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Be prepared for the onslaught of "I tanked him with my lvl 49 Defender" posts! I've only actually "tanked" him on a MoMLTF with my Inv/NRG tank. His Endurance drains are very dangerous. I was flying and spamming may Taunt. Dull Pain (a power I almost never use at lvl 50+) was on auto, with me paying attention to Hasten and the Endurance bar. My team was pretty quick with the towers, I'm sure I had less than 20 hits of the Dull Pain pipe. I *tried* to tank him with an uber-defense Night Widow (with Provoke... this is one of the few situations were Confront would have been better), managed to keep his attention *somehow*, but ONE HIT got through and dropped Endurance. It was all over except for tears...

Ok, I rolled out a variant of the build I posted: Same general layout, with the only major change was taking Force of Will for Travel and Debuff instead of the Teleport pool. I think I changed up the order of Provoke and Photon Grenade so I could have something in my hands at low levels. I also change up the Photon Grenade to be focused on Procs, which was a much better choice to do actual damage. I took the lonely big bot for a spin on the Hero Cape Mission at Level 50 with difficulty +0/x8. OMG this was a boring experience. I felt like I was in slow motion. Teleporting Rikti took me forever to defeat, even with the holds and slows. I missed the raw chaos of my 6-bot army! The Assault Bot simply isn't doing enough damage to be worthwhile to play on its own. Neither I nor the bot were ever in any danger, but it was just painfully slow to progress through the missions.

My Bane Spider has queued up his mace to post something in this thread, but you will have to wait for the animation to finish to read it...

I only casually mentioned Hasten in this thread because it was called out as being necessary to make Rune of Protection work (for Masterminds)! I'm quite a fan of Hasten myself, and I grok high levels of Global Recharge for long cooldown pool powers (including Rune of Protection and Unrelenting) as well as how useful it is to have a 90 second cooldown power available every 20 seconds. Since Masterminds can skip so many primary powers (their direct assaults), the Power Pools are soo inviting! Writing only for myself, my default considerations for the pools always start: 1) Travel (Preferably a flight or SJ, because it is about *ME* goldurnit, and *I* want freedom of movement in the world!) 2) Leadership (for the pets) 3) Fighting (for the Resistance mules, and ultimately Weave for defenses) 4) ???? The 4th Pool choice just has so many options (that I have explored): Presence: Essentially a 1-pick wonder for Tankerminds with Provoke (with two great 3rd and 4th choices, if you dare dive deep but Unrelenting also needs Recharge) Speed: 1-pick wonder for Global recharge with Hasten Medicine: Targeted healing of Pets/Teammates/Self (and a debuff) Concealment: For extra defense (Grant Invisibility) Teleport: Teleport Foe as a long-range taunt (not recommended, but it sort of works) I'm certainly aware of necessary compromise that can be made. I'm one of the last people that would ever try to tell someone that they are playing their AT wrong. I simply wanted to comment on this specific thread, for the specific case of calling out "Rune of Protection" for mez protection, that there are a lot more assumptions that go into making that particular power choice work than I usually see mentioned.

Masterminds certainly have more freedom to dip deeper(*1) into power pools than other ATs... ...but a Rune of Protection for the Mastermind is almost certainly going to be a secondary concern for any Mastermind whose pets are dealing the "most damage" (either through straight aggression or via Defending/Supremacy/Tankermind). If it is about damage dealing, Enflame might be a better choice from the Sorcery pool. (*1) Hasten (Speed pool) is a dead end for many ATs, but except for Recharge-intensive pet builds I rarely consider it for Masterminds.

