Build Costs

[Erratic1]

So how much does a typical (not crazy top end, not crazy, cost cutting low end) IO build run?

 

I'm curious since my goal was to try to put together a "relatively" inexpensive build but then realized I had no idea what qualified as inexpensive.

[AboveTheChemist]

I consider my builds to be fairly middle-of-the-road, utilizing mostly rares, uncommons, and the typical PvP globals/procs (like the Panacea proc). I'll very rarely use ATOs and don't use purples. My builds run about 150 million, give or take 25 million. I think it also depends a lot on how patient you are willing to be on the market. Impatient players will pay a lot more than those willing to wait some time (days or even a week or two) for lower bids to fill.

[Erratic1]

I've collected 2/3rds of the IOs I have planned and am at 58 million spent so far. Most purchases have been under 2 million (I am pretty patient) and none have gotten to 4 million. I do have one purple set planned, but think I'll be under 100 million for everything else.

 

Thx for the feedback. It is cheap until I decide to go insane and make it not so cheap (but really, 6% Fire/Cold/Toxic/Psionic Resistance along with 15% Accuracy and 10% Recharge...just too good to not try for).

[Rathulfr]

35 minutes ago, Erratic1 said:

So how much does a typical (not crazy top end, not crazy, cost cutting low end) IO build run?

 

I'm curious since my goal was to try to put together a "relatively" inexpensive build but then realized I had no idea what qualified as inexpensive.

 

Depends on the AT, power sets, and build objectives (cap defense, max recharge, max HP/end, etc.).  For example, if you pay 5M each for 5 Luck of the Gambler +Global Recharge, that's 25M for only 5 IOs.  Being PvP IOs, the Panacea and Gladiator's Armor proc IOs can cost 5-10M each, for another 10-20M.  Purples can run that high as well, depending on the set, so 6 of those can be 30-60M.  Add those up, and you're well into the 100M+ range.

 

But not everybody builds that way for every AT/powerset combo.  I've built out chars for less than 50M, and a few for over 250M.  It's hard to determine a general average that applies across the board.

 

[Erratic1]

Just now, Rathulfr said:

 

It's hard to determine a general average that applies across the board.

 

Yeah, I was noticing the disparity in what it looks like would minimally suit my new brute versus what it is running on the scrapper I am currently working on.

[Flat Line]

Like others have said it really depends..

Personally, I just started a toon with 100 000 000 farmed with another character.

I ran death from bellow to level 20. Then bought the attuned Stamina and Heath slots I had in my build. As well as crafted IOs for everything else.

Then I started going through all the Auroboros missions from the begging. I’m using merits to buy more attuned enhancements as I level into them. I’m also making money and gaining levels as I go.

 

I really like this method. You get to enjoy all the best content. The initial investment is low at 100 000 000. It’s also enough that you can buy some extras like the 5000 inf jet pack.

 

The end build will be a lot more than 100 000 000. Especially because of what I’m buying with merits. But you kind of gain the rest naturally as you go through the missions. It doesn’t feel ‘grindy at all’

 

I just hit level 35 with this method. I’m probably going to stick to it. But there is also the option of doing MSRs for more merits. 

[Yomo Kimyata]

I'd say <500mm, probably significantly less.

[Bleuz]

My basic rad/fire farming build ran me around 35 mil(did do merit farming on missions) amd with 1 small purple was farming 3×8 till I have the 700ish mil its current build cost. 

 

Most basic IO builds that cost 25-35 mil can run solo(some classes need more) and do most of not all normal content solo amd in groups everything on 2-3x8. 

 

Just accept your dam output may not be killer but you can do it. Stuff like luck of the gambler just join groups. Do story acks enjoy the game and save up merit. Heck the class IOs can be gotten from merits also. Yes is 600 merits a set but It doesn't take as long as you think to get.

[tidge]

Ultimately "expense" is a very nebulous concept. Any player's first character should be the most 'expensive', but any level 50 can run content with regular IOs (which have an expense, but can be bought on the AH for relatively cheap prices) quickly for both merits and recipe/salvage drops (as well as raw Inf), and those can be used to either (a) build more wealth or (b) used directly on the character. Builds can look 'expensive' but only if you look at a level 50+ build with full suites of enhancements and imagine that you magically appear as a level 50 with nothing but a shopping list.

