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I have seen many explanations and many of them seem to contradict each other.

Thus, this question is after the definitive explanation of what the Three of Coins are, and their exact mechanics.

So, how exactly does the Three of Coins work?

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  • Things that I have read that are contradictory: If an exotic does not drop on a boss, the Three of Coins buff is still consumed, but if you pop another Three of Coins afterwards it counts for a higher chance than the previous one, and then ... if an exotic does not drop on a boss, the Three of Coins buff is not consumed and is valid for the next Ultra kill as well, giving the same chance. If you pop another coin, the buff now gives a higher chance (the stacking effect)
    – Lasse V. Karlsen
    Commented Oct 2, 2015 at 11:41
  • Also, I tried logging out while having the buff. Then I popped back to the system menu (PS4) and completely closed down the game. I started it back up and logged back in, the buff was still present. I then logged off for the night. The next morning the buff was gone. Timeout? Hidden timer?
    – Lasse V. Karlsen
    Commented Oct 2, 2015 at 11:41
  • I have no definitive answer but the buff has been consumed every time I checked after killing an Ultra, even if no exotic dropped. I've also not noticed it ever falling off other than by killing an ultra though I don't always pay attention to it so it may have. I'll certainly keep an eye on it since I've been of the belief that it lasts until used.
    – Chris
    Commented Oct 2, 2015 at 11:58
  • Which says: "Following a failed exotic drop, the drop chance increases on the next Ultra kill" and "Players can choose to pop another Three of Coins straight after an unsuccessful Exotic drop because the effect will have worn off immediately.". This does not explain how this works. Do I need to pop another to get the additional chance on the next ultra?
    – Lasse V. Karlsen
    Commented Oct 2, 2015 at 13:09
  • @Wondercricket that exploit doesn't work as of the 9/26 hotfix
    – turbo
    Commented Oct 2, 2015 at 14:22

4 Answers 4

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Bungie did not give much information about Three of Coins, besides a paragraph in the Bungie Weekly Update on 9/17/15:

Xûr will also sell a new consumable, the Three of Coins, which gives bosses a chance to drop Exotic Engrams, including Weapon Engrams. These consumables have a cumulative luck effect, so even if one doesn’t net you a drop, the next one has a higher chance to do so.

So as we know it, this is how the buff works:

1) You must use a Three of Coins (3oC) to gain the buff.

2) Killing an Ultra (most strike bosses, most raid bosses, Taken champions in patrol, the Ultra Knight on the Dreadnought) removes the buff. On the kill you either get an exotic engram drop, or you don't.

3a) If you got an exotic engram, your increased exotic engram drop rate from 3oC is reset.

3b) If you did not get an exotic engram drop, the next time you pop a 3oC you have a better chance at getting an exotic.

Notes:

  • As of the recent hotfix, 3oC can't be used as effectively to farm. There is some hidden timer between popping them that affects their effectiveness as of the 9/24/15 Hotfix: "Three of Coins now provides a smaller increase in Exotic Engram drop chance when rapidly killing Ultras"

  • It is generally observed that the exotic engram drop rate to 3oC use is approximately 1:5, but YMMV. This is purely speculation based on accounts and sampling from friends, the Destiny subreddit, and the Bungie forums.

  • There are no known statistics, including the "cooldown time" alluded to in the first note, what percentage each coin raises your chance by, or anything like that. Bungie tends to be cryptic about these sorts of things.

  • It is also possible for most strike bosses to drop an exotic engram without a 3oC. This can be observed in cases of people getting two exotic drops from one boss. This hints, in my opinion, that the 3oC buff is a separate roll that occurs when you take down an ultra.

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  • What happens if you pop a coin, kill an ultra, don't get anything, log out, come back next day, pop a coin, do you get the additional buff or was it reset when you logged out / during your offtime?
    – Lasse V. Karlsen
    Commented Oct 2, 2015 at 14:24
  • 2
    Unfortunately, there is no way to know this, as the actual drop rate is not viewable. Personally, I believe the drop chance only resets when an exotic engram drops, so the buff persists regardless of your logins/logouts. As you've noticed, you can logout with the buff and it is still there when you log back in, consistent with my belief.
    – turbo
    Commented Oct 2, 2015 at 14:26
  • I'm pretty sure the drop rate I've experienced has been much less frequent than 1:5. That said, it's still frequent enough (IMHO) to show that 3oC does have an effect. Given that it's fairly cheap (7 Strange Coins, and SCs seem to drop from all sorts of things now) I'd say it's well worth it.
    – Iszi
    Commented Oct 13, 2015 at 21:49
  • @Iszi I'm not stating that as a fact, I agree it's probably a bit less in general. I buy about 30 a week and get between 5-6 exotics from that usually.
    – turbo
    Commented Oct 14, 2015 at 13:30
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it used to be that the Three of Coins worked as a method of exotic farming. after the recent patch however, it has been dramatically nerfed. it is designed to be used for the end boos on strikes and story missions, so it now has a hidden cooldown. you now only get the 'chance' of getting anything by using them every 10 minutes, instead of every minute. every time you don't receive anything, the chance that you will get something next time is increased, until you get something. so, basically, just use them at the end for strike bosses and you will get goodies. i recommend using them once a day, therefore you will make them last until next Xur's day

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  • Making them last until the next Xur Day is really a matter of one's playing habits. If you play infrequently and/or do a lot of Crucible play, you could take a month or more to run out of the same supply that would only last a week for someone who does strikes/raids 24x7.
    – Iszi
    Commented Oct 13, 2015 at 21:53
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The best way to explain it is this. You start with 3 of coins, kill an ultra and you get nothing. The 3 of coin buff goes away. When you use the next 3 of coins, the buff is stronger. Rinse and repeat, nothing happens again. Pop another 3 of coins, and now the buff is even stronger than the second time. You finally kill an ultra and an exotic drops. Like before it goes away, but the buff strengthening is restarted.

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You can use them for doing strike playlists, and pop one before each Ultra.

As already mentioned, it increases your chances of an ultra dropping an exotic, and what hasn't changed is that once you get an exotic, your chances go back to normal, where they would be without any 3oC, and then you can build up from there.

Just make sure it's an Ultra (little skull indicator near the health meter). As someone still learning, I made the mistake of wasting them by popping multiples and just going after Majors.

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  • I took out your commentary on outdated parts. Outdated = not accessible, so there is no real value in having it there. I attempt to fix the rest of your answer, as it seems to lead on from a different answer. Answers should always be standalone; If you rely on information provided from another answer, add it in, and reference. That said, reading over the rest of your answer, I found it almost duplicates the original answer. The only extra information is advice for using the coin. This does not answer the question, and should be a comment on the original answer.
    – user106385
    Commented Oct 6, 2015 at 21:31
  • I see your points, but as not everyone reads the bungie updates and Google results might turn up farming tips pre-patch, I thought it important to call out what no longer works so people don't waste coins on old advice.
    – redOctober13
    Commented Oct 6, 2015 at 21:37
  • turbo does go into that, though. Re-stating it just adds confusion
    – user106385
    Commented Oct 6, 2015 at 21:38

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