These threads always have advice in pieces, here is mine! (specific to a level 50 toon) Boosting: There are several types of IOs that you can boost as high as 50 +5, and whatever (scaled) bonuses they provide will work at any level. Such as: crafted common IOs (e.g. the singletoe Recharge Reduction) "PVP" sets (e.g. Panacea, Shield Wall) "Universal Travel" sets (Blessing of the Zephyr, Winter's Gift) Very Rare "Superior" sets which can only be slotted at level 50 Don't worry about about having an attuned "global" or "proc" (e.g. "Chance of Lethal Damage") from a PVP or Universal Travel set, or if the level is below 50. If you slotted it, you are getting the benefits no matter your level. Even boosting things which will work no-matter the level has two caveats: Enhancement Diversification will (eventually) diminish the returns you can get. Still, "more is more". Boosting the individual Recharge time of powers (not Global recharge) beyond a certain point can diminish the chance for "proc" pieces to fire. Attuning: If you have been playing with Winter Sets (aside from Universal Travel) or ATO pieces (these will be attuned when you get them), at level 50 you can further attune them (into "Superior" versions) for higher set bonuses (and in the case of Procs, higher chances to proc). You may not want to do this is you are going to have more than five of the same type of bonus. Fore Example: I have a Dominator with five 10% Global Recharge bonuses from PVP sets, so I left one of the ATO sets as non-Superior to get an extra 8.75% Global Recharge instead of wasting a sixth 10% bonus. The only other time I ran into this issue with a build was IIRC the Masterminds who can 2-slot a Superior ATO set for 3x10% Global Recharge. The Overwhelming Force (Universal Damage) set will also always be attuned, but a "Superior" version does not exist. Generally for uncommon/rare IO set pieces: don't worry about keeping an Attuned "global" or "proc". There are only a few pieces that provide a benefit to Boosting in addition to the Global effect. For example: The Luck of the Gambler Global Recharge "global" piece also includes a Defense bonus. I believe the Steadfast Protection Resist/Defense allows the Resist to be boosted but the 3% global Defense bonus will not be affected.

I have Rune of Protection (on a Blaster) and there is slightly more involved with this power than just casually suggesting it as a remedy for mez protection: As mentioned, it has a ridiculously long cooldown time. Yes, it is possible with enough Global Recharge to lower the cooldown, but that is a big investment in other power (and slot) choices. If you rely on Hasten and Rune of Protection, that is 2 of 4 Power Pool choices. Click Mez protection with a cooldown greater than 70 seconds is probably also relying on a high-Defense build. Rune of Protection requires 2 other power picks from the Sorcery pool (I'm not sure if there is a minimum level requirement on Homecoming). I don't flinch about taking a travel power early in a build (here, Mystic Flight), but it is a rare build that I try to squeeze 3 power choices from a single power pool before level 24. Keep in mind that there is an explicit need to have chosen Hasten as well. On my Blaster with Rune of Protection, I happened to take Mystic Flight (lvl 4) -> Arcane Bolt (lvl 12, holding a 10% Global recharge set) -> Rune of Protection (lvl 41). I suppose I could have taken it earlier in the build and burned more slots to make it the mule for Resist IO Globals, but that would have delayed the Fighting pool (which is providing the Defense boosts of the second bullet above). All these things direct consideration of choosing Rune of Protection to be a completely secondary choice (for builds with certain characteristics) as opposed to being a primary choice. Rune of Protection works well enough for my Blaster, but it came so late in the build and relies on IO boosts and Global Recharge bonuses that only come into their own for a level 50 character. It was a good suggestion about binding keys to combine inspirations into Break Free (et al.) inspirations works as it works across all levels for all toons (obviously better for higher levels with more inspiration slots) and doesn't rely on particular power choices.

I also agree that the Bots are not high damage. The Knockback is also a PITA, but burning a slot on a Sudden Acceleration KB-KD helps A LOT, as it will at least keep the targets more-or-less in place. The T2 Protector Bots burn a lot of time/endurance on applying bubbles rather than attacking. I also agree that generally proc-slotting T1 is a losing proposition. The only 'proc' IO that I consider putting in the T1 (or on more basic non-MM recharge pets) are: Overwhelming Force: Damage/KB->KD (for T1 that don't do Knockback) as it adds a level of control Souldbound Allegiance %Build Up just to try to keep them even with mobs that con higher than them I suppose there may be other 'effects' that bring value, but I generally prefer an effect as opposed to trying for a little more damage. It is entirely possible that using the T1 to mule defense/resist IOs (freeing slots on the T2 and T3) will be the best use of those T1 slots for any given build.

