Well, simply put, they're used to upgrade a great set of armor (viceroy) whether it's worth spending that much or not, is up to you and how much you pvp/hunt for some it's totally worth it, for others not at all Afaik, they drop from most mobs in underground
So it's time for me to visit those mobs. I am not going to pay 300000% MU. Or 1800 ped just for Nanites. The upgrade armor is good, but 200+ USD is a lot.
Supply & demand, Supply (Availability is low) - I suspect that is because there are a limited amount available in the game (controlled stock to secure the environment economy) and probably because people are stacking them in their storage while they try to get the other required mats to upgrade armour (Or some have nanites and not even viceroy yet), (I think a similar thing is happening to Moonshine plate (L) and composite). Also suspect that some are stacking nanites to up the price or have left it in their storage whilst on holiday. Demand is high as most players seek this upgrade and the power players can afford and justify the expense associated with this upgrade. Advice - Do not stock rare stuff in your storage, try to use it or sell it on as soon as possible. The faster it is consumed, the faster it re-appears in the game which will increase availability and lower demand (as less require use). Opinion - I think the Viceroy upgrade has been done in an awesome way, I like that lower / starter players can find the materials and that the high MU gives them that "little boost" in PED, they just need to learn now; not to hold onto dreams by stacking the items in their storage, but to rather get the PED, put the items back into the game and enjoy finding more. Suggestion - We need a "boot sale", a week or month with no auction fees or auction listing limitation, this help players to do some spring cleaning and boost loot back into play. Perhaps if this is followed or backed by a crafting event it may prove healthy for the economy. Where to find nanites - found in Arkadia Underground hunting loot, they are dropped by all underground mobs except Dromia (I have looted them from Togo, Wombana, Badgers, Navi and Def Bots. (Was told that Oratan drop them too) I looted on average 1 per 40K kill points while grinding the missions. Adjusted - Low maturities Improved - Medium maturity Modified - High maturity PS: Bismouth and Nanites are found with mining Ark top planet side around 300 meters deep (think most finds are with F105). ~Happy Hunting and remember, SELL your sh*t, do not sit on it, your PED card will stink~
You are right and I also like how Viceroy upgrade is done. Very smart. And I axespected the price to be high so I waited 4 months before coming for the upgrade, ready to pay some extra, but not really that much more. But on the other hand it's great for hunters. 1 Nanite in the loot will make up for few bad hunts. So let's keep it quiet and go make some money in the underground before everyone gets there.
I got some to add to Dove's post. Confirmed by me; You can find Bismuth planetside from F101 and up. Unconfirmed: Mining in the UG can also give you Nanites. I don't mine, so for me it's all heresay. Theory: Nanties are found in the UG. More data needs to be collected, but there are many spawns of low and high maturity creatures, there is a chance that the really hard to get nanites (and other rare components) are found on creatures/maturity that are not hunted a lot. (think of Navi high/low maturity, defense bots high/low maturity, possibly even badgers.) Some people who actually hunt the not often hunted creatures should inform us on any drops if they are willing to share said information.
If from this and all the above we can surmise that the correlation adj/imp/mod nanites with low/mid/high maturity, respectively, exists in all relevant mobs, then this would mean that also players who can't yet handle big Togos or the big Navi's massive damage have a chance to make a modified set by themselves. Nice.
Looking at caly auction it seems someone heeded your advice about the selling the rare stuff in your storage. As an owner of modified viceroy id say its definately worth the trouble of collecting the pieces. But thats just my 2 cents