Budget Builds

[Glowman]

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum for this, so I apologize if it is not.

 

Having recently completed yet another 50 build with full set IO's, I was thinking about changing things up for my next character. There isn't really a place to find "budget builds" on the forums. What are some builds that you use on the cheap? Builds that use no purples and maybe even builds that use only basic Invention IO's? What ATs and power combinations work best?

I'm interested in seeing what you come up with! Might be a fun challenge to go this way with one of my next toons.

[Seed22]

2 minutes ago, Zer0 Hour said:

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum for this, so I apologize if it is not.

 

Having recently completed yet another 50 build with full set IO's, I was thinking about changing things up for my next character. There isn't really a place to find "budget builds" on the forums. What are some builds that you use on the cheap? Builds that use no purples and maybe even builds that use only basic Invention IO's? What ATs and power combinations work best?

I'm interested in seeing what you come up with! Might be a fun challenge to go this way with one of my next toons.

My cheapest builds are on my other computer, but I think I have a Grav/Time with Soft cap or hard cap everything defensively with no purps. Maybe a few oranges that get a little pricey but generally very cheap and doable of a build.

[Broken_Prey]

A Kat/WP scrapper is good with just SO. Kat gives plus def and doesn't need a lot of investment, ie + recharge, to get a good attack chain. WP is a strong set and the +def Kat gives makes it better. 

 

If wanting soft capped def /SR can get there easily too and gives you a little bit of extra recharge.

[Marine X]

I've found if you go through the available sets in each "Type", you can build a great toon with lots of set Bonuses. One of my favorites is Scirrocco's Dervish ( PBAoE Damage ) even if you only 4 slot it, it gives you 10% regeneration, 2.25% Pos/Neg Resistance, 3.75% Mez Protection and a 9% Accuracy Bonus, It is no where close to Purple Pricing at about 3-5Million per. Some others are Entropic Chaos (Ranged Damage) and Crushing Impact ( Melee Damage ), both give good bonuses without being Pricey. Also don't forget to look at the Merit Vendor, it usually works out cheaper to buy Archetype Sets from them with Merits, and fill in blanks with Influence, than do the whole thing through Wentworth's.

Edited November 26, 2019 by Marine X

[Yomo Kimyata]

My go to sets when leveling:

Entropic Chaos/Decimation For ranged

Positrons Blast For targeted AoE

Kinetic Combat for melee

Obliteration for PBaoe

Basilisks gaze for hold

unbreakable guard for res damage

[tidge]

I find it difficult to give up on 6-slotted Thunderstrike even with the means to opt for far pricier pieces, especially if the attack isn't cut out for procs. I'm always surprised and grateful how cheap that set is.

[microc]

if you can run some ae mish for max tix then use the ae tix to get cheap recipe. then sell or use  them. on one of my toons i got a lot of recipy from 800 ae tix. some i used some i made and sold for inf.

[Glowman]

I’m able to make influence fairly easily with my fire farmer. I’m just interested in the challenge of using a budget build and/or a build using only basic IO’s. 

[TraumaTrain]

I can't really afford full IO sets, so all four of my 50s just run around in vanilla IOs. I have no problems playing them. I guess those are pretty cheap builds.

[EmmySky]

I am currently in the process of getting all my toons to at least 30 (already a project on the works). 

 

I was informed that level 30 'vanilla' IOs will function as even level SO++ all the way up so I will probably spec out several that way and see how it goes.  I know several of those will be 100k or more each so ita not a super cheap route but I am hoping it will be cheaper than replacing SOs and a LOT cheaper than sets like a couple of my toons have.  I may still pop in a few uniques for procs but havent decided yet.

[oxmox]

I don't think you need to go for any particular AT or power set combo to do this. Game balancing predates IOs for the most part, so you should be fine. I guess you might want to avoid builds that aim for stuff like perma hasten, perma dom, perma PA etc because those levels of recharge can be hard to get without lots of set bonuses. (Perma dom isn't that hard though, surely doable with a cheap build.)

