tidge

Yes. My Warshade took significantly longer to solo the Penny Yin TF at +0x1 than one of my Controllers. This was a very unpleasant experiment, after doing the exact same content with Stalker, Scapper, and Tanker.

I got an Energy/Martial Blaster up to level 50, and completed the level 50 respec. I used savebuild, here is the text of it: I don't quite yet have everything crafted/boosted as I plan to; it should be possible to see where I am missing level 50 IOs and +5 boosts will make sense. The power choices were pretty much taken in the listed order while leveling up. There are two parts of my build I'm not quite sure about and need to do some more testing. #1: I left the Annihilation set in Explosive Blast. This is a set I like to use while leveling up to help a little with Endurance management. Endurance isn't really a problem for this build... until it is... so I have left it in. It could be probably be swapped for another set like Frozen Blast or Ragnarok. I don't mind the enemy scatter, but it could be franken-slotted with a KB->KD piece. #2 I was torn over slotting for Inner Will (I have this on auto) and Reaction Time. While leveling, I had 5x of Preventive Medicine in Inner Will (for set bonus, the 6th piece was in Spirit Ward) but that was out of habit and not really paying off for this character. Inner Will on auto is a bit tricky, because there are some enemies that do very short duration mezz, so I wanted the recharge time on that to be as short as possible. Reaction Time originally only had a single slot, but I recognized that as crazy.

I can't say it is an easy system. I am familiar with it but simply shuffling between the powers and the component crafting menus is weirdly annoying, even when I know what I am doing. I don't keep notes of which components I want (of each rarity) so the random drops send me scrolling through multiple screens. Mechanically, the lockout time an switching is something I understand, but dislike how occasionally it has to be worked around via zoning.

When *I* think about which powers I'd have as a human-looking squid or lobster, I am imagining that I'd basically be playing some other sort of AT, except of course I'd be able to have an awesome survival mode as well as a blasty-mode. As a teammate, and player, of Kheldians... I think it is somewhat important for the team to know which form(s) are being used. I know that I have asked Kheldians to switch/stay in Dwarf form when a team needed aggro management.

As Skyway city is a low level zone, I can easily imagine a low level character doing minor damage to a Supa Troll and not finishing them off. Writing only for myself, when I have a character that is roughly the level range of Skyway, and see that a zone event is in progress, I will take that character to the Northern train station and mess around with whatever Supa Trolls are there. When the Supa Trolls con higher, I put a lot of splash damage on some of them before I decide to head off to some door mission, or whatever.

Most of the Purple sets are very light on Endurance reduction (typically one of six pieces only, e.g. Damage/Endurance in the attack sets), so I always boost those. If the purple set is in a long-recharge power, I'm probably boosting the Recharge pieces. I used to only boost 2xRecharge IOs for Hasten to +4, but because of slow effects and being able to afford the boosters I just make them +5 on the characters that take Hasten. Similarly, boosting Accuracy is never a bad thing, although if it is paired with Recharge and procs are involved I'll crunch some numbers.

Enemy critters regenerate. One extreme example where it is possible to witness how an enemy at full health may not yield maximum XP is to defeat one of the Giant Monsters during the Vale Fight, and then let the other one heal up before defeating it. Giant Monsters heal rather quickly, so there shouldn't be much waiting around. I'm relatively certain I've observed that a fully healed second monster yields less XP than expected.

Not a fan of this suggestion, for reasons: 0) The schtick of HEATs are the transformations 1) A human-looking character with only access to the form powers would be a character that seems weirdly ineffective, certainly in terms of DPS. 2) The HEATS need a revisit, possibly on multiple fronts, long before something like this request would make sense to spend time on. We've got some ideas being kicked around in the HEAT subforum.

If I don't specifically call them out (e.g. Acc/Dam), I think of them as "attributes".

For the most part, I think anyone could use a "purpled-out end game build" and use it as a leveling up build, at least in terms of power selections, with some caveats: Replace purples with other sets (Overwhelming Force, PVP) are my choices, or often I just use IOs Replace Superior with non-superiors Pay attention to slots, especially if your leveling build won't get bonuses... so maybe not immediately 6-slot all the attacks in the order you get them? Endurance/Recovery is pretty important while leveling up, before accolades, power slotting, and set bonuses Some faction of the time I take different pool choices while leveling, but that is either because of experimentation or the build has different needs before set bonuses can come into play. Some end-game builds may have a minimal set of attacks and rely upon global +Recharge to make the build work. This is an area where a player has to learn by experience... but if you only see 3 attacks taken before level 25... that is probably not a good leveling up build. There are some posted builds that make IMO poor choices for exemplaring or leveling, such as Hasten before level 16 (at low levels, faster cycling powers are not necessary), or no travel power (less critical because of purchasable powers, but it is something of a Quality-of-Life issue for the player and teammates). I don't think it is reasonable for players to post more than one build to represent multiple choices for levels below 50. Writing for myself: Any non-purple/non-HO pieces in a build I post (i.e. normally crafted Enhancements) are pretty much the same ones I use while leveling up. The only corner case I can think of are those pieces that I boost at level 50 will be attuned variants while leveling.

