Act 3, 4, or Happy Tree Friends Land?

[Nengal]

So, I'm tired of getting crappy ~1200 dps 2Hs and ~800 dps 1Hs and worse that are so close to being good, but just not quite there...
Where is the best place to farm between Act 3, 4, or Happy Tree Friends Land?

My farming character is a DH.

I can handle all of act 3 without issue or deaths (aside from the occasional crappy soul lasher affix combos).

I can handle all of act 4 fairly well with minimal deaths (except Diablo)

And I've been trying to farm the normal staff pattern for weeks. I've got all the other patterns and 'ingredients', but after 50+ Izual kills and no pattern, I'm really frustrated.

Should I farm act 3 or 4 or keep trying over and over for the pattern and do inferno Wyrmshire(sp?)?

[Dangg]

Izual has like 50% droprate...

[stopbeingdumb]

Izual has like 50% droprate...

Quoted from? Done over 50 runs as well with no drop.

[Socialhealer]

killed izual 5 times, got 3 patterns lol :x

[Deleted]

I've got two patterns form like 6 kills also, try killing him on nightmare or hell. The pattern drops regardless of difficulty

[Beace]

http://d3db.com/item/i/plan-staff-of-herding

People are reporting a very wide range of drop rates. A lot of people get it within a few kills, while others claim to have done 30+ runs without having seen it. Makes you wonder if there's something deeper going on.

Personally I got it on my first run through normal on my first character. I barely knew what it was at that time, I simply put it in my stash for later use.

Oh, and I would definitely go for Ponies instead of Act 3 or 4. Specially as a ranged class.

[stopbeingdumb]

Well if you guys are doing pony runs let me know American server, im sick of not finding one, while i farm izual over and over.

[kartmanlol]

Hmm you guys do know that a vendor sells the inferno staff pattern right. I got mine while I was on the Prime Evil quest but before I killed Izual. The vendor is the one in Bastion Keep standing next to where your companion usually chills.

[cFortyfive]

Hmm you guys do know that a vendor sells the inferno staff pattern right. I got mine while I was on the Prime Evil quest but before I killed Izual. The vendor is the one in Bastion Keep standing next to where your companion usually chills.

I don't get it either every thread about it I see people talking about the drop rate. Just go and buy it if you want to build the staff. Anyways pwnieland is ridiculously easy to farm as a ranged. Don't need to pay any attention. Always do it if I already had a good bunch of drinks. Drops are decent but remember there is no boss to use the 5 stacks on so basically you only have a couple champ packs.

[Nengal]

I don't get it either every thread about it I see people talking about the drop rate. Just go and buy it if you want to build the staff. Anyways pwnieland is ridiculously easy to farm as a ranged. Don't need to pay any attention. Always do it if I already had a good bunch of drinks. Drops are decent but remember there is no boss to use the 5 stacks on so basically you only have a couple champ packs.

Yes, but you need the original (normal) pattern and each previous difficulty staff to unlock inferno. The normal pattern does not appear in the vendor. I have Nightmare, Hell, and the Inferno pattern, but not the pattern that drops from Izual (normal pattern).

Anyways. I guess I'll keep farming for the first pattern to try and go kill some ponies then.

[Nitrix]

Pretty sure they nerfed Whimsy drop rates. It's unconfirmed though, so take that for what you will. I've done 4 runs in the past 2 hours and I haven't gotten anything worth over 100k. I know, random loot is random, but when I do Act 3 Cydea -> Azmodan runs, I usually get at least something that's worth a fair amount.

[Dxbkillerman]

Keep on farming the plans, I got a 1400dps crossbow with a socket for my DH from pony level

[Deleted]

Quoted from? Done over 50 runs as well with no drop.

The merchant sells it in Bastion Keep

[Etamalgren]

The merchant sells it in Bastion Keep

He doesn't sell the normal mode plans. The normal mode plans are dropped only by Izual.

[xebtria]

He doesn't sell the normal mode plans. The normal mode plans are dropped only by Izual.

regardless of difficulty. so go normal, kill him including the run to him in 2-5 minutes, depending how fast you find the portal, until you have the plans. (got mine in the 4th or so, but a friend of mine took about 70 runs)
load the quest the prime evil in nightmare/hell/inferno, go bastions keep to the vendors (don't know exactly which one sells it, but one of them will do), buy the recipe, train it your blacksmith, and pay a lot of gold to craft the staff.

[freelapdance]

Keep on farming the plans, I got a 1400dps crossbow with a socket for my DH from pony level

Bastard On topic though ponyville is the most stress free/enjoyable of all the grinds I have done. Definitely the most efficient imo.

[Deleted]

Bastard On topic though ponyville is the most stress free/enjoyable of all the grinds I have done. Definitely the most efficient imo.

This a thousand times. Mind you it does depend on the class, only Wizards and Demon Hunters dominate the plains of Whimsyshire.

Edit; my main's a Barbarian and still don't want to step in there on her, but I made a Wizard solely to farm Whimsyshire since I noticed all the mobs were melee, haven't done even Inferno Act I on the Wiz where as I'm in Act III on my Barb, just Whimsy all over and over again.

[Reyzzz]

He doesn't sell the normal mode plans. The normal mode plans are dropped only by Izual.

He does indeed.

[Beace]

He does indeed.

It's unclear what you're saying. Are you claiming the normal plans are vendor sold?

[Reyzzz]

It's unclear what you're saying. Are you claiming the normal plans are vendor sold?

Thought it was obvious, but for clarity: PLANS FOR NORMAL MODE STAFF ARE SOLD BY VENDOR IN BASTION'S KEEP.