Exemplar mechanics for a project toon

[NihilXAOS]

Now that I've got a few 50's and a cool dozen or so alts slowly making their way through the levels I've got another project I want to work on.

 

I'm one of those weirdos who loves playing the pre-50 content as much as the post-50 content. I like the challenge of levelling, and all the ugly things that come with it. I also have this weird thing about not shuffling too much money between toons. Maybe a bit to overcome the lack of training enhancements (seriously, did anyone consider the new player experience with this one?).

 

So my next thing is to make a toon to solo everything. Basically work 'em up to 50-ish, and then go through all of the taskforces, ouroboros missions, strikeforces, and whatnot with all of the EB's, AV's and GM's turned on. Not a ridiculous thing, I think. I've heard of others doing it. So in the end, a toon who isn't ponderously expensive who can exemp down to go through all of the fun content.

Which brings me to my question(s). What's the best way to handle IOs to make sure as much of their functionality exemps down with me as possible? I'm missing something because when I exemp my 50's their IO bonuses tend to disappear, even when I'd think they should be there. Is there a handy rule of thumb like "don't use Enhancement Catalysts" or "do use Enhancement Catalysts" I could follow?

Also, thoughts on fun AT's or power sets? I'm hoping to do this with a few different toons, so I'm looking for some interesting/unusual ideas I can work into a concept.

[Ironblade]

Back in the early days when the game was 'live' and I was poor, I built my empathy defender with IO sets across a range of levels.  That way I would have at least some set bonuses down as far as level 20.

When I recreated him on Homecoming, I put in PvP sets and purples.  I would say your first step is to use as many purple, PvP and ATO sets as make sense in the build.  These have the dual advantage of keeping their set bonuses no matter how low you exemp AND having better-than-average set bonuses.

I'm guessing the reason some of your bonuses disappear when you think you should have them is because you are exemping below the minimum level of that set.  If you have level 50 IO's and attune them, they will remain effective and give their bonuses when you exemp UNTIL you get below the minimum level.  If the set only exists in the 30-50 range and you exemp to 25, you lose the bonuses.  They will still enhance your powers (scaled down appropriately) but the bonuses go poof.

[Doc_Scorpion]

3 hours ago, NihilXAOS said:

I also have this weird thing about not shuffling too much money between toons. Maybe a bit to overcome the lack of training enhancements (seriously, did anyone consider the new player experience with this one?).

It was brought up to the Dev team during early Beta testing...   That being said, the Quartermaster NPC's you can place in your base still sell TOs.

[Psyonico]

4 hours ago, NihilXAOS said:

Is there a handy rule of thumb like "don't use Enhancement Catalysts" or "do use Enhancement Catalysts" I could follow?

Do use enhancement Catalysts, then you'll keep your set bonus for the entire range of when an IO is available (ie: Miracle will keep your set bonuses down to level 17), but you will also benefit from higher IO values in the later game (ie: Miracle IOs will go up to level 40 value)

 

That being said, just buying Attuned IOs from the market is the better option and save your catalysts for Winters and ATOs since they can be made superior.

[Snarky]

Globals
Set-Like Special IOs

The first type of special IO is a "Global". A global grants a constant benefit like a Set Bonus does. In fact, a Global IO grants you a set bonus that requires only itself. Thus all the rules (still works in grayed-out powers, stops working if you exemplar more than 3 levels below the enhancements level, the "Law of Fives") for set bonuses also apply to Globals.

So, for example, a level 20 Karma Knockback Protection Global slotted in a level 49 power will still work if the character is exemplared to level 17 and the level 49 power is greyed out. But Karma's Knockback Protection will stop working when exemplared to level 16 – more than three levels under the Special IO itself. If that level 20 Karma was put into Hover which was picked up at level 6, then the Karma would still stop working if exemplared to level 16, even though Hover is still working.
There are two (currently, maybe more to come) Global PvP Special IOs that are excepted from the under-exemplaring rule. If it's a PvP Special IO, it will never turn off from exemplaring.

 

Procs
All the other Special IOs are called 'Procs.'

Unlike the Globals, Procs depend on the power they are slotted in to be activated in order to work. If the power isn't activated, then no benefit from the Proc. Consequently, exemplaring lower than the level of the power means the power is greyed out and can't be used (even passive powers follow that rule), which means the Proc won't work. However, the upside of Procs is that if the power is active, the Proc always work, even if you exemplar way below the level of the Proc. Procs don't follow the -3 level rule that Globals and Set Bonuses do.

