Incarnate Shard Drops in Dark Astoria?

[TyrantMikey]

Paragon Wiki says the following:

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Incarnate Shard Components will only drop for characters who have unlocked the Alpha Slot either through completion of Mender Ramiel's story arc (which itself grants one Incarnate Shard), using an "Alpha Slot Unlock" voucher from Astral Christy, or through earning Incarnate Experience in either Dark Astoria or Incarnate Trials.

It later goes on to say,

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Note that Shards do not drop from enemies defeated in the streets of or story content of Dark Astoria.

So now I'm confused. What exactly do you have to do in Dark Astoria to get Incarnate Shards?

[Securityuniform]

You really don't need shards anyway. They drop so rarely it's a chore trying to make alpha slot components from them. You are better scrolling to the bottom of the recipe list and using threads and emp merits. I probably get around 10 shards a week. They don't seem to drop particularly frequently even in incarnate trials.

[Dragon Crush]

I haven't gotten back up to 50 yet on homecoming, but IIRC there were special repeatable missions that provide shards back on live.

[TyrantMikey]

32 minutes ago, Securityuniform said:

You really don't need shards anyway. They drop so rarely it's a chore trying to make alpha slot components from them. You are better scrolling to the bottom of the recipe list and using threads and emp merits. I probably get around 10 shards a week. They don't seem to drop particularly frequently even in incarnate trials.

Yeah, I was just reminded of this. I keep forgetting that there are thread-based "recipes" for the Alpha slots.

 

I need to start buying memory supplements. Vast quantities of memory supplements.

[EmmySky]

Also, HC changed this so they do drop randomly with any enemies, not just incarnate content.  PW is frozen in time as of shutdown so will not reflect the changes.  

[Piyerus]

Incarnate Shards always dropped from any enemy which could give rewards, Dark Astoria being an exception. Shards came out before there was any incarnate content, so the only stuff you could get it from was normal content. The only guaranteed ways to get it was to complete a taskforce with an incarnate salvage option at the end or complete a weekly task force for a notice of the well, and then break those components down into shards (this was useful if you had more than enough salvage but not enough shards). You could also get 4 guaranteed shards by completing a Hamidon raid. 

 

When actual Incarnate content started coming out, along with the next set of Incarnate abilities, they switched over to using Incarnate threads and a new set of salvages. Unlike shards, Threads would only drop when doing Incarnate content. You could also upgrade shards into threads, but at a cost. Dark Astoria was the first bit of Incarnate content with its own zone, so the enemies in it would drop threads instead of shards.

 

One of the changes made in the SCORE server (which was carried forward to Homecoming) was making it so that Incarnate threads would drop from any content that gives rewards, not just from Incarnate content. No changes were made to Incarnate Shards, as far as I know.

[Ukase]

4 hours ago, Securityuniform said:

You really don't need shards anyway. They drop so rarely it's a chore trying to make alpha slot components from them. You are better scrolling to the bottom of the recipe list and using threads and emp merits. I probably get around 10 shards a week. They don't seem to drop particularly frequently even in incarnate trials.

Clearly, every player that does different things experiences drops differently. I get plenty of shards. Certainly not as many as threads, but consider this: there are 5 incarnate powers to slot that do not accept shards. Given the emp merits earned just by vet levels, obviously, one can t-4 everything without a single shard or thread, but it's very inefficient to do so. I certainly do not get 5 times more threads than shards. 

I don't know how often you play, how long or even what you do - but you don't get shards in iTrials. I do things besides iTrials, and I get plenty of shards. Anecdotally, I get about 10 shards an hour during hami raids. And half that time I'm just taunting a mito or hami. They seem to drop for me, for each yellow mito my team helps kill. They also seem to drop for every other bud. But that's just the way it seems to me. It might be -/+ 2 or 3. I know I got a dozen during synapse, compared to just 73 threads. I used those for my alpha and saved the threads for the things that don't take shards. Common sense! 

Obviously, if your drop rate isn't the same, you may not choose to do things the way I do - but let's shed a bit more light on things. If all you do is iTrials and you say you get no shards, that's because of what you're doing. Do non-incarnate stuff and the shards will drop just fine. And don't forget that vanguard merits may be exchanged once every 18 or 20 hours for a shard component worth 4 shards. Various tfs will also get you shard components worth 4 shards. If you're smart, you can get your alpha to t-3 the same day you unlock it, if you've got the time and inclination. 

