Guides

We of the Lightning Flight have been working away on our experiments under the ominous glow of the Tempest Spire, and we have finally gathered enough data to release it for public use! Herein you will find the results of our Breeding Rarity data collection, followed by a list of contributors, some common questions that arose, and our experimental method for those interested in double-checking or continuing our work! But first, the data!

The information collected is on the frequency of gene and breed inheritance through each possible pairing and is presented in the format below:

Gene/breed #1 vs Gene/breed #2: Number / Number – Percentage Gene/Breed

This is read as Gene/breed #1 was tested against Gene/breed #2, resulting in Gene/breed #1 total occurrences / and Gene/breed #2 total occurrences – meaning when breeding these two genes/breeds together, you have a Percentage chance of getting Gene/breed, listing the rarer of the two tested genes or breeds.

Remember that depending on the total amount of trials for each experiment there is still an amount of experimental variance to the posted percentage, meaning that near-equal chances reported here are likely actually equal. Genes we can assume by this data to be on the same rarity tier include: Clown/Speckle/Tiger and Eye Spots/Freckle/Stripes, and our collected Basic, Iridescent, Shimmer, and Seraph vs Treasure Gene totals use that rarity similarity to gain a better sense of the actual chance of inheritance when bred with any of these equal-rarity treasure genes.

Basic

vs Clown: 1496/643 – 30% Clown
vs Speckle: 776/337 – 30% Speckle
vs Tiger: 1067/465 – 30% Tiger
vs All Treasure Genes: 3339/1445 – 30% Treasure Gene
vs Iridescent: 1110/72 – 6% Iridescent

Clown

vs Speckle: 239/264 – 48% Clown
vs Tiger: 353/351 – 50%
vs Iridescent: 1972/331 – 14% Iridescent

Speckle

vs Tiger: 289/311 – 48% Speckle
vs Iridescent: 265/38 – 13% Iridescent

Tiger

vs Iridescent: 806/90 – 10% Iridescent

Iridescent

vs All Treasure Primary Genes: 459/3043 – 13% Iridescent

Basic

vs Eye Spots: 829/313 - 27% Eye Spots
vs Freckle: 524/216 – 29% Freckle
vs Stripes: 799/341 – 30% Stripes
vs All Treasure Genes (no Seraph): 2152/870 – 29% Treasure Gene
vs Seraph: 605/94 – 13% Seraph
vs Shimmer: 1095/57 – 5% Shimmer

Eye Spots

vs Freckle: 111/ 93 – 46% Freckle
vs Stripes: 157/ 143 – 48% Stripes
vs Seraph: 473/136 – 22% Seraph
vs Shimmer: 2580/272 – 10% Shimmer

Freckle

vs Stripes: 163/141 – 46% Stripes
vs Seraph: 149/51 – 26% Seraph
vs Shimmer: 548/52 – 9% Shimmer

Stripes

vs Seraph: 607/205 – 25% Seraph
vs Shimmer: 711/89 – 11% Shimmer

Seraph

vs Shimmer: 675/125 – 16% Shimmer
vs All Other Treasure Genes: 392/1229 – 24% Seraph

Shimmer

vs All Treasure Genes (no Seraph): 413/3839 – 10% Shimmer

Basic

vs Underbelly: 554/246 – 32% Underbelly
vs Crackle: 506/98 - 16% Crackle
vs Gembond: 1959/114 – 5% Gembond
vs Circuit: 1001/11 – 1% Circuit

Underbelly

vs Crackle: 382/118 - 24% Crackle
vs Gembond: 891/109 – 11% Gembond
vs Circuit: 602/4 – 1% Circuit

Crackle

vs Gembond: 519/81 - 14% Gembond
vs Circuit: 486/18 - 4% Circuit

Gembond

vs Circuit: 495/5 – 1% Circuit

Plentiful

vs Common: 1629/695 – 30% Common
vs Uncommon: 1055/191 – 15% Uncommon
vs Limited: 1518/80 – 5% Limited
vs Rare: 2181/35 – 2% Rare

Common

vs Uncommon: 951/328– 26% Uncommon
vs Limited: 1611/197 – 11% Limited
vs Rare: 1702/18 – 1% Rare

Uncommon

vs Limited: 2049/324 – 14% Limited
vs Rare: 1610/39 – 2% Rare

Limited

vs Rare: 1177/35 – 3% Rare

Breed Rarity Types:
Plentiful: Fae, Guardian, Mirror, Tundra – 15 day cooldown
Common: Pearlcatcher, Ridgeback, Snapper, Spiral – 20 day cooldown
Uncommon: Skydancer – 25 day cooldown
Limited: Imperial – 30 day cooldown
Rare: Coatl, Wildclaw – 35 day cooldown

• Are Ridgebacks and Pearlcatchers on the same rarity tier as Snappers and Spirals? The other two cost more!