Here is my first attempt at a "Boy and his Giant Robot" build. I have a Robots/Traps MM, and I am tempted to try something like this on an alternate build, now that the toon is 50+. I don't think I'd ever try leveling up with such a build. The data: Some comments: The build is trying for very high Defenses for the MM and the Bot. Some of my IO set choices are to boost positional defenses, but those are still (mostly) lower than typed defenses, so there is room to make some changes. Normally I would take Grant Invisibility to further boost the Assault Bot's Defenses, but I decided I "needed" the following pools: 1) Fighting: To get mule slots, and Weave. It also allows for a Melee attack. 2) Leadership: To support the Assault Bot. 3) Presence: For Provoke. A Tankermind is not going to work well with only a single Henchmen, but the MM Defenses are going to be better than the Assault Bot's. 4) I also hate to not take an actual travel power, so I went with Teleport for Teleport Foe shenanigans. One of the newer pools might be a better fit. Running a Mastermind as an attacker is IMO a loosing proposition. The Damage is terrible and it make Endurance management a PITA. Several of the slotting choices have been made to improve Endurance (MaxEnd, Recovery, EndDiscount). This build only uses two direct attacks from the MM: one Melee (Kick) and one Ranged AoE (Photon Grenade). With only two attacks, Endurance may be less of a consideration. I did not try to "proc monster" the MM attacks, except that Photon Grenade (slotted with Annihilation for Endurance assists) would be re-slotted to add Lethal/Energy/Fire damage procs in addition to the Knockdown and -Resistance if it turns out Endurance is under control. I recommend keeping the Overwhelming Force KB->KD here because it will help control enemies for your Bot. The Pet bonus procs for Defense (and Resistance) are too good to NOT include, so rather than take the T1 Pulse Rifle Blast (see my disdain for MM attacks above) this build uses the T1 Battle Drones to "mule" those pieces. Note that there is space for a 6th slot: if you want more Global Recharge 10%!), 2-slot the Superior Mark of Supremacy ATO by stealing a slot from Teleport Foe. It may also be possible that you can do without one of the Resistance auras, but I always just default to using them. The Assault Bot MUST have a KB->KD proc, in order to not knock enemies out of it's fire patch. It might as well get the Soulbound Allegiance %Build Up as well. I opted to 4-slot the Superior ATO command of the Mastermind here for the set bonuses. The AoE Defense (15%!) may not be strictly necessary but I think whatever else might replace one of the ATO would be a marginal improvement (A Hami-O Acc/Dam perhaps?). This build has many choices I would consider "odd", but if the point is to only have the Assault Bot, I feel that the playstyle would be radically different and require different power choices. Here are some thoughts: Web Grenade: I hate this single-target power. I find that rarely is immobilizing a single target worthwhile. I 6-slotted only for the (marginal) Defense boosts. Before trying this build I think I might steal slots from this to beef up the Seeker Drones. It's in the build assuming that the MM sometimes wants to keep an enemy in place for the Assault Bot. Caltrops: Many dislike caltrops, but I love an AoE Slow which *I* place. I want the -Resistance to help out the Assault Bot. Triage Beacon: I like the Preventive Maintenance bonuses. Provoke: As explained, this is to allow a sort of Tankermind (but really to keep aggro from the Assault Bot). I think the recharge time would almost always defeat having a reliable %Psi damage, and the typed defense boosts from Mocking Beratement are too good to pass up. This is the only choice from its pool, so it will be easy to delay this power choice for as long as you would like. See Photon Grenade below. Kick: shown here as 6-slotted with a Winter Set for defense boosts. Tough: I'm have an iconoclastic approach to S/L resists from Tough. Rarely do I find that boosting the inherent S/L resistance to pay off as much as just using it as a mule, as I did in this build. YMMV. Weave and Maneuvers and Force Field Generator: Normally I would have the IOs for Weave and Maneuvers reversed to "share" a slightly higher Defense with the Assault Bot, but I'm selfish. I think this is most +Defense (ALL) I can get out of 5-slots and while maximize the LoTG +Recharge and having a Shield Wall Global. Poison Trap: I love this power. I chose the 6-slot PVP for the bonuses. Repair: I always skip this power, but on a single-bot build it seems like a good investment. Photon Grenade: It certainly can be taken earlier in the build, but my assumption is that the player isn't going to be playing much content below level 32 This also informs the IO set choice. With that assumption I delayed the choice as long as possible. If you want to play lower content (with no bots) I would Swap Photon Grenade with either Provoke (level 8, if you are truly itching for combat at most levels) or Maneuvers (level 22, as in PUGs you are less likely to need it). Scorpion Shield: I like the 6-set bonus from Reactive Defenses, so I try to find a power where I get the most bang from using this set. For "A Boy and his Bot", the main gap appeared to be defenses, so this was my choice. I'm also running out of slots, so I felt like I was going to pass on other powers from the Epic/Patron pool. I didn't see a better choice, but I am willing to hear other options. I'm completely unsure if Power Boost would be a worthwhile later pool choice for all the craziness the MM is bringing. Assault: Chosen just for the +Damage boost for the Assault Bot. An easy 1-slot power choice. Teleport Foe: I added this power as a means of bringing enemies to the Assault Bot (via Teleport or 'Long Range Taunt'). It also fits with my internal concept of the Mastermind not making (m)any direct attacks. This is a slow way of trying to clear maps, but I already feel like this approach to an MM is radical and so I wanted to include another oddball approach to playing this type of character. A more 'direct combat' alternative to the Teleport pool would be to instead choose a pool that allows for a a travel power as well as a debuff to be applied to an enemy instead (e.g. Weaken Resolve from Force of Will). YMMV. Seeker Drones: I love these little guys, but I was out of slots! My past experience is that they work best with high recharge to contribute Stuns. You can try to get a little more damage from them with the Cloud Senses proc if you are so inclined. Detonator: I actually hate this power, but if you are only going to have one Pet at a time this seems like a a good 'make the ultimate sacrifice my friend' (or is it 'see you later sucker!') choice. Vengence: Chosen just as a LoTG mule, as I'm out of slots and pool choices. Some last thoughts: This build looks worse on Accuracy than I prefer, so Tactics may deserve a place in the build.