 

If the level 50 happens to be capable of much DPS against many enemy targets, there is a LOT of content across all levels that can be 'turned up' to x8 for even more drops/inf. Merit rewards will stay the same.

 

There are many guides to 'making bank', and there are many different paths to take. These days I start all of my new characters with 200 MInf (although practice shows I could start with much less) to buy P2W items and whatever enhancement pieces I want that haven't been squirreled away in the SG base. As the character levels, I use the market to make back the money spent, so from my PoV most every build 'costs' between 100M to 200M, but it's all made back (and then some) by level 50 with no sweat.

[Meknomancer]

Price will depend on how you play. If you have a 2nd account running as a farmer you can get most of what you need for nothing, it just drops or you can convert stuff to what you need. I email new toons 200mill for AT bits/packs and use the merits you get from those with the convertors and catalysts to make what i need without paying silly amounts of inf to the AH. The only stuff i regularly find myself buying are steadfast/miracle uniques or the odd pieces of low level 30 sets like cloud senses. A few weeks back i needed some rectified reticle pieces and saw them going for over 8-10 mill each and i won't pay prices like that when all you need is 20 min in ae and some low level bronze rolls to get your own. You can spend 1 bill on a toon but that 1 bill is inf thrown away at the AH by people who want everything instantly, AT pieces pre catalysed, crafted purples or whatever. You can get everything you need levelling up and just running tf's/grabbing explores/running ourob arcs for merits it will all come down to the amount of time you want to spend on a toon and how patient your prepared to be.

[Call Me Awesome]

I've had highly effective builds that would come in under 30 million, some even under 20 million.  I've also had builds that would be well over 500 million.

 

As an example, building a Blaster for ranged defense can be cheap since one of the best sets for that is Thunderstrike, an uncommon set that's pretty inexpensive to get.  Building up an Invuln tanker to soft capped S/L defenses can also be cheap, maybe even as cheap as 15 million if you're willing to slot extra powers with low end sets.  On the other hand if you're building for extreme recharge, say for a permanent-phantom army Illusion controller, it can get expensive in a hurry.

 

The good news is prices are considerably cheaper here than they used to be on Live where there were one or two IO's that would cost you 2 BILLION EACH.  Today I'd say save your merits to buy the more expensive IO's you need and use inf for the cheaper ones.  If you're short of inf then I'd suggest buying some cheap uncommon recipes, craft them, and use IO converters to turn them into more valuable ones to sell.  It's easy to rake in several million in 15 minutes or so doing that.  I'll tend to do that when I'm waiting on friends to log in or in other down times.

[Hew]

This is wildly random.

 

You can: 

Market easy targets for converter fodder or inf

Buy dirt cheap recipes, craft, convert in-group, then catalyze (which can actually be massively cheaper than other ways of getting things)

merit buy

farm

moar market

 

 

I can market up 10-20 mil inf in about 15 minutes or less of putzing half afk near a workbench w/ /ah access. 

 

Market is idle money. Merits can be turned into mass quantities of inf used appropriately with converters and _patience_. 

 

It is totally reasonable to spend 10mil inf + a ton of merits turned into converters to build an entire toon, over the course of a few weeks. Merits are easy to get, at 20 per pop per week for the Signature Story Arcs, starting at like level 10. Plus monster hunting teams for 6 per, and 10 for first kill of adamastor for the day.

 

VERY EASY to convert easy grab merits to huge inf stacks.

 

[DreadShinobi]

I prefer farming tfs over farming farms, so when it comes to IOing out a new character I have enormous amounts of merits to drop on getting the purples, pvp ios, atos, etc where i end up spending a minimal amount of actual inf currency.

[Zepp]

I'm sitting on over 10billion (I've given over 2.5 billion away), so what I think is inexpensive may be slightly different from what other players think is inexpensive. (I have a level 1 toon that got over 350m without earning a single xp.