Enemies that have taken damage from some other source (beyond the player or team that defeats them) yield less than 100% XP for the player/team that defeats them.

Ever since my neighbor killed those squirrels I've been compelled to click on all the computers at the conclusion to the Penny Yin TF. It's a 20 minute long story, but so is the Penny Yin TF. Slightly more on-topic: I thought of one other in-game example that borders on leeching... On event leagues, I feel like I've occasionally been on teams where the teammates weren't doing enough damage to whatever to get rewards (for example, not enough damage to Halloween banners) and also weren't really helping with damaging spawns for XP/drops such that I felt like I was being held back. Some of this could be play choices, but much of it is simply not having AoE attacks. I know that when I run leagues I try to make sure that the teams have a balance of both DPS and levels to smooth out rewards for everyone.

I don't think this is wrong, because level-shifts: I also suspect that there may be a couple of secondary contributing factors. Lackluster control of the henchmen Too much of a focus on trying to support the henchmen The first could be as simple as having the henchmen in the "wrong" stance, but it could also be positioning/picking targets. This varies a bit depending on the chosen primary. The second is more subtle, but I've seen it enough that I think it is common. MMV for others, but when I see a MM focused on trying to keep the henchmen alive, as opposed to supporting the henchmen in what they need to do (defeat enemies), I think that the MM is playing on the wrong side of rewards street. I don't mean that MMs should go out of the way to treat the henchmen as disposable... but in many ways that is exactly what they are. the in-game equivalent of preserving tissue paper is spending effort on the wrong thing, IMO.

Starting at level 30, red-side, a player can start to get missions where they face of against members of the Vindicators and Freedom Phalanx. Some encounters require unlockable contacts and it can be tricky to get them all without using Ouroboros. I'd consult the wiki pages.

I am similar. I've slotted DO/SO from drops when I am taking the lowest levels particularly slowly, but otherwise by level 10 I am either slotting attuned pieces (starting with ATO, PVP, O-Force, Steadfast Protections, Kismet, whatever) or trying to grab crafted low level IOs... again, only if I think I will be spending a lot of time in a certain level range. By level 20 I am fully committed to using catalyzed enhancements. If for some reason I don't have the pieces I want on hand, or otherwise don't want to slot an enhancement set as a placeholder for what will be a HO, DSync, 50+5 Boosted piece, or Purple set at level 50, I will use level 25, 30, 45 or 50 IOs that I craft along the way.

I "know" the daily drop rate from empyrical evidence. Twenty hours is believable, but I don't push on the 4-hour difference any more than I push on the 7-day cooldown for SSA. When I feel like I need more catalysts, I usually sequentially crack out level 50s and take them through TIP missions at 0x8 or join a PUG. My Giant Monster hunter usually gets the Catalyst drop from cleaning up the even-level spawns that are ignored by many other players.

I can understand this, to an extent... but I have a different opinion, formed by some perspectives that may not apply equally, or to everyone. (1) Because it is so easy to level up to 25+, I don't mind having a slow period to play "content catch up" (2) Between 25 and 30 is pretty much where I feel like the character is fully tricked out, at least with powers. I won't fault people for craving Epic/Patron powers, or wanting maximum slots, but I want time to play with what I consider to be the cornerstones of my build. (3) There is some important IMO content to get! level 26 is when you can guarantee Summon Teammates for example. Level 30 are when the store contacts start unlocking. The TIP missions have wonderful flavor, and you can't get the 20-29 or 30-39 once you out-level them. (4) The Recipe drops are important for some decent badges between 22 and 31... and at this point it should be easy to start crafting/selling on the AH. I want those drops between 35 and 50 for marketeering! (5) I revisit parts of the Lore that I've forgotten, in a more organic way than using any secrets I have been entrusted with. Some of the best Lore starts at level 30. Red Side especially. Much of the regular mission content can be a lot of fun on teams!

I'll repeat: There are plenty of ways for players, old and new, to ease past this "hump", should they ask: 2xp Patrol XP (easily gained through exploration badges) Teaming up... there are almost always TFs and SFs being formed Running lower level arcs through Ouroboros, or Safeguards/Mayhems, or Tips Turning up spawn size (mileage will vary depending on the character) Combining just the first two, and playing some missions, makes leveling rather speedy. "New" players may not know this, but many of the accolades are to be had by playing 35+ content. Those aren't things that can be earned by door-sitting.

A level 27 PvP piece will cap its enhancement values at 27. I usually catalyze the one I will use before level 50 as they make good stand-ins for Purples, or convert them to other pieces (like the globals (from Shield Wall, Galadiator's Armor), Panacea or %damage.