The simplest is to have two macros, one to select each build. They should be: /macro_image "AlignmentPower_FearIncarnate" "1st build" "select_build 1" /macro_image "AlignmentPower_Duplicity" "2nd Build" "select_build 2" When you change builds, the game loads a different set of tray layouts. Just make sure you have the macro to select build 2 in the trays for build 1 and vice versa. You could try to bind which rotates between two text files, where each file changes the meaning of the bind to select the other build. I don't recommend this over using macros: There is a minimum time you have to wait to change builds, but if you hit the bound key you will get out of the cycle. This may not be a big deal, but when you change builds, all (*1) of your powers have to recharge and your toggles drop. IIRC, you also have to reset your 'auto' power (if you use one). (*1) I know that this includes all your temp/prestige powers like Assemble the Team, Team Transport. I honestly can't recall if it affects the Incarnate powers. The other thing I can't recall about Incarnate powers is if you can have different Incarnate powers slotted in the different builds. I do know that all builds have access to all the same Incarnate powers, so you don't have to craft new ones for the new build... which makes me think that the different builds only 'restart' with those Incarnate abilities actually slotted.

I'm very sympathetic to the request, but I already have the tool (disabling XP, as clumsy as it is) to do this. I'm not sure, but I think the contacts must check your level in order to identify potential new contacts for you. I know it is possible to accept a contact and then out-level them without ever having talked to them. In such a case, the 'new' contact will immediately offer you a new contact appropriate for your level... or (I believe) if you have outlevelled all of the contacts to whom they would introduce you will basically brush you off. E.g. "Our time together has come to an end." The weird request I would have (if I didn't think it would be a coding nightmare) would be that when using Orouboros to flashback to a mission from a contact I already met, I'd like to have their phone number immediately. The fact that I don't have the phone numbers is proof enough that I'm not *really* traveling back in time, but going to another dimension with different phone numbers. I'm onto you "Mender Silos"!

Here are the macros I use (1 on each build) to change builds and costumes. The slash command is /select_build to change builds, and /cce to change costumes with an emote. /macro_image "AlignmentPower_FearIncarnate" "1st build" "select_build 1$$cce 2 CCLightMagic" /macro_image "AlignmentPower_Duplicity" "2nd Build" "select_build 2$$cce 1 CCLightMagic" IIRC the builds are numbered 1, 2, 3 but the costume slots start 0, 1, 2.... My Fortunata costume is in Slot 1 (not slot 0) with Build 2. My Widow costume is in Slot 2 using Build 1. I didn't plan for this... it's just that I started with a female body (costume slot 0) but that's the one I wanted to have the Widow powers and I decided to make that a male figure... so that is how it got costume slot 2, because I had already redisgned the woman (slot 1) and was keeping the original costume in slot 0, so costume slot 1 became the Fortunata. EDIT: lots of editing to try to clarify the odd situation with my particular costume situation.