Yes, they are in fact all Common breeds as noted by their cooldown time. We did do some preliminary tests of the lower priced of these against the higher priced, and the data strongly suggests their being equal as well:

• What about Wildclaws and Coatls?

Same story as above most likely, but we've got one experiment so far that seems to be confirming it. Since they're both the same rarity tier as a breed, and based on how the other breed tiers have been working, it is very likely that they are the same chance when bred together.

• Do you want more data?

Sure! Any comparison that has a low total of trials could do with more data~ And if new breeds or genes come out, we’ll be certain to be interested in the inheritance chances! All we ask is that you scroll down and read our Experimental Method and follow it before submitting any information, so we know we’re all on the same page! :D

• I haven't seen an update in a while, what's up?

Likely I've forgotten to swing by the thread, as my subscription notices about it seem to have died a while back. If you see some experiments since my last post, feel free to Ping me to remember to update. ^_^

• What other questions qualify as Frequently Asked?

We’ll see~ Updating as the page count mounts!

What we Know About Breeding:
There are different levels of rarity in genes and species. When breeding two together, there is a higher chance of getting the lower rarity gene or species in the offspring.

There are five levels of rarity amongst species: plentiful (basic dragons) common (20-day cooldown treasure shop dragons) uncommon (none currently available) limited (imperials) and rare (wildclaws, other gem shop dragons in future)

There are levels of rarity among genes, but we do not know how many.

Educated Guesses:
Genes and species are calculated separately, as is primary gene versus secondary gene etc. The level of rarity of one appears to have no bearing on the other, they can be studied as separate phenomenon.

Key guess: the preview function when breeding two dragons likely uses the same algorithm for rarity as actual dragon production. I am basing this on the fact that it does seem to produce more previews of more common results, and the fact that it would be unnecessary to code in a separate set of rarity percentages just for the previewer.

The Experiment:
This key guess allows us to quickly and efficiently gather data. I would like to create a database of data comparing preview results when pairing between different species and different genes. This will allow us to estimate the percentage chance of one or the other passing on when breeding a mixed pair.

This data will allow us to answer a lot of important questions that could affect our economic decisions. What is my chance of getting a Wildclaw in an Imperial x Wildclaw breeding? Is Seraph as likely to pass down as Stripes, or is it more rare? If I breed my Mirror to a Pearlcatcher, what are the odds my clutch will contain a Pearlcatcher? The answers to these questions, and questions like them, can also help us to estimate wait times for reserve lists, decide pairings, and more.

How You Can Help:
Take a pair of dragons that you have ready to breed that are of different species or have one or more different genes in the same slot (IE two different primaries, two different secondaries, etc) Remember that "basic" is its own gene type, you can track difference between basic and any other gene type!

Create a tally sheet, to track the difference.

Hit the preview button, check which babies have which feature. Add tally marks to the appropriate category.

Hit the preview button again, repeat. Continue until bored. I recommend gathering at least 100 points of data, as that's the start of an accurate sample size, but you can do more if you want.

Report your data in this thread in the following format:

Date of Experiment:
Point of Difference Compared:
Results:

Remember, scientists, you don't need to actually breed two dragons to get their data. If they're both off cooldown at the same time, and of opposite genders, you can preview their offspring before finalizing the breeding. Just be careful not to hit the wrong button! When doing science, hitting the wrong button is often very dangerous.

@Salmastryon
Might this be included in your lovely list of guides? It's been quite a help with figuring our way through this site's systems, and we'd like to give back if we can! ^_^

@JessDwarf

This thread is just full of awesome! I will be sure to start collecting data to add to the study.

So excited I just had to go run a test scenario.

Date of Experiment: Nov 12, 2013
Point of Difference Compared: Plentiful (Tundra) vs Rare (Imp)
Results: Plentiful 94, Rare 6

@Cluttermouse
Glad it gets you excited! We're always glad to have more datapoints! :D

Imperials are Limited, not Rare though! I included the table at the bottom because there was some confusion in our own testing too! ^_^
Adding your numbers now~

@GladeSong
Glad to be of service! ^_^

Ye fun stuff. Bumpies.

Thank you so much~

Ohh this could be fun, and I can see my Lightningkin perking up at the idea of science!!1! on their clanmates.

I'll have to try this when I have a nest free.