I haven't noticed more announcements from "AE farmers" or "PI lvl 50 teams" or calls from "Sitter looking for Farm"... although I have identified a couple of new players who seem to make this same request for many of their new characters. The only behaviors I've seen bordering on "clueless" for level 50s have been somewhat unique: Sentinels not using Vulnerability, even though this is a new-ish mechanic, I would have expected a character that played an hour or so to have at least tried it. A player using broadcast channels complaining how weak their character was, and them refusing to invite players with the same AT to demonstrate their play style. The second bullet point was IMO borderline trolling, as the specific complaints being made did not align with multiple other players' experiences (including my own). That specific player's complaints also appeared to have their origins in relying on an ancient early-Live era "build guide" that promised them awesomeness they couldn't achieve by using outdated advice. So in that case, the player in question certainly didn't self-diagnose as a "clueless newbie".

This feels like stale advice: On Homecoming, one Catalyst will drop ever 24-hour period for a level 50 character, assuming that they defeat something like 8-to-10 spawns of x8. This has the following effects: It is rather trivial to accumulate Catalysts. The price of Catalysts on the market are usually capped at 1 Minf. The second point is reinforced because the bucketing of most (all?) catalyzed/non-catalyzed enhancements in the Marketplace drives down the demand for Catalysts; the market's vig ought to be far less than 1 Minf for all pieces, with the possible exception of Winter/ATOs... I simply don't recall if they are bucketed or not, as I never buy them from the AH. Personally: After I made my necessary fortune, I leverage the mass of my accumulated Catalysts to boost the new level 50's ATOs and Winters, and also to catalyze useful (i.e. ones that I am reasonably sure another character will use) Enhancements that I've crafted from recipe drops along the way. The second is somewhat wasteful of Catalysts (because auction house), but I rather like the feeling of being rather self-sufficient such that a new character can grab a bunch of already attuned enhancements to be used as it levels up. Because recipe drops tend to be accumulated at level 50, I will often do a swap (catalyzed for non-catalyzed-to-be-catalyzed) of enhancement pieces during the level 50 respec. I think the highest number of catalysts I ever ended up 'burning' this way was 56. Crazy wasteful, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ .

I can't say that I've encountered a noticeable amount of "leeching" (of XP, rewards, whatever). I suppose it is possible on some leagues and events (Mapserver, Halloween, Mothership, Hamidon, etc.) that some folks capable of contributing more aren't doing so, but I've never really noticed. On missions, I think it would be rather obvious if someone isn't playing. The behavior closest to what I might consider "leeching" involve open-world things like Giant Monster zone events. My bête noire is folks who want to fight Giant Monsters and collect rewards but can't be bothered to clean up the additional critters that will prevent the next respawn. I can almost understand the reluctance of a player to backtrack to clean up Paladin spawns in King's Row... but there is no reason to not clean up the extras in something like the Grim Vale battle royale after defeating the GMs. If this is a league or team that doesn't do the clean up? That is a black mark against all of them as far as I am concerned. Open-world multi-boxers who behave this way are the worst.

I try to avoid adding %procs to single target attacks; if they are part of a set I want for a bonus... that's fine, especially if the other choices of pieces in that set are up against the ED limits. Often the Purple sets fall into this category. My rough guidelines for which powers to avoid trying to include %damage (or other %procs): Powers with a base recharge time less than 12 seconds. Auras (because the effective "base recharge time" for %proc calculations is typically 10 seconds or less) "pets" that don't leave behind a "corpse" (I simply mention this because there are a handful of powers that look like they take a lot of %damage, but it will never happen for them) Powers with low Accuracy and/or no slotted Accuracy (autohits don't mean a %proc will hit) Single target attacks (I'm more flexible here, but RNG feels crueler with single-target attacks. Once a power has above 20 seconds base recharge, it can tolerate a little slotted recharge IMO, and ones with longer times can tolerate more slotted recharge. Right now, Global +Recharge does not affect %proc chances... so generally getting enough +Recharge in a build helps to smooth out attack chains (with or without leveraging %damage). The best sources of +Recharge comes from set bonuses, so even if someone wants a "proc monster" they probably should slot some powers for enhancement set bonuses instead of "all procs, every power". I prefer to use %procs in AoE because the RNG will have its way with me, and I'd rather see some damage appear on a bunch of rando targets than occasionally not see any damage on a single target.

My experience has been that Life Insurance is an insta-debt payoff. At Level 40, the amount of debt occurred with each defeat is significant enough that it doesn't take many defeats to get Unbroken Spirit/Undaunted. I used to take level 40s to Dark Astoria to get defeated, but by level 40 some of my characters can survive encounters longer than I'd like. The PI Giant Monsters are more helpful. This is often the last badge needed for High Pain Threshold, unless I have been lazy about getting exploration badges.