"I can't afford enhancements." A simple guide for making money at lower levels.

Many new and returning players have been struggling with making money and lament being unable to afford enhancers as they level. I decided to share some knowledge as to a means of making a decent amount of influence.

 

This guide is not by any means meant to be an exhaustive guide to all the ways to make money, nor do I claim it to be the best way to make money. It is simply a reliable way to make money, regardless of level, build, starting influence, etc.

 

It’s also a way that does not require farming or market manipulation. Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with these practices, but some prefer to avoid them.

 

Since the main purpose of this is to show how you can make the money to be sure you can keep your character well enhanced, I started a new character (dark/bio sentinel, for the record).

 

2 hours in:

Level 17

22 merits

37000 inf

1 converter

1 piece of rare salvage

1 piece uncommon salvage

5 pieces common salvage

3 rare recipes (level 15/16, all worthless)

 

How did I get there?

First, double XP all the way, so the inf was from selling enhancers to the NPCs.

Started out with Matthew Habashy’s arc, followed by a couple DFBs, this got me to 15, so I got an Ouro portal and did the remaining 3 contacts in the Newbie atlas missions.

After that, I ran around Atlas and Kings Row collecting the exploration badges. For those that don’t recall, if you get all the exploration badges in a zone, you get 5 merits.

 

The Atlas park newbie missions take 10-15 minutes each arc, depending on your build, maybe less with a blaster or scrapper. They net you 3 merits each (for a total of 12 if you do all 4 arcs), and those done through Ouro also net you a Rare recipe drop.

 

There are plenty of means of getting merits, some quicker, depending on your level. I chose these methods because they are available to any level of hero or villain, and should be easy to accomplish solo even if you’re not a very good solo build. (The Posi TFs are another great option for merits at low levels, for example)

 

First thing I did from there was turn all my merits to converters. Well that’s a lie, I accidently clicked on unslotters once because the list shifted, so whatevs, same result.  I sold the 2 unslotters and 1 converter, giving me just shy of 500k to work with. At the time of writing this, on Everlasting, converters were going for 100k, unslotters for 150-200k. You don’t need to do this if you have seed money, I like at least 100k, 500k is a more comfortable number to work with.

 

Then I searched uncommon level 30 recipes that were for sale and scrolled down the list until I found one I could buy cheap. I got 6 Undermined Defenses of some piece that doesn’t matter for 1k each. Why level 30? Well, 30 is the largest pool of IOs that has the greatest potential for in-demand pieces while still being inexpensive to craft. At 30 you can get Steadfast Protection +def, Luck of the Gambler +rech, Numina’s +regen/rec, Performance Shifter chance for +end, etc. There are very few in demand pieces you cannot get at level 30.

 

At the time of writing this, salvage was on an upswing and cost me 66k total for them, giving me a total cost of 72k, another 44k per to craft brings my total cost to a little over 300,000 to make these. (this is why I like a decent pool of seed money. Without it you need to craft a few at a time) I could have saved probably 5-8k per if I were patient and waited for the salvage to go on a down swing again, but I didn’t want to delay writing this longer.

 

Craft them all, and convert them all by type to make them rare. Then, start converting by rarity. First rarity conversion gave me an Obliteration proc, instant 3 mil, less AH fees. A couple of lucky conversions and a few more not-so-lucky ones later, I’m sitting just short of 10mil, with another 9 mil worth of enhancers for sale on the AH.

 

At this point I still have 28 converters, so could easily repeat the process if I wanted. But from here, I am basically set for influence at least until I need to convert over to 35 IOs, possibly even then if I’m patient.

 

In total, including the time to actually write this guide, this took me 3 hours to accomplish from the moment I entered Atlas Park (it also includes talking to friends, etc.). Someone focused using something with a better kill speed than a sentinel could likely accomplish it in 2.

 

Yes, you can earn well more than 20m in 2 hours at high levels, but odds are if can do that, you don’t need a guide for how to make money, no?

 

For those wondering about IOs vs. SOs, I highly recommend this guide:

https://forums.homecomingservers.com/index.php/topic,3042.0.html

 

If you want a little more details on converters, I wrote this little crash course:

https://forums.homecomingservers.com/index.php/topic,2117.0.html

Someone followed up the original post with more detail on how precisely to make money with converters as well.

For those that don’t recall, if you get all the exploration badges in a zone, you get 5 merits.

 

Great guide. Very helpful for those just starting out.

 

+1 because of this reminder. How did I forget about this!?

[*]Make a new character. Skip the tutorial.

[*]Get the jump pack or steam pack from the P2W vendor, it'll be useful in traveling the zone.

[*]Visit all the badges in Atlas park to get five merits.

