I've seen a lot of questions about these items, generally coupled with a "Is it worth it?" I also wanted to know as I was playing the game, mainly because money is in short supply. And why would I want to waste slots? Everything in here I tested in game, but I would be shocked if other people did not notice it before me.
FAQ
1. Do Runes of Fortune stack? Yes. Feel free to check this in game by having two shields, one with a single RoF and a second with two RoF's. Save before you check a coin drop, and see the results when you switch the items.
2. Do RoF's and +Coin items stack? Yes. You can verify yourself by the same process as you did for RoF's.
3. Do the +coin items all add the same amount? Nope. For example, the string of pearls appears to add 1.5% to a base coin drop, while the Amulet of Influence adds 2%.
4. Does it matter which companion has the gear equipped? Nope, as long as they are in your active party. Having RoF's or +coin items on a party member not adventuring with you does not increase the money you get. Bummer, I know.
5. Is there an upper limit to how many RoF's stack? Not that I've found yet. I was still getting increases with 4 RoF's on Hawke, 4 on Companion Armor, and 2 on a Shield.
6. Does it matter where the RoF's are? YES. This was the most surprising thing to me. So, yes the strategy guide is wrong or Bioware changed the game after it went to press.
7. So what are the different values? I'm glad you asked...
A RoF on companion armor will increase the base coin drop by 10%. It stacks. Fenris in Act 3 can thus add 30% to your coin drops if he is in your active party. This10% bonus appears to be consistent across companions (Veriified on Aveline).
A RoF on a shield will increase the base coin drop by 3.75%. It stacks. The quality of the shield does not appear to matter (tested on Lion of Orlais and Amnell Family Shield).
A RoF on Hawkes Chest Armor increases the base coin drop by 5%. It stacks. Tested on two different late game armor pieces.
A RoF on boots appears to increase the base coin drop by 1.8%, but I only had one boot item to check with, and it was the Boots of Winter. So, additional testing for confirmation is probably a good idea. The percentage seems odd.
The String of Pearls (Belt) adds 1.5% to the base coin drop. It doesn't matter if the belt is on Hawke or a companion in your active party.
The Amulet of Influence adds 2% to the base coin drop. It doesn't matter if the belt is on Hawke or a companion in your active party.
8. So what does it all mean? Well, it means that the most cost-effective location for RoF is on your companions you will use in party. It also means that the Amulet of Influence is probably not worth buying in Act 1, as it will not pay for itself until you have found 50 gold worth of BASE coin drops. And you are losing that amulet slot the whole time as well.
Another implication is that it probably isn't worth it to buy the Bulwark shield for Aveline/warrior from the Black Emporium for RoF purposes. That shield costs about 6.5gold to make better than the Lion of Orlais shield many people got for free, and at that price you would need to find at least 57 gold worth of base drops.
9. What other information is needed? There are still other +coin items to test and locate. If the late game +coin amulets and rings aslo drop the low percentages of the String of Pearls and Amulet of influence, I think it is safe to give them a pass. Also, if the bonus of Hawkes' boots is fixed or dependant on the item equiped. Same for the helm slot. If people have one of those items and can test, please do so and post below!
*Testing Procedure Used: I found a crate that dropped some silver in act 3. I had saved before interacting with it, so its contents were unspoiled. I then went back to base, removed all items and runes from everybody but those I wanted to test, and gradually went back to the crate and saved, wrote down results, loaded, equipped another item, checked results, etc.
Modifié par AKOdin, 24 mars 2011 - 12:31 .
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