So Extraction Is The Best T2/t3 Key Farm Now?

[PurpleBomber]

I haven't key farmed in a looooong time, so I did a little digging around the forum and wiki to see what all changed in the popular farming spots. Defense with reward keeping doesn't seem all that viable anymore and while Survival still is just get to 15 minutes, I saw several suggestions towards Extraction since each extractor is equivalent to 1 5 minute period of Survival, and you can clear an extractor much faster than that. With that in mind, is there any reason to do any of the other modes if you're expressly key farming now?

[Astrotrap]

*Excavation

 

It seems like nitpicking, but it's really easy to get confused by that.

 

And, if I had to guess, it'd be "no, excavation > all".

[Otenko]

Survival will always give a key at 15 minutes, so it's the most dependable method. I suppose Defense is good if one wants a slower paced mission where the enemies will come to you.

 

I've had varying success getting keys in Excavation missions though.

[VKhaun]

The trouble with Excavation is that it's not mandatory. A four person Excavation PUG is often only one guy actually dropping and protecting excavators.

 

I personally enjoy Excavation PuG's specifically because I don't have to worry about an objective. I can just set up somewhere and huge trains of enemies will come streaming towards me as long as I'm between their spawn and an extractor. I guess I'm technically "helping" because somewhere someone is defending an extractor from enemies coming from one less direction, but I pretty much just rush one so I can extract when I want to and then farm affinity like a boss, without worrying about oxygen or pods or whatever.

[PurpleBomber]

Well, if it's just a matter of getting 3 extractors done to get a key, I can do that solo easily. I did two test runs on Lilith, Europa and got a T3 Exterminate and a T2 Mobile Defense on the third extractor each time, then just completed the mission without bothering with much else. Since it seems still that the third extractor is a guaranteed key like Survival 15 minutes, I clocked my second run and ended up having time to do a fourth extractor (to the oh so exciting result of an Antitoxin mod) and get to the exit within 13 minutes. So really I guess the only hitch is if that third extractor isn't actually a guaranteed key (any counterexamples would be appreciated), but otherwise it seems just vastly superior for time efficiency than everything else we've done in the past.

[Reccettear]

Well, if it's just a matter of getting 3 extractors done to get a key, I can do that solo easily. I did two test runs on Lilith, Europa and got a T3 Exterminate and a T2 Mobile Defense on the third extractor each time, then just completed the mission without bothering with much else. Since it seems still that the third extractor is a guaranteed key like Survival 15 minutes, I clocked my second run and ended up having time to do a fourth extractor (to the oh so exciting result of an Antitoxin mod) and get to the exit within 13 minutes. So really I guess the only hitch is if that third extractor isn't actually a guaranteed key (any counterexamples would be appreciated), but otherwise it seems just vastly superior for time efficiency than everything else we've done in the past.

the point is, you can go on afterwards for the next key. i can get 3 keys in 30 minutes @cambria, and i guess 2 are still a good target in higher level nodes.

on a related note, where can i go to reliably farm T4 keys? i somehow have trouble finding these, i recently found that i didnt get a single T4D key in  >200h playtime :/

[DoomStick]

the point is, you can go on afterwards for the next key. i can get 3 keys in 30 minutes @cambria, and i guess 2 are still a good target in higher level nodes.

on a related note, where can i go to reliably farm T4 keys? i somehow have trouble finding these, i recently found that i didnt get a single T4D key in  >200h playtime :/

ceberus, pluto

[Fhaarkas]

You get a key on the 3rd successful excavation and every 4th successful excavation after that (300, 700, 1100 etc if no excavator gets busted). If you always have 2 excavators going at once, yes it is the fastest way. Regardless, for me personally it's about the most reliable mode to farm keys with decent rep to boot from those swarms of enemies if you use a nuker frame.

Edited November 29, 2014 by Fhaarkas

[Bovopolont]

the point is, you can go on afterwards for the next key. i can get 3 keys in 30 minutes @cambria, and i guess 2 are still a good target in higher level nodes.

on a related note, where can i go to reliably farm T4 keys? i somehow have trouble finding these, i recently found that i didnt get a single T4D key in  >200h playtime :/

Cephalon Suda :3