[*]Take the five merits to the Merit Vendor, buy an Enhancement Booster.

[*]List the Booster on the market at something over 1 million Inf.

[*]Take the money you get from that and make millions on the market in minutes.

[*]Profit!

 

You can have millions in the bank in less than an hour of play time.

 

(Another trick I've heard involves getting and using Inner Inspiration, selling the mediums to vendors, using the funds from the sales to list the larges on the market. But this trick works faster!)

[*]Make a new character. Skip the tutorial.

[*]Get the jump pack or steam pack from the P2W vendor, it'll be useful in traveling the zone.

[*]Visit all the badges in Atlas park to get five merits.

[*]Take the five merits to the Merit Vendor, buy an Enhancement Booster.

[*]List the Booster on the market at something over 1 million Inf.

[*]Take the money you get from that and make millions on the market in minutes.

[*]Profit!

 

You can have millions in the bank in less than an hour of play time.

 

(Another trick I've heard involves getting and using Inner Inspiration, selling the mediums to vendors, using the funds from the sales to list the larges on the market. But this trick works faster!)

 

*cough* Listing fees!! *cough*

*cough* Listing fees!! *cough*

Shrug. Well, then list it for 1 Inf and it'll still sell for a small fortune. Pop Inner Inspiration and sell what you get to the vendor to afford the 5 Inf fee to list it for that.

It's true, I always under price the market, and still usually get way more than I asked for...

Eh, Probably the Easiest way is to have one alt built up pretty high (lvl wise) and just have them make a bunch of IOs at certain levels (Or just buy a bunch of standard Enh) and store them in your base. Then your lower level alts can use them as they grow. If you're Really cheap, then you can use frespecs to unslot the lower level enh when it's time to change to the next tier.

Yeah, but you do have to get there with one character first. :)

Zolgar, thank you for this guide, but do you have any advice on getting enhancements at low levels which doesn’t involve zooming to lvl 15 in such a short time and bypassing the learning experience of playing ‘normally’ through lowbie arcs and getting powers one at a time etc?

 

I’m a returning vet and I like normal progression, and my gf has never played before so we’re avoiding he DfB like the plague.

 

MCM

Zolgar, thank you for this guide, but do you have any advice on getting enhancements at low levels which doesn’t involve zooming to lvl 15 in such a short time and bypassing the learning experience of playing ‘normally’ through lowbie arcs and getting powers one at a time etc?

 

I’m a returning vet and I like normal progression, and my gf has never played before so we’re avoiding he DfB like the plague.

 

MCM

 

Do the newbie arcs naturally, which gets you 9 merits and will bring you to about level 5, get the AP exploration badges for another 5 merits, gives each of you 14 merits to play with and follow my guide the same. :)

 

I recommend if you do it that way, getting the Inner Inspiration power from P2W and selling the T2 inspirations to vendors and the T3 ones on the AH to build up a bit of seed money, takes a bit of time but not much.

 

Also plan ahead, put lowball bids out on the stuff you'll need for level 15 IOs before you reach level 12, that way hopefully you have what you need to craft them before you need them, at a lower cost than if you try to craft them when you make it to 12.

 

Also, personally, I say do not bother with enhancers pre level 12 (except the prestige ones from P2W), Training enhancers and level 10 IOs are such small numbers they're not worth the time they take to slot. >.>

Zolgar, thank you for this guide, but do you have any advice on getting enhancements at low levels which doesn’t involve zooming to lvl 15 in such a short time and bypassing the learning experience of playing ‘normally’ through lowbie arcs and getting powers one at a time etc?

To be honest, Trainings are so ineffective that it's kind of not worth worrying about Enhancements until you hit at least level 12 and can slot DOs. Some people say it's not even worth slotting anything before you can start installing SO-grade common IOs at level 22. (I think they're nuts, though. Figuring out what to slot where is part of the fun of the game.)

 

My own advice:

• Be sure to get the Prestige Enhancements from the P2W store, they're meant for just attack powers but they're better than nothing.
  
• If you run Death From Below, it gives you five SOs at your own current level. It normally also gives you several levels of XP in one go even without double XP, which I understand about wanting to avoid for the progression, but you can go into options and turn off XP gain so you can run it until you're blue in the face for five SOs a pop and not level one bit. And you can do it again after you outlevel those SOs.
  
• As noted in my tongue-in-cheek step-by-step above, you can pick up a few thousand INF here and there by taking Inner Inspiration and selling the medium Inspirations it gives you to vendors for the cash to list the large Inspirations it gives you on the market.
  
• As noted in my tongue-in-cheek step-by-step above, you can take in all the map badges in a zone to get 5 Reward Merits, which you can turn in for an Enhancement Booster, which you can put on the auction house for a nice chunk of change in one go--certainly enough to keep see you through fully slotting Trainings and possibly even DOs until you hit 22 and can SO up.
  
