Purples vs. Oranges

[Grouchybeast]

On 6/8/2020 at 10:29 PM, Living_Hellfire said:

Okay... soooo... followup question. Let's assume for a moment, hypothetically that I have this *ahem* "friend" who already has some purple sets slotted but I already... I mean HE already attuned them. Is it worthwhile, assuming I can afford it (and I can because I'm The Legendary Living Hellfire), to replace them with fresh enhancements in order to bump them to +5?

If you do decide to swap for boosted purples, then you need to consider the effect of ED on the end result.  There's not really much point spending millions of inf on boosting damage, if you end up with a trivial actual increase because almost all the boost has been swallowed up by ED.

 

This also goes for slotting purple sets in the first place.  Unless you really want the six-slot bonus, then it's often pretty pointless slotting the pure Dam IO from a purple set, versus the benefit you could get by either slotting a proc, slotting extra recharge/end reduction/range/whatever, or moving the slot to another power.

 

(I also have a fire blaster main, and while I lavish love on her, the only purple set she has is 5/6 of a Ragnarok.  What she has instead is capped ranged def from a mix of orange and yellow sets and the Blaster ATOs.)

[CaptainLupis]

1 hour ago, Grouchybeast said:

If you do decide to swap for boosted purples, then you need to consider the effect of ED on the end result.  There's not really much point spending millions of inf on boosting damage, if you end up with a trivial actual increase because almost all the boost has been swallowed up by ED.

 

This also goes for slotting purple sets in the first place.  Unless you really want the six-slot bonus, then it's often pretty pointless slotting the pure Dam IO from a purple set, versus the benefit you could get by either slotting a proc, slotting extra recharge/end reduction/range/whatever, or moving the slot to another power.

 

(I also have a fire blaster main, and while I lavish love on her, the only purple set she has is 5/6 of a Ragnarok.  What she has instead is capped ranged def from a mix of orange and yellow sets and the Blaster ATOs.)

I went for softcapped ranged and smash/lethal def on my fire/atomic blaster. Not a single purple or ATO in the whole build, and it is still a bit of a beast. By contrast my StJ/SR stalker has 2 full purple sets  and 5 from a third, plus both full ATO sets. It's very much horses for courses as to what is better for any individual build.

[tidge]

My unscientific approach to the Purple/PVP/ATO/Winter/Overwhelming Force follows. I'm a Global Recharge junkie and an Ebil marketeer.

 

Generally, the Very Rare / Purple benefits I'm chasing:

• Global Accuracy  +15% at 4 pieces
• Global Recharge +10% at 5 pieces
• Better for %Damage procs (higher rates, higher damage)

I appreciate the 'complete level scaling', as well as the typical boost to Endurance/Recovery Very Rare's often bring.

 

Archetype IOs (ATO) are a mixed bag for me:

• I usually try to slot the 'good' proc(s) ASAP.
• If desired for end-build, I will usually try to slot the ATOs as well, under the theory that 'every little bit (of global bonus) helps'.

What I look for in the PVPs (and Overwhelming Force) at lvl 10:

• Panacea proc in Health, ASAP. Shield Wall and Gladiator's Armor as soon as a power is available to take them.
• While leveling, PVP/OF are usually my choice as placeholder IOs in attacks (depending on ATO use)
• Because PVP IOs drop at all levels, my SG has plenty of attuned PVPs for use by low levels. I typically swap the attuned ones for level 50s in a level 50 respec.

Winter IOs are very rarely used in my builds. The main reason I go for them is to fill a specific need for particular Resistance/Defense. Ice builds can make nice thematic use of the procs.

 

There are plenty of excellent IO set bonuses to be had outside of the Purple/PVP/ATO/Winter/Overwhelming Force pieces. I am partial to:

• Preventive Medicine: An +Absorb proc, with global bonuses to Health, Endurance and Recharge.
• Gaussian's blah blah: A %Build Up proc, with global bonuses to Health, Recovery and Defense(s)
• Mocking Beratement: A nice recharge boost at 6-pieces, but lots of Defense boosts along the way
• Thunderstrike: Beefy Ranged/Energy/Negative Defense boosts

The following sets have '1-piece wonders' which can be expanded to some other bonuses, once a power that takes them is chosen:

• Blessing of the Zephyr: Knockback resistance, with Defense boosts for extra pieces.
• Winter's Gift: Slow resistance
• Reactive Defenses: Scaling Damage Resistance, with Resistances/Defenses and a 8.75% recharge boost
• Unbreakable Guard: +Health, with an Endurance discount and Resistances/Defenses
• Kisment: Accuracy (really 'ToHit') Bonus
• Steadfast Protection (3% Defense Global)

Other will discuss the Health/Stamina slotting with procs and/or global bonuses. Generally I favor slotting for Endurance/Recovery over Health/Regeneration, but mileage varies. I do suggest that players look at their Health/Regeneration numbers before blindly slotting a Regeneration bonus. The same goes for Endurance/Recovery (of course), but my experience is that for most content players 'spend' Endurance at a higher rate than enemies 'tax' Health.