09-28-2004, 08:29 AM
Quote:If I follow the guide correctly, the game chooses the prefix first, followed by the suffix.
No that's not how it works -- it's symmetric with respect to prefix and suffix. The game chooses the ilvl of a magic item first, then it picks a random prefix and/or suffix in the range allowed by the ilvl. For example, if an item with a prefix and a suffix is dropped in the dungeon, both the prefix and suffix could have qlvl=ilvl, in the best case, or both could have qlvl=[ilvl/2] in the worst case. The biggest range you can get is a prefix with qlvl=ilvl and a suffix with qlvl=[ilvl/2], or the other way round.
This means, for example, that a bow with a swiftness suffix (qlvl = 10) has a maximum ilvl of 21 (since [21/2] = 10, but [22/2]=11), so the highest prefix it can have is one with a qlvl of 21. This explains why the best +damage/swiftness bow you can get is a massive(qlvl=20)/swiftness bow, even though savage (qlvl=23) is an allowed prefix on bows.
Quote:Also, he writes that a Godly Cap of the Whale is a "perfectly valid item" despite the fact that the prefix "Godly" and the suffix "of the Whale" both have qlvl values of 60 (according to the guide)
If you buy a cap from Wirt with ilvl=30 or above, then both prefix the and suffix can be in the range 25 (the lower qlvl-limit caps at 25 once the ilvl gets above that) to 2*ilvl, so a godly (qlvl=60) cap of the whale (qlvl=60) is fine, as is a godly (qlvl=60) cap of the ages (qlvl=25), or a ruby (qlvl=26) cap of osmosis (qlvl=50).
I hope that helped. :)