• As noted in my tongue-in-cheek step-by-step above, you can take that chunk of change and get into the conversion-for-fun-and-profit game as described in my own guide. Even just a handful of conversion sales will give you enough money to afford not only trainings and DOs, but also to afford to fill up on level 10 and up Common IOs from people selling them on the AH, so you can advance without worrying about having to re-buy them every time you turn around.

Hope those suggestions help you out!

Zolgar, thank you for this guide, but do you have any advice on getting enhancements at low levels which doesn’t involve zooming to lvl 15 in such a short time and bypassing the learning experience of playing ‘normally’ through lowbie arcs and getting powers one at a time etc?

 

I’m a returning vet and I like normal progression, and my gf has never played before so we’re avoiding he DfB like the plague.

 

MCM

 

I quite honestly don't bother with enhancements until at earliest the late teens and then it's just going to be 2 accuracy DOs (or I will be getting 1 accuracy IO when my crafter is better set up). At very low levels the game applies a temporary tohit buff to you to make it easier.  At level 12 you could do the invention tutorial and get a level 15 IO and maybe just slot some DO drops... I just tough it out until 22.

Zolgar and others, thanks for the tips :)

 

We love exploring so the explo badges - 5 merits - booster -profit! route seems great for us :)

 

MCM

Zolgar, thank you for this guide, but do you have any advice on getting enhancements at low levels which doesn’t involve zooming to lvl 15 in such a short time and bypassing the learning experience of playing ‘normally’ through lowbie arcs and getting powers one at a time etc?

 

I’m a returning vet and I like normal progression, and my gf has never played before so we’re avoiding he DfB like the plague.

 

You know you can turn off xp, do 4 dfb for the four buffs and then turn xp back on to continue what you were doing?

I just want to comment for other low-level players that I’ve been getting the explo badges in AP, KR and The Hollows  on all my alts and using the merits to buy 3 enhancement converters at the merit vendor and then listing them in the AH for 1 Inf, and ending up with 5-6mil at least in total , which is absolutely plenty for a toon of lvl 1-10 to get some great lvl 10 crafted enhancements to slot, and leaves you safely able to buy inspirations etc while you go about your business.

 

I have no idea who’s buying them or what they do with them, but i attest this is currently a really great way to get seed money to start with.

 

So Thank you once  again for this Excellent tip.

 

MCM

Even simpler methodology I've found.  Create your character.  Do Outbreak only if you want the Isolator badge.

 

Run DfB four times for the four different boosts that don't expire until level 22.  No need for an xp boost and you'll earn influence normally.  Do one more if you're less than level 13 (which will let you then use level 15 enhancements).  Don't slot ANY of them while you're running as you'll just out-level them anyway and DfB runs move too fast to bother.

 

When you come out you should have a few level 15 or better SO enhancements that you can probably slot.  Sell the rest to one of the peeps to either side of Ms.Liberty.  Your character is already rich - you just don't know it.  The influence you now have you only need to pay listing fees at Wentworths.  No need to go running around Atlas hunting badges, and taking the much higher amount of time working through all the mission arcs.  You see, you also will have picked up salvage on those DFB runs.  One or two of those salvage will be rare.  Just go sell the rares at Wentworths.  Prices are sure to be 500,000 or better.  This afternoon I was selling them for 600-700,000.  Sell two at those prices and your ONE toon will have well over 1,000,000 influence without even exchanging anything.

 

The point being that one character can in perhaps 1 hour thus supply influence for enhancements to a dozen other new characters that you might not want to powerlevel but wouldn't otherwise be able to afford enhancements at low levels.  How far that million influence will stretch depends on what you have characters do with it, how many characters dip into it, and for how long, but you can make a totally disposable character to quickly scrape out another 1,000,000 influence at any time.

I quite like running around the city though, and I’m also a badge-hound so it’s free money for me.

 

MCM

Even simpler methodology I've found.  Create your character.  Do Outbreak only if you want the Isolator badge.

 

Run DfB four times for the four different boosts that don't expire until level 22.  No need for an xp boost and you'll earn influence normally.  Do one more if you're less than level 13 (which will let you then use level 15 enhancements).  Don't slot ANY of them while you're running as you'll just out-level them anyway and DfB runs move too fast to bother.

 

When you come out you should have a few level 15 or better SO enhancements that you can probably slot.  Sell the rest to one of the peeps to either side of Ms.Liberty.  Your character is already rich - you just don't know it.  The influence you now have you only need to pay listing fees at Wentworths.  No need to go running around Atlas hunting badges, and taking the much higher amount of time working through all the mission arcs.  You see, you also will have picked up salvage on those DFB runs.  One or two of those salvage will be rare.  Just go sell the rares at Wentworths.  Prices are sure to be 500,000 or better.  This afternoon I was selling them for 600-700,000.  Sell two at those prices and your ONE toon will have well over 1,000,000 influence without even exchanging anything.