[RCU7115]

16 hours ago, EmmySky said:

I am currently in the process of getting all my toons to at least 30 (already a project on the works). 

 

I was informed that level 30 'vanilla' IOs will function as even level SO++ all the way up so I will probably spec out several that way and see how it goes.  I know several of those will be 100k or more each so ita not a super cheap route but I am hoping it will be cheaper than replacing SOs and a LOT cheaper than sets like a couple of my toons have.  I may still pop in a few uniques for procs but havent decided yet.

It's even cheaper to use lvl 25 IO's and achieve the same results. A lvl 25 IO is almost half the price of a lvl 30 IO.

[Call Me Awesome]

On 11/26/2019 at 3:40 PM, tidge said:

I find it difficult to give up on 6-slotted Thunderstrike even with the means to opt for far pricier pieces, especially if the attack isn't cut out for procs. I'm always surprised and grateful how cheap that set is.

I agree there, with a ranged character one of the best survival IO bonuses you can get is Ranged defense... and Thunderstrike is one of the best choices out there to get it.  As a bonus it's cheap... a few months ago the IO's cost just under 1 million each; as of yesterday when I checked they were going in the 200-500,000 range.  3.75% Ranged defense, 7% accuracy and 2% recovery for that price is very hard to pass up.  Even my "money's no object" Fire/EM blaster still has 2 sets of Thunderstrike slotted in his final build, alongside a set of Mako's Bite in Bone Smasher and a couple of purple sets.  There's just so much good in the Thunderstrike set that even replacing it with purple doesn't improve things much.

[Heraclea]

Build a supergroup base and add some enhancement storage tables, maybe one or two inspiration racks, and the rest for salvage.  Use your salvage racks to stockpile every bit of yellow and orange salvage you have, as well as stuff like catalysts and converters.  Put all your characters in the group with the /altinvite command. 

 

In my main base I have four enhancement storage tables: one for lowbie stuff, mostly generic IOs; one for keepers, one for stuff to gamble with, and the last for high level generic IOs.

 

Craft every single yellow set recipe you have the right salvage for.  Doesn't matter if it's crap like a sleep or immobilize set.  Craft it and squirrel it away.

 

Use your 'odd' reward merits (anything not a multiple of 20, 50, or 100) to buy enhancement converters.  Use these to do in-type conversions (i.e. sleep set to sleep set) on the yellow junk you saved.  For most sets, especially at level 50, converting in type will convert an uncommon yellow to an orange rare.  You now have a rare IO from a junk set, and will be free to run one-unit rarity to rarity conversions until your rare IO lands on something one of your characters can eventually use.  The same holds true with purples: craft every one you get, even if it's Fortunata Hypnosis.  It only takes one converter to turn it into a different purple.  And if your salvage hoard is good enough you have all the rare salvage to craft anything that comes your way. 

 

Consider frankenslotting as well.  Set bonuses aren't quite as important as boosting the core functions of important powers.  Even if none of the set bonuses interest you, you can enhance accuracy, damage, and recharge on your attacks by dropping in mismatched yellow IOs of any type that fits.  You're getting more oomph with fewer slots that way, and that may be better than a set bonus. 

[EmmySky]

1 hour ago, RCU7115 said:

It's even cheaper to use lvl 25 IO's and achieve the same results. A lvl 25 IO is almost half the price of a lvl 30 IO.

I was told that level 25 IOs will equal SO-- as you level so I figured the inf investment will get me more power.  If I have the choice of running SO++ vs SO-- for 50k difference in price, I think the improvement is worth the cash, especially considering the IOs wont need replacing like actual SOs would.  

 

(As always, correct me if I am wrong.  I am just going by what I have been told and the learning process isnt complete until its verified lol)

[Nyghtmaire]

@Heracleais right on the money. This way, all your alts are working together at all times to amass a functional way to slot up all your characters.