Yellow salvage prices have also dropped from 50+ KInf to below 10 KInf, with the volume of the supply being nice and high. The swing was so extreme over such a short period of time that it certainly feels like some fundamental changes in the market (or player behavior) are involved. All said, many of the (current) prices for what I see on the market 'feel right' to me. I'm not a fan of the Aegis set in my builds but I can see some of the appeal (especially for a Fire Farmer), even so I never quite understood why that set's pieces sold so well. On the Defense side, I think the recent price trend of all Reactive Defenses pieces to increase is justified: It offers better multi-set bonuses than LotG (IMO, YMMV) even if it's Global is unique. As I wrote elsewhere: There appears to be some Amateur-Ebil-attempts around the (non-) sale of Procs of all flavors. Supply dominates the demand on many sets and in several areas it looks like folks are inflating the sale prices in the proc at the risk of ignoring the other pieces in the set. There are more proc options than there are opportunities to use them, and many 'folks-in-the-know' are aware of the point-of-diminishing-returns on slotting procs. Even with the potential for a 'last 5' bug, if fewer than 5 of a piece have sold in the last day, chances are that yours aren't going to sell either.

Some comments on the initial build: I *like* the Annihilation set bonuses, but generally I feel like that there are too many slots in Bonfire. I feel that Chronos really ought to have the Gaussian's Build Up proc, preferably with the other 5 pieces from the set as well. You can get 3 slots from Tough by dumping the non-Global pieces of Unbreakable Guard. If I wanted the sixth slot I would steal it from either your Stamina or Maneuvers. (*1) I see what you are trying to do with the Endurance discount, but I feel that the Gladiator's Armor Global should be moved to Fire Shield and paired with it's Resistance piece, which can be boosted. On my /Time, I rarely use the Holds. I see what you are trying for with the Holds, but generally a 4-slot Basilisk's Gaze (for +Recharge) will be more useful than occasionally tossing out Holds... I see the +2 Mag proc, but I think you sort of stepped on it by slotting recharge. I also only single slotted the T1 Time Wall as it simply isn't used and I didn't need a set bonus. When 6-slotting Temporal Healing, I recommend the full 6-slot of Preventive Medicine. The nick-nacks you have slotted there seem concerned with Recovery/Endurance... once you have a couple accolades this will be less of an issue for you. Drop the +Stealth from Fly and put a +Stealth in Sprint instead. Instead, slot a Universal Travel Knockback Protection or Slow Resist in Fly. EDIT : (*1) On my /Time blaster, I have Chronos (6-slotted, with Guassian's) set on Auto. With no incarnates it is triggering every 22 seconds (20 seconds with Hasten) giving me 5 seconds of the power boost PLUS Build Up (from the proc) and another 5 seconds with 'just' the Boost. Folks have criticized me for 'wasting' build up this way, but it would be far more effort than it is worth to have to pay attention to targets and my attack powers and hit the button when I can simply be spamming damage just have the boost trigger on a regular schedule.

