User:Headache/Codecracking

So you've decided that you want some of the awesome gear in those caskets, but you aren't all that great at cracking the codes. That's fine, you've just not had much experience. This guide will attempt to get you started in the right direction, but from there it's all up to you.

Cracking 101
Let us pretend that we can't examine the lock for a good hint, and that we have a lot more than 4-6 tries. The game still gives us a high-low hint on each guess:


 * You have a feeling that the combination is greater than 12.

Now, 12 is a terrible place to start, we have 1-11 on one side, and 13-99 on the other. You have a ~1% chance of nailing the code with 12, an 11% chance that the right combo will be lower, and a ~87% chance that the combo will be greater. Odds are, the combo will be greater, and now you have a still large set of numbers to start with.

Granted, with unlimited chances, it could be more efficient to shave off a small chunk at a time, hoping to catch the combo in that small chunk. But, since we do have a limit, we have to cut the garbage numbers out as quickly as possible. How? We start in the middle.


 * You have a feeling that the combination is greater than 50.

See what I did there? I cut out half of all the numbers, with just one entry. Percentages are a little wonky with 99 combos instead of 100, but 49% that the code will be lower, 49% that the code will be greater, and 1% that you will get it right. If you're wondering where the other 1% is, that 1% is the chance of the server crashing while you're trying to get your new Gothic Sabatons.

So where do we go from here? We have 51-99 left, that's 49 numbers. So, 99 - 51 = 48. To split it down the middle, we add half of 48 (24) to that 51 and we have our centerpoint, 75.


 * You have a feeling that the combination is lower than 75.

This would continue on and on, and if you haven't gotten the hang of this part by now, you should probably just stop.

Free Hints!
Ok, so they're not free, and use up one of our chances. But most of the hints that I've seen so far cut out more than half of the available numbers, at least on the first hint. Obviously this is more efficient than cutting out half of all our numbers and working from there at the beginning, so let's get a hint.


 * You have a feeling that the second digit is even.

Do the math. Go on, do it. That one hint cut out 51 numbers, leaving 2,4,6,8...98. There's still 49 numbers to chose from, and we have 5 attempts left.


 * You have a feeling that the second digit is 8.

Well, that one didn't give me a hint about the first digit like I wanted, but we're down to 8,18,28...98. 10 numbers, 4 attempts remain. Since 10 is even, there is no centerpoint in this set, so take your pick, 48, or 58.


 * You have a feeling that the combination is greater than 58.

3 combinations, 3 attempts left. See how easy this is now?


 * You have a feeling that the combination is lower than 78.
 * Headache succeeded in opening the lock!

Sometimes you'll run into a series of bad hints that will just shatter your chances. The best crackers in the world would have trouble opening a chest with 4-6 attempts, though the 2 minutes time limit wouldn't be a problem. I hope that this short page of banter has helped you in learning to find your own neat gear, I wish that I could write a droprate guide for me to follow because though I can open the chest, I can't get the brown chest to pop in Xarcabard with my boots.

Happy hunting!