A Silly Journey

[Ukase]

I mistakenly put this post in the Guides section yesterday and have since hidden it because I couldn't move it or delete it. At least, I wasn't smart enough to figure out how. But, anyway - 

If we're in here, it's presumed we're a bit nuts about badges. There's a number of folks making their way through their first character to the current badge count of 1547. 

There's a smaller number making their way through a second, third, even up to a 5th or 6th badge character. 

I've completed one, have two waiting for Luna & her event badges, and 3 more bringing up the rear, with one of those three having just over 1400. 

 

But,  I got to thinking...maybe there's a more efficient way...a path. Not just focusing on arcs and Accomplishments & Accolades before worrying about Achievements & defeats, but outlining a path where a majority of badges are earned just through game play, as opposed to farming or hunting. 

I set out to make a document, with timely turning off of XP, to ensure not out-leveling contacts. It then occurred to me that this isn't terribly efficient. It takes the character a long time to level up (not a big deal), but if the character starts gold, it would still have to do the blue and red content through ouro. And of course, there's still the challenge badges. There is no clear path. And I'm not sure there's a complicated one let alone a clear one. 

But, before I just opt to level a character fairly normally, and then just do the ouro arcs from low to high, one alignment at a time, I would just ask if someone has laid out a fairly efficient path so I don't have to reinvent the figurative wheel. 

If leveling through content, as opposed to AE, do you all try to do the zone arcs (Hollows, Faultline, Striga, Croatoa, RWZ), and go back and tackle the Mercy Island arcs through ouro? Or level up gold side, and then do blue and red through ouro? 

What's your approach? 

 

[Glacier Peak]

This post got me thinking about my badger's journey. I remember wanting to do red side and blue side contacts before moving on to the next level bracket. I did this until the mid 20s and quickly became more interested in incarnate trials. It was Ouroborus ever since. If I had to do it again, I'd do Goldside because they've got different looking badges and then Ouro back blue and red content. 

[Ukase]

To me  - for sheer efficiency's sake, it seems beneficial to wait until 50 to do the gold side stuff, primarily because the arcs are so short, you can chip away at them a little at a time, and since almost all of them are only 4 missions long. If you had to quit the arc, you wouldn't lose that much, unlike something like Freaklympics, which would take a fair time investment. 

Still going to have to do 3 of the 4 patrons' arcs through ouro, but it may be worth it to try and get one done at 35, work through that, then visit rwz for those arcs you can do before you hit 50. 

A friend pointed out that every badger should do Pither's Efficiency Expert as soon as possible, simply because if you have an issue (like your video card melting - true story, it happened to an sg mate.) you don't want to be 1400 badges in and realize you're going to miss one. 
The more I think about it - I don't think there is going to be one right answer for an efficient path for everyone. But I'd appreciate everyone's thoughts just the same.