My experience with the Bane Choice is that the Mace attacks take too much animation time for not enough damage. My 'fun' Bane only has Build Up and Shatter from the Bane Spider secondary. That build doesn't use a Patron pool. I have a similar 'slow' Bane... and while few things aside from AVs can defeat him, it is painful to try to clear a room with him. Patron pools for VEAT can be a trap. Often I view Epic/Patron pools exclusively a means to fill gaps in a build with attack/control/defense powers that the build doesn't have access to... not just for a power itself but also for the IO sets which can be slotted in it. For example, a build without a ranged attack can't slot Thunderstrike to get a 3.75% positional defense boost against range. The pets are nice, but I only like them if my Global Recharge is high enough to respawn them in 4 minutes. Luckily this is doable with focused slotting, Mental Training and Hasten. VEAT tend to excel at Positional defenses, so for my VEAT the IO bonuses I usually focus on: Positional defense boosts (trying to balance... I try to avoid over-inflating one defense) Global Recharge (for Pets, Mind Link, Unrelenting) Endurance help (MaxEnd, +Recovery, Endurance Discounts) As those of us who play VEAT know: The VEAT can have access to a great variety of types of powers without dipping into a Patron Pool. My experience has been that in order to best use a Patron pool, a player has to take a hard look at what the pool offers and how it can benefit you. Full disclosure, I have taken the immobilize powers (and I've even slotted them with Very Rare sets) but I don't often use them. The single-target ranged attacks are ok, but none really seem all that "Epic" to me. My impressions: Leviathan: It's all about the cones, presumably slotted with -Resistance. I'll admit I don't often try this, but for a slow melee character this seems like a good choice. I've never been crazy about the animations, but that's a personal issue that shouldn't get in the way of performance! Mace Mastery: Shatter Armor is the gem here, with the problem being that you cannot take it without investing in another power choice. I have this on my Crabbermind taking Web Envelope -> Shatter Armor -> Summon Blaster. As a practical matter, Web Envelope is a 'wasted' choice for this toon as he is loaded with plenty of AoE for -Resistance and damage. It's holding the Gravitational Anchor IO set for Global +Recharge. I would consider taking this set (up to Shatter Armor) on a Fortunata, except for... Mu Mastery: My ranged AoE/Control Fortunata has Mu Lightning -> Ball Lightning -> Static Discharge. The damage output isn't awesome, but they fit it the ranged-attack chain(s) for this character, offer IO set choices (Thunderstrike, Annihilation, Positron's Blast) for the boosts I want (YMMV if you want Winter sets or Very Rares in them) and -Resistance. I want to emphasize that I'm not kidding about the damage output... these powers are for softening up or finishing off weakened opponents, they are not good for fast kills. They work for my Fortunata because of her (PB)AoE emphasis. Soul Mastery: My melee Night Widow has Gloom -> Dark Obliteration -> Darkest Night. These were chosen to add ranged attacks and some debuffing of targets, as well as for adding IO set bonuses (again, Thunderstrike and Annihilation). This toon is Endurance hungry, so those two IO sets also help with that issue.

We'll still let you join a PUG, even if you are a mean poopyhead.

I think the coding issue in question is how the aggro cap was increased "only for Tankers".

I can share a post-level 50 build. This is the 'other half' of my Fortnuata/Widow 'duo'. The data: Caveats follow: I notice my slotting in several of the single-slot powers is not what I have in game right now. Adjust those as desired. There wasn't much difference in the power choices when leveling. I started with Swipe instead of Poison Dart but changed it on the mandatory respec. IO sets were obviously different. I'm a sucker for the ATO bonuses. The Dominion of Arachnos Terrorize proc is slotted in Poison Dart, but on a melee-focused build this proc is not particularly useful; while leveling it was in Spin. That slot could easily go somewhere else such as Health, for more Recovery. Because of the melee focus and the availability of the alternate build, this build has Follow Up instead of Build Up. This is a legacy of wanting a stabby attack chain as early as possible. This build has more attacks than it needs, and a 6-slot on-demand Build Up is probably a better choice. The Soul Mastery Patron Pool was chosen simply because I was getting exhausted playing nearly pure melee. I don't run the Widow as much as I do the Fortunata, as the Melee focus is slower than the "partner's" AoE build. The focus was to get Mind Link perma via Global Recharge without using Hasten: Mission Accomplished. I toyed with trying to put more resistance in the build, but with reasonably high defenses (past the non-incarnate soft cap with perma-Mid Link) I felt that the resistances weren't adding enough to the build to justify trying for them. Unrelenting is my alternate choice instead of resistances. This toon has the fasted recharge on Unrelenting of any of my builds, I frequently use it simply to boost damage. Likewise, Placate is very useful in limited circumstances (boss fights). I wouldn't waste effort adding the Fighting Pool to this build, but YMMV. The power choices from level 35+ are enigmatic to me. I opted for ranged attacks mostly out of boredom with melee but also to specifically slot set bonuses for positional defenses. I wouldn't fault anyone for trying something different than Soul Mastery, specifically the Leadership Pool (move extra slots to Provoke and go for Mocking Beratement set bonuses) or a 5-slotted PBAoE Invoke Panic (from the Presence Pool)... these choices will keep Global Recharge high and should allow the dropping of one of the Very Rare sets.