[Doomguide2005]

@Snarky, @Psyonico and @Ironblade did an excellent job of summing up the important points of exemplar effects on IOs in their posts above.

 

I'd be very tempted to use 1 build to exemp through levels up to 20 or 25 and another to cover from that point up to 50 and the 3rd for 50+ Incarnate content for a special project of this nature.

 

[NihilXAOS]

1 hour ago, Doomguide2005 said:

@Snarky, @Psyonico and @Ironblade did an excellent job of summing up the important points of exemplar effects on IOs in their posts above.

 

I'd be very tempted to use 1 build to exemp through levels up to 20 or 25 and another to cover from that point up to 50 and the 3rd for 50+ Incarnate content for a special project of this nature.

 

 

Yes, I understand things much better now. Thank you all, you rock!

 

I'm thinking of starting off the build for exemping the lower level content, and then adjusting it for the higher stuff as I go along. Kind of doing the whole thing in level order (I should make myself a spreadsheet). I don't think I want to go through the same stuff twice with the same toon. And with a little luck I can recycle some of the enhancements for the lower level stuff into the next one to try. 

 

My current plan is to start with heavy defense/res, then move to heavy control/debuff, and try straight up heavy damage. I have a rad/dark tank partially worked up for phase 1. 

[Braddack]

For your new Toon, i can say my Dark Meele / SuperReflex Brute has done all content and is an blast to play Solo and in teams.

you can build him with normal Sets and he still preforms great with maxed Defense and hard hitting Attacks. So he can be pretty cheap to build.

 

Edited January 30, 2021 by Braddack

[Snarky]

8 hours ago, NihilXAOS said:

 

Yes, I understand things much better now. Thank you all, you rock!

 

I'm thinking of starting off the build for exemping the lower level content, and then adjusting it for the higher stuff as I go along. Kind of doing the whole thing in level order (I should make myself a spreadsheet). I don't think I want to go through the same stuff twice with the same toon. And with a little luck I can recycle some of the enhancements for the lower level stuff into the next one to try. 

 

My current plan is to start with heavy defense/res, then move to heavy control/debuff, and try straight up heavy damage. I have a rad/dark tank partially worked up for phase 1. 

I love a maniacally difficult project.  But you may be overthinking this.  Especially on a Brute.  I regularly (once a year?) take a Brute from 1-50 doing EVERY Redside contact, every story arc, every side mission.  Stopping experience to do so.  This "Levelling character" has access to far fewer enhancement slots than an exemplared character.  Power is not even a vague issue.  Okay, I do remember hunting Slag Golems at 20 on Sharkhead with a SS/Will Brute on live.  ooof, I should have used temps now that I look back.  My builds I keep (maybe 8?) are all purpled, winterized, PvP i/o, procs globals, pimp'd out builds.  They laugh at any content when exemplared, even if I go help someone who has dialed up +4/x8 and cannot complete what they created.  (has happened, very rare)  I do eat more inspirations there.  So, last point.  Your inspiration tray.  Does not go away when exemplared down.  Gives you access to what any 10-30th level would think of as game changing amounts of power.  

 

Definitely chase the fun stuff.  If this is what you find amusing then you are on the right track.  But just pointing out you have a LOT of overhead clearance.

[Doomguide2005]

I'll double down on what @Snarkysays about your inspires and tray.  A full tray of 20 inspires, especially the higher tier ones, is a huge edge when doing low exemplar work vs an at level character.  I've dropped low enough helping a friend to see purple mobs while street sweeping in AP and being able to chug inspires was a big factor in taking them on.

    The reason I mentioned doing multiple builds was to be able to slot lower level IO sets that normally wouldn't be used later on while keeping some useful if smaller value set bonuses.  It would be admittedly sort of an experiment.  But when was the last time you saw a full set of Karma, Regenerative Tissue, or Kismet slotted?  They have very useful types of set bonuses they're just superceded by the higher value set bonuses in better enhancement valued IO sets.  But those bonuses would follow you down as low as 7th (in the ones above for example) unlike the higher value IOs like Red Fortune or LotG which would drop off below 22nd.  Then, rather than lose them all to be replaced, the alt build would retain them in case you wanted to again exemp low.  But again it be an experiment to see just how much difference having 5×3% accuracy or 5×1.5% recovery bonuses would actually make.  Especially given all the Purple and ATO sets already in everything.

    It would also allow different power choice progressions based on what would or would not be grayed out.

[Grouchybeast]

If your plan is to solo your way through everything, including TFs, then you should definitely consider an Ill/Rad Controller.  They were soloing AVs before IOs were, uh, invented.