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Cartel Market item/pack not in Cartel Market


ballmatt

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I've seen people with different color cyrstals in their lightsabers that are from the Cartel Market (specifically I want the derelict-purple hawkeye crystal). I've seen them on the GTN for about 4+ mil credits... which I do not have. I did some research and found that "Advanced Derelict-Purple Hawkeye Crystals can be obtained from Regulator's Contraband Packs and Enforcer's Contraband Packs in the Cartel Market." However, I've searched high and low on the Cartel Market and haven't been able to find either of these packs... this brings me to two questions:

 

1. Do the avaliable packs on the Cartel Market change? i.e. Packs 1, 2 & 3 are avaliable for a month, then packs 4, 5 & 6 are avaliable for a month, etc... until packs 1, 2 & 3 are avaliable again.

 

2. Are the items you get in these packs completely random? i.e. you get 6 items; 3 tier 3 items, 2 tier 2 items and 1 tier 1 item. where you have 10 possible items in each tier.

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Cartel packs are only on the market for a limited time, then they are gone. You would have to search the GTN for that item and if it's not there you are out of luck.

 

I don't understand your second question. You get what the tool tip says. The rare items are the ones you see in the collections, I believe.

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Cartel Market items are a manipulated set of goods that adhere to supply and demand. Once gone, they are not always gone forever. Sometimes they come back. A good example is Gold Scalene Armor. It's a beautiful set, currently unavailable. And when it IS unavailable, it sells for a lot on the GTN. However, if you're wanting to sell a set for CCs, you'd better be careful. Gold Scalene has a way of re-appearing, sometimes for an extended stay, and sometimes for as little as a day at a time in a "flash mob" sale. You just have to pay attention.
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Cartel packs are only on the market for a limited time, then they are gone. You would have to search the GTN for that item and if it's not there you are out of luck.

So if those two packs are no longer on the Cartel Market, theres a good chance I will never be able to get the color crystal I want without spending 4+ mil credits on the GTN?

 

I don't understand your second question. You get what the tool tip says. The rare items are the ones you see in the collections, I believe.

Does everyone that purchases the same pack get the exact same items? Or if I buy a pack, and you buy a pack, would/could we get different items?

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So if those two packs are no longer on the Cartel Market, theres a good chance I will never be able to get the color crystal I want without spending 4+ mil credits on the GTN?

 

The way I understand it, the packs won't come back. The item you're looking for might be on the GTN still.

 

Does everyone that purchases the same pack get the exact same items? Or if I buy a pack, and you buy a pack, would/could we get different items?

 

It's random every time. So you would get different items than someone else.

Edited by CaldaRaric
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There are ways to obtain older packs even though their shipment may have gone into retirement. Shipments, FYI, are the groups of packs with a similar theme. Packs always drop at least one "boost" item, usually XP or Social, but rarely a credit boost. Packs also always drop a companion gift. Packs within a shipment may drop a reputation trophy, but the trophies from packs within a shipment will always be for the same reputation organization. For example, the current shipment, Shipment 5, has packs which drop reputation trophies for the Binary Star Realty reputation ranks. Shipment 2 was Contraband Resale Corporation, if I remember correctly. Items that "drop" from packs may have some overlap within the same shipment, or they may have items which only drop from that pack. For example, some of the older shipments had armor set pieces that could be obtained from several of the named packs within that shipment. However, the more recent packs have not had this overlap. In shipment 5, every pack has had a few unique armor sets offered only in that named pack. Fortunately, the item you are looking for was from one of the older shipments, and there were a couple of named packs that could drop that color crystal.

 

1) Periodically individual packs from old, embargoed (retired) shipments will be offered for 1-2 weeks on the cartel market.

2) Periodically, hypercrates (24 packs at a discount) featuring a few of the packs offered from that shipment will be offered on the Cartel Market. They'll be called "Hypercrate: Shipment X Packs"

3) Periodically, special packs are offered like the Grand Crystal Pack, or the Grand Pet Pack, or the Grand Acquisition Pack. These packs drop random items from a larger collection of shipments, usually one type. For example, the grand crystal pack has only color crystals. The First Grand Acquisition Pack dropped a complete armor set from one of the armor sets offered in Shipments 1-3 (Cartel, Contraband, Bounty).

 

So, the Derelict Purple color crystals came from the regulator's and enforcers packs, which were the first two packs offered in shipment 2. Therefore, you can search the GTN for:

 

  1. Regulator's Contraband Pack
  2. Enforcer's Contraband Pack
  3. Hypercrates of the above two
  4. Hypercrate: Shipment 2 Packs
  5. First Grand Crystal Pack

 

to have a chance of getting the crystal you want. Be warned, though, that the chances of getting the color crystal you want in any individual pack is pretty low, so you may end up spending close to 4 million credits buying the packs any way.

 

Finally, and this is not the case for that color crystal, but is true for some other items, occasionally a popular item from one shipment will appear on the NEXT shipments reputation vendor. Realize that purchasing the item will require whatever reputation rank is from that vendor's shipment. They'll take some combination of reputation level, Cartel Market Certificates, and credits. Cartel Market Certificates are items that can drop from any pack in any shipment and are the "consolation prize" for those of us who buy lots of packs but never get what we want. Popular items from the Contraband shipment (shipment 2) showed up on the Bounty Supply reputation vendors, if I recall correctly. That color crystal is not one of them.

 

Of course, you could just get a crafted Advanced [regular] Purple color crystal when you are 50. They're much cheaper and just as effective. They may not be the exact same shade of purple, but you'll be close enough to Mace Windu to save your money for other things.