This is often what I do with my toons as well. The Judgment power can also be useful for clearing content in those DA arcs. I'll add this as an alternative to speeding through the Heather Townshend DA arcs: When I run them at x8, and clear all the maps I have been getting at least one PVP/Very Rare recipe drop as well. You don't have to turn up the difficulty, just the size of enemies. I think my fastest times (minimal lollygagging, but not really trying for 'speed') is just under 30 minutes with a couple of my toons. Others with less raw DPS clear the entire arc in about 50 minutes. If I stop to craft recipes or dump items on the AH the times get longer, obviously. The first map can be a PITA because there are certain areas where the Talons will be VERY spread out. I usually summon Lores to help clean out this map, and because I don't need them on the second map. The second map has spawns at common places, but only the first floor is annoying if you get runners. I suppose the mobs must use those 'chicken legs' for something! I never use Lores on this map unless somehow they are joining from the first mission. The third map has Tsoo Sorcerers which can make this a grind for some characters at x8. I used the Lores again for the middle third of this map. This is a good mission for several of the Tsoo defeat badges. The fourth map has Talons again (like to run) but except for the third mob spawn they are usually well-grouped for AoE. If I'm still in this mission when the Lores recharge, I'll bring them out to help with stragglers/runners.

It never occurred to me that there would be any Ouroboros arcs that don't give merits! Perhaps the odd badge missions don't? If you are explicitly trying a 24-hour challenge specificaly to raise Inf on a brand new lvl 1, running Ouro missions may interfere with time spent in the market house. There is a balance-point between mission difficulty/length and reward for 'level-appropriate' arcs. If the toon has already achieved higher level and wants to run lower-level content I have a few suggestions for lower-level characters: Signature Story Arc (SSA) 1: Who Will Die? (Skyway or Cap Au Diable) - claims to be levels 10-20, I don't think I've every run it lower than lvl 20. The first time a toon runs any SSA mission it is worth 20 merits. Additionally, after running an SSA mission the first time, once a week any one SSA mission can be repeated to get you another 20 merits. Each side has 3 missions in the arc. Blue side requires four fights, Red side allows you to skip all fighting in the first mission, but the final mission has more required fighting. DPS toons should be able to finish in about 5 minutes, non-DPS toons (including Masterminds) should be able to finish in 10-11 minutes. Aaron Thiery (Atlas Park): You will run this one with only a few powers, but if they are well-slotted and you have the P2W prestige attacks you should have enough offense to finish this without problems. All of the missions are close to one another, but they do require 'defeats', and you must travel back to city hall to finish the arc. This is a 5 merit reward that includes a rare recipe drop at the end. There are other arcs that give more merits, but those are at a higher level and will require somewhat decent builds. The only thing a low level player really could use on the two arcs I posted would be Stealth (such as an IO in a travel power).

Evil: EbilTM:

T3s are more than enough for Incarnate content. Depending on what your AT is, you may not really be able to tell the difference between T3 and T4 Lore. The Destiny T4 is a little more noticeable than the T3 because of Duration and Range. YMMV of course. There are so many different ways to play with Incarnate content (and power choices) that I'm reluctant to offer specific advice. I will write this: There is no need to wait for Incarnate Shards (or the other Incarnate salvage that drops from specific TFs or from Vanguard conversions) to slot up your Alpha, as it can also use the Threads and other drops. I hoard the Alpha-specific stuff until I'm at a point where I can actually use them, this allows me to experiment with different Alphas.... but my first Alpha T3 is almost always from Threads and Empyrian Merits.

This may only be (mostly) a problem for level 47-50 players of privilege, but would it be possible to allow for a new Enhancement booster that adds +5 in one shot, in addition to those that increment by +1? I realize that there would have to be level checks to verify that the +5 could be applied (that is, it shouldn't work if an Enhancment has any +N boost already applied to it). I also realize that the existence of such things would at best only be saving about a minute per IO. I will add this: I have several toons into which I would sink both INF and merits to have a pure Level 50+5 build for almost all of the IOs (watching Recharge on the proc powers, naturally) if it was less time-consuming to apply the Enhancement boosts. I recognize that not every player bothers with the boosts, and that a fraction of us number-crunchers don't automatically want +5 boosts on every IO... but every so often on a new high-level build I find myself burning time slowly boosting those IOs I want to push to the limit.