But - that's just my opinion. It doesn't make my way better, but it's another way that may be more efficient for some players. Not all players - but some. Use the shards when you can. Save those threads for the incarnate things you can't use shards on. 

 

[Chance Jackson]

I've taken to transfering 50 emps from my last fully  incarnated 50 to my new 50s. I use the emps for threads & salvage to get my newb up to t3 alpha. I use shards to take my alpha up to t4 while saving the rest of the threads, emps & associated salvage for the other slots.

[Securityuniform]

10 hours ago, Ukase said:

Clearly, every player that does different things experiences drops differently. I get plenty of shards. Certainly not as many as threads, but consider this: there are 5 incarnate powers to slot that do not accept shards. Given the emp merits earned just by vet levels, obviously, one can t-4 everything without a single shard or thread, but it's very inefficient to do so. I certainly do not get 5 times more threads than shards. 

I don't know how often you play, how long or even what you do - but you don't get shards in iTrials. I do things besides iTrials, and I get plenty of shards. Anecdotally, I get about 10 shards an hour during hami raids. And half that time I'm just taunting a mito or hami. They seem to drop for me, for each yellow mito my team helps kill. They also seem to drop for every other bud. But that's just the way it seems to me. It might be -/+ 2 or 3. I know I got a dozen during synapse, compared to just 73 threads. I used those for my alpha and saved the threads for the things that don't take shards. Common sense! 

Obviously, if your drop rate isn't the same, you may not choose to do things the way I do - but let's shed a bit more light on things. If all you do is iTrials and you say you get no shards, that's because of what you're doing. Do non-incarnate stuff and the shards will drop just fine. And don't forget that vanguard merits may be exchanged once every 18 or 20 hours for a shard component worth 4 shards. Various tfs will also get you shard components worth 4 shards. If you're smart, you can get your alpha to t-3 the same day you unlock it, if you've got the time and inclination. 

But - that's just my opinion. It doesn't make my way better, but it's another way that may be more efficient for some players. Not all players - but some. Use the shards when you can. Save those threads for the incarnate things you can't use shards on. 

 

I rarely do trials or weekly TF's I just do missions. I have 7 incarnates, 4 are all T4 in everything, the others are in various stages. My latest is level shift 3 and hasn't opened the hybrid slot yet. Interface is T2 but I need a few more threads for T3. And he is vet level 6. In the entire run, from Mender Ramiel, to completing DA arcs, to doing the current Crimson World War Red arc I just started I have had a grand total of 15 shards drop. I'm probably unlucky, but I get a good rainstorm of threads, and merits aren't that hard to get. Farming the first DA arc can often yield very good drops for 20 minutes work. I'm not saying shards aren't useful, but unless you are getting a good drop rate it's just quicker and easier to forget about them.

 

As for Hami raids, on Reunion they aren't a thing. I tried one once and the poor league leader was doing a magnificent job but the players were totally ignoring him. He was super organised but the players were a mob not a team so we got slaughtered repeatedly till everyone quit. There hasn't been a raid since. 

Edited December 1, 2019 by Securityuniform

[Ukase]

Sorry to hear things are so dreary on Reunion. I've got to think that the "mob" mentality during your raid experience was an exception, rather than the norm. 
Also sorry to hear your not getting the shard drops. 

I have to wonder why it is that I get so many and others don't get many at all. It's not like it's only one character of mine that gets them, it's all of them. Maybe because I'm playing solo vs 8 on most characters when I solo. But I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person who plays at that setting. 

You should consider leveling a character on Torch or Excelsior, though - or maybe a transfer once they fix the transfer. They're practically every night. Torch fails slightly more often because of their aggressive approach - one sweep of mitos, where on Excelsior, it's more conservative with 2 sweeps. But overall, my characters have gotten rich with merits and fat with shards while doing them every night. 

[oxmox]

The Hami raids likely explain the two different experiences above. IIRC one of the mito types has a really high drop rate for shards, making Hami raids a great source for them. You can also get a decent amount from MSR and converting v merits to grai matter to shards or by running weeklies (esp if it's a TF that already gives alpha components).

 

Even with all that the sources for threads are just way more generous so it may be easier to use those for the alpha. Worth noting you aren't 'locked in' to one upgrade path. You can use shards to advance your alpha until you run out then finish it with threads or do it the other way around too.