 

EDIT: Also, Hawkeye crystals, which are the ones that add to Power, are the most sought after, and therefore the most expensive. This is pretty much the case across the board for all colors. Hawkeye is the prefix for level 50 crystals that boost Power, with Indestructible boosting Endurance, Eviscertating boosting crit, and War Hero boosting expertise. The prefixes are different for lower level crated crystals, but all Cartel Market crystals and all level 50 crafted crystals follow that prefix naming scheme. Even so, a crafted, regular level 50 Advanced Hawkeye Purple Color Crystal will run you a tenth or less of the price of the cartel Derelict Purple crystal.

Edited by phalczen
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There are ways to obtain older packs even though their shipment may have gone into retirement. Shipments, FYI, are the groups of packs with a similar theme. Packs always drop at least one "boost" item, usually XP or Social, but rarely a credit boost. Packs also always drop a companion gift. Packs within a shipment may drop a reputation trophy, but the trophies from packs within a shipment will always be for the same reputation organization. For example, the current shipment, Shipment 5, has packs which drop reputation trophies for the Binary Star Realty reputation ranks. Shipment 2 was Contraband Resale Corporation, if I remember correctly. Items that "drop" from packs may have some overlap within the same shipment, or they may have items which only drop from that pack. For example, some of the older shipments had armor set pieces that could be obtained from several of the named packs within that shipment. However, the more recent packs have not had this overlap. In shipment 5, every pack has had a few unique armor sets offered only in that named pack. Fortunately, the item you are looking for was from one of the older shipments, and there were a couple of named packs that could drop that color crystal.

 

1) Periodically individual packs from old, embargoed (retired) shipments will be offered for 1-2 weeks on the cartel market.

2) Periodically, hypercrates (24 packs at a discount) featuring a few of the packs offered from that shipment will be offered on the Cartel Market. They'll be called "Hypercrate: Shipment X Packs"

3) Periodically, special packs are offered like the Grand Crystal Pack, or the Grand Pet Pack, or the Grand Acquisition Pack. These packs drop random items from a larger collection of shipments, usually one type. For example, the grand crystal pack has only color crystals. The First Grand Acquisition Pack dropped a complete armor set from one of the armor sets offered in Shipments 1-3 (Cartel, Contraband, Bounty).

 

So, the Derelict Purple color crystals came from the regulator's and enforcers packs, which were the first two packs offered in shipment 2. Therefore, you can search the GTN for:

 

  1. Regulator's Contraband Pack
  2. Enforcer's Contraband Pack
  3. Hypercrates of the above two
  4. Hypercrate: Shipment 2 Packs
  5. First Grand Crystal Pack

 

to have a chance of getting the crystal you want. Be warned, though, that the chances of getting the color crystal you want in any individual pack is pretty low, so you may end up spending close to 4 million credits buying the packs any way.

 

Finally, and this is not the case for that color crystal, but is true for some other items, occasionally a popular item from one shipment will appear on the NEXT shipments reputation vendor. Realize that purchasing the item will require whatever reputation rank is from that vendor's shipment. They'll take some combination of reputation level, Cartel Market Certificates, and credits. Cartel Market Certificates are items that can drop from any pack in any shipment and are the "consolation prize" for those of us who buy lots of packs but never get what we want. Popular items from the Contraband shipment (shipment 2) showed up on the Bounty Supply reputation vendors, if I recall correctly. That color crystal is not one of them.

 

Of course, you could just get a crafted Advanced [regular] Purple color crystal when you are 50. They're much cheaper and just as effective. They may not be the exact same shade of purple, but you'll be close enough to Mace Windu to save your money for other things.

 

EDIT: Also, Hawkeye crystals, which are the ones that add to Power, are the most sought after, and therefore the most expensive. This is pretty much the case across the board for all colors. Hawkeye is the prefix for level 50 crystals that boost Power, with Indestructible boosting Endurance, Eviscertating boosting crit, and War Hero boosting expertise. The prefixes are different for lower level crated crystals, but all Cartel Market crystals and all level 50 crafted crystals follow that prefix naming scheme. Even so, a crafted, regular level 50 Advanced Hawkeye Purple Color Crystal will run you a tenth or less of the price of the cartel Derelict Purple crystal.

 

Yeah...what he/she said.

Edited by CaldaRaric
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  • 3 years later...
So the cartel market is based off of seasonal deals and trends as well as "Supply and demand"? (I doubt that is even a thing when its literally data stored on a server that people pay to get copies of which has no limit if money is not a concern.) this sounds like a bad way to run the micro transactions. if i was the person/people in charge of the CM i would do what every other FTP does with their cash shops. organize and keep the items they release in the F&^$ing market as well as the packs they come in. it is unfair to players who wish to buy a set or pack only to find it's been removed on a whim and will only return again on said whim for a non disclosed amount of time. I get the whole "oh we want to market and make certain outfits available only on Halloween or Xmas seasons." Ok cool keep those seasonal and update them/Add new items on those seasons for only those seasons but stop pulling decent looking armor and sets off when they have no seasonal purpose. If this is bugging the hell out of me like this then i'm not the only one. Fix it Bioware. Edited by Mindfever
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1. Nice necro.

 

2. SWTOR isn't an F2P game. It is a subscription game with an extended f2p trial system.

 

3. F2P games do, indeed, rotate items in their cash shops. Things get put in and taken out on a regular basis. I speak here from experience of Runes of Magic and Allods Online, both of which are F2P with medium-weight P2W issues, and of ArcheAge which is F2P with fairly heavy P2W issues.

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