 

The point being that one character can in perhaps 1 hour thus supply influence for enhancements to a dozen other new characters that you might not want to powerlevel but wouldn't otherwise be able to afford enhancements at low levels.  How far that million influence will stretch depends on what you have characters do with it, how many characters dip into it, and for how long, but you can make a totally disposable character to quickly scrape out another 1,000,000 influence at any time.

 

While this definitely works, I have had times where across 4 dfb runs I never got a single rare salvage drop.

Even simpler methodology I've found.  (Snip)

 

The point being that one character can in perhaps 1 hour thus supply influence for enhancements to a dozen other new characters that you might not want to powerlevel but wouldn't otherwise be able to afford enhancements at low levels.  How far that million influence will stretch depends on what you have characters do with it, how many characters dip into it, and for how long, but you can make a totally disposable character to quickly scrape out another 1,000,000 influence at any time.

Not sure I'd necessarily call that simpler. Who wants to grind out DfB four times in a row?

 

Get the exploration badges. Get an enhancement booster with the merits. Run DfB once with XP gain turned off to get enough Inf to list it for a decent price on the market. They'll have made a million in less than half the time.

Another thing to remember is AE. There are some very quick little "farm" maps in AE that you can run, even as a lowbie with no enhancements, in less than 10m. Do one run with it set for AE rewards, and get about 200 tickets. You can use those once you hit 12th to get a few DO enhancements to pop into your powers. They cost 35 tickets each, and will be +3 levels above you, so they'll be good for 3-4 levels. Do your missions, explore, level up, then run another little quickie AE farm mission to get some more tickets, replace your now-outdated DOs, and go back to enjoying the storylines, and save your influence to buy other stuff.

 

You can also use tickets as you level up to purchase generic IOs, invention salvage (including rare salvage), etc. AE was always a good alternative to just grinding out in zones and hoping for rare drops.

Now that we have a Market Board - should this awesome guide get moved there?

*cough* Listing fees!! *cough*

Shrug. Well, then list it for 1 Inf and it'll still sell for a small fortune. Pop Inner Inspiration and sell what you get to the vendor to afford the 5 Inf fee to list it for that.

 

If you don't want to take Inner Inspiration, then sell drops (perhaps run a DFB).

At level 14+ run Flashback arcs for Merits.  If you want to avoid Defeat All missions and EBs you need to be level 16+.  Since you are after Merits you can lower your difficulty.  I usually don't bother.  Getting buffs from your base can help too (particularly Invisibility, Recovery and Knockback Protection).

 

I run at least one with new toons to pay forward the INF I got from a higher level alt to the next new toon.  I commonly run the following arcs with toons at level 16-25 (Note that you need to have out-leveled the arc to use Flashback for it).  They all give you roughly 30 Merits/hour plus or minus depending on your toon.  Most take less than an hour even including setup and selling.  The exceptions are noted.

 

Level 1-15:

The Clockwork Captive

Bonefire

The New Recruits (this is the old Posi TF and gives the badge, it takes close to 2 hrs since there are 5 Defeat Alls, but it gives 66 Merits)

 

Level 16-19:

Rumblings of the Past (2 EBs, but takes less than 20 minutes and gives 8 Merits)

I Lost My Daddy! (less than 25 minutes, gives 10 Merits and access to the Yin store for low level SOs)

The Mind of a King

Tsoo Shenanigans

 

Level 20-24:

Wheel of Destruction

Hand of Iron

The Sky Raider Secret

The Tsoo Coup

 

 

If you don't have the Ouro portal do one of the Flashback arcs and you'll get it when you complete the first mission.  Hopefully you have access to a base with a Pillar of Fire and Ice.  If not...

 

Those on Indomitable can use mine if they want.  Enter passcode 'avenger-836' to get in.  The Pillar is ahead into the big room and on the right.  The portals are in the same room.  The base is under construction, so some things may change, but right now the buff station is 180-degrees on the opposite side of the entrance.  I will likely add Inspiration dispensers, the buffer, Personal Vault access and a Merit ATM to the transportation center room in the near future for one stop convenience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you don't have the Ouro portal do one of the Flashback arcs and you'll get it when you complete the first mission.  Hopefully you have access to a base with a Pillar of Fire and Ice.  If not...

 

 

Excellent point, I hadn't realized there were pillars in the base editor until just recently.

Those on Everlasting can use my base if they don't have access to one, code is in my signature.