to sum it up and avoid confusion. Magic Find has no bearing on what type or how many items drop. It only increases the chance of the item that <i>is</i> dropped, wether it be a dagger or a sword, become magical, rare, set or unique. If the game decides to drop a dagger no matter how much mf you have it will not make it a sword. As far as I know the game checks for unique first then set and then rare if it determines that the item will be magical. This is where mf comes in it increases the odds that the item will be unique as opposed to set and set as opposed to rare and rare as opposed to magical. I'm saying that if the game decides to drop a type of item, ie belt, then it will see what type it is, it could be Artic Binding, set, or a Snakecord, unique. MF helps determine wether the game will drop you Artic Binding or a Snakecord or of course a rare or magical item.
Of course I'm probably confusing you now, sorry.

Generally speaking the more mf you have the better as long as you don't decrease your killing speed. If you can kill 20 cows with +100MF in the time it takes you to kill one with +500MF, it is better to kill 20 cows with +100MF. It all depends on luck as well.

For a drop calculator download ATMA, http://atma.diabloii.net/ and just use the drop calculator built in. It might not be exactly correct, but it will give you a general idea of who can drop what and how long it will take you to get the item from the monster, the odds. Rember to only increase MF if it doesn't cut down on your killing speed significantly. And good luck with your hunting.

[Myrakh-2]

The only thing MF does in any case, is incease the odds of a drop from any monster on kill.

Actually, that exactly what it does NOT do.

To create an item, the game (basically) performs a number of steps. I'm skipping some details here, though...

- decide whether to drop an item at all. Number of players in the game matters, MF does not ("nodrop chance")
- decide what base item to drop (such as "breast plate"). Player count and MF don't matter
- decide the quality of the item (cracked, normal, superior, magic, rare, set, unique). THAT's where MF is used, to increase the chance for unique/set/rare/magic
- make the item (such as "roll the variable stats"). Again, MF does nothing here.

An important point to notice is that MF will not at all change the number of breatplates you find; it will, however, turn more of these breastplates into Isenharts and Venom Wards.

Also, MF does not manipulate levels or anything, so it does NOT make items drop that couldnt drop without MF. Neither are thre breakpoints, required MF values or anything like that.

MF also has different effect on the different item types, so for example:
100% mf -> 71% better chance for unique
100% mf -> 83% better chance for set
100% mf -> 85% better chance for rare
100% mf -> 100% better chance for magic

[buttershug]

Actually, that exactly what it does NOT do.

MF also has different effect on the different item types, so for example:
100% mf -> 71% better chance for unique
100% mf -> 83% better chance for set
100% mf -> 85% better chance for rare
100% mf -> 100% better chance for magic

So basically you have a drop, and MF affects the "odds" that is the probability distribution. In this case the probabilities of it being unique, set, rare, or magic.

So to sum up The only thing MF does in any case, is incease the odds of a drop from any monster on kill.

ok so worded that way it sounds like the odds of getting a drop is affected not the odds of what the drop is.
BTW I love torturing the english lanquage

[LordOfDesttructtion]

The strategy compendium guide's table on MF's effects starts at 100%. Does that mean the minimum amount of MF you need in order for it to have any effect at all is 100%? Thanks.

[Gorny]

Actually, that exactly what it does NOT do.

To create an item, the game (basically) performs a number of steps. I'm skipping some details here, though...

- decide whether to drop an item at all. Number of players in the game matters, MF does not ("nodrop chance")
- decide what base item to drop (such as "breast plate"). Player count and MF don't matter
- decide the quality of the item (cracked, normal, superior, magic, rare, set, unique). THAT's where MF is used, to increase the chance for unique/set/rare/magic
- make the item (such as "roll the variable stats"). Again, MF does nothing here.

An important point to notice is that MF will not at all change the number of breatplates you find; it will, however, turn more of these breastplates into Isenharts and Venom Wards.

Also, MF does not manipulate levels or anything, so it does NOT make items drop that couldnt drop without MF. Neither are thre breakpoints, required MF values or anything like that.

MF also has different effect on the different item types, so for example:
100% mf -> 71% better chance for unique
100% mf -> 83% better chance for set
100% mf -> 85% better chance for rare
100% mf -> 100% better chance for magic


Yeah I knew all that.

I just said it in a much simpler way.

[Ladvarian]

From what I understand is that you have a base MF of 100% and anything above that is added to it. So no matter what you will always have 100%MF. The guide could also be showing how MF is effected at 100% as opposed to 200% and on for uniques, sets and rares, the part about diminishing returns.

In answer to your question no you don't have to have +100%MF for it to do anything.

Please reread the guide and post what guide it is if it doesn't state it that way so we can read it also to make sure.