The Drop challenge

[Ukase]

Those who know me know that I'm a bit eccentric, and often without a filter if you ask me if a dress makes you look fat. 

Regardless, part of my eccentricity has led me to make a second "drop challenge" character. 

My first time around, it was a tw/bio scrapper. The bio armor tended to simply things given the different adaptation options. So, this time around, I've gone with a dark/dark defender. My first time making one of these. 

So what is a drop challenge? 

1. No p2w (until level 50) 
2. No use of merits until 50. You earn 'em, you keep 'em until 50. 
3. No AE. 
4. You want enhancements? Use the ones that drop. Or craft the IO recipes you get - if you can afford them. You may use converters that DROP, not from AH nor from the exchange of merits (until level 50). 
5. AH is only used to sell surplus inventory, or anything in your inventory. And guess what? Other than crafting those IO recipes, you're not spending that inf on anything else. (I suppose you could blow some inf on a new costume if you could afford it.  But nothing from p2w or the AH) 
6. You can make a base and use the buff stations, teleports, crafting table.  No using any of the IOs an alt or sg mate may have left in a bin. You're strictly independent. 
7. You can use any temp power you EARN in game, like the raptor pack from a safeguard mission. Or a shivan. 

8. Absolutely no teaming with anyone. Nobody wants your crippled character on their team. Besides, you should be too proud to team up playing as vulnerable as this. 
9. If you die, delete and start over! Would you believe my new defender died at level 1 against two level 3 Hellions, lol? I only had 2 bars of xp and had to start over! 

I share all that to ask this question: is there some method in game of earning an end mod recipe? The invention tutorial seems to only offer Accuracy, Damage and Recharge recipes. Useful, but not what I really need. I've got Shadow Fall, but can't run it while fighting. Level 13 and all I have in stamina is a level 11 End Mod Dual Origin. 
Gotta be some nifty trick. 

I think my rules are too harsh, lol. 

Edited July 11, 2021 by Ukase

[Luminara]

37 minutes ago, Ukase said:

I think my rules are too harsh, lol.

 

So do I.  I abide by a lot of restrictions I set for myself, leveling characters without hand-me-downs or inheritances, but not using merits or the AH is just out of the question.  I earned the merits, I earned the inf*, I'm damn well going to put them to use making the game less frustrating by hitting the AH and fixing the problems I encounter (like missing over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over... fuck that noise, i'm not playing to test my patience, i can do that on the forums).

[Yomo Kimyata]

I mentioned in another post that I'm doing something similar on a lot of my "challenge" alts.  

 

No P2W.  As @Rathulfr mentioned in another thread, Reveal was the hardest to give up, followed by Athletic Run, and finally any sort of jetpack.

No AH.  Can't buy anything; can't sell anything.

 

That's it.  All vendors are fair game.  The basic strategy is to sell all your enhancement drops or unneeded items to the vendor.  Early on, strategically buy SOs when you can afford them.  Accumulate merits and swap them out for converters.  Then when IO sets start dropping, craft what you can and convert it to something you can use.  There's some real strategy in figuring out what to craft and what to sell.  Salvage can be a drag because you can't reliably farm for specific uncommon or rare salvage, but fortunately you can exchange AE tickets for specific ones.

 

In theory, I should be inf flow positive and well equipped with SOs by ?late teens/early 20s? with occasional IOs slotted.  That's if I don't die, that is.

[Ukase]

Well, in pursuit of an Accuracy SO...my poor Dark/Dark defender had to get deleted. 
I recalled that the first SSA out of Skyway was super easy...and it really should have been easy. But I only had a level 10 IO in Twilight Grasp, and it missed at a most inopportune time. So, at level 14, poof, dead and now deleted. 

Back to the drawing board. I'll re-try the dark/dark, because there's still a lot left to experience. This time, I think I'll choose a different origin. I usually go magic to get the spelunker  badge mission outside of ouro. This time, I think given the huge number of science and mutation DOs I was picking up in the earlier levels, that's the way to go. 

I had thought about AE missions for specific salvage...but I'd already made the rule to not use AE. It's interesting, though. 

It's helped me remember how I used to do a lot of things before IOs were a thing. I mean, I got my raptor pack at level 7, two hours worth. I probably will never use it up, lol. I just use it to get vertical for various explorations. 

I am thinking though, that the only way to make it manageable is to get really lucky with the rng for end mod enhancements or IO recipes. And even my farmers that tear through +4/8 hardly ever get either of those. So..I am going to rethink the rules a bit. 

Thanks, all. 

 

[DrZeus]

I admit, most of these rules seem odd to me because I don't consider them a challenge... I just always do them anyway.  I never use the auction house.. I do buy enhancements, but you level so quickly now that you run or of influence really fast so I don't really worry enjoy enhancements until my 20's.

 

The one part I don't do is only use things that drop. Good idea. ( and the hardcore mode)

 

It throws me you'd say not to team because you're crippled. You're not.  You're fine, just not trying to be uber. You're a street level hero.   I could see being anxious about teaming but only because in hardcore mode... Death is more likely in a team, and obviously you'd want to avoid any powerleveling teams just because of death and the lack of fun.

[Snarky]

Danged Ukase.  I read this last night and was like "this is madness."  I came over this morning to give a thumbs up to the hardcore gamer and was like....ooooohhhh  lol.  

 

Good luck with this.  Of course, I know you will do well.  I am pretty sure with a little luck you will have a decent build as well.  

 

Well, Thumbs up!

 

 

 

[Hew]

I dont know when catalysts fall (just at 50?). if they drop at below 50 (i don't think they do), you can catalyze all your drops to have reasonable values as you grow.

[Shred Monkey]

I think I'd allow merit usage.  Relying on drops is too harsh in a game where drops are all random.  If there was a way to target drops in this game (why have so many RPGs abandoned that?) then this would be more reasonable. 

 

I'd probably just plan a toon based on not needing enhancements.  Probably a brute for unenhanced damage... maybe claws/rad or claws/regen brute for endurance efficiency and easy attack chain.  

[Snarky]

Ukase is one of the more stubborn individuals you might meet.  (A high compliment from me!) I can see the reasoning behind the process and realize good, bad, or ugly that the project will cross the finish line.  But yeah, a Dark/Dark Defender seems a tough run.  

 

I think it will mostly come down to RNG.  Store inspirations in the base and use the allowable base equipment.  Take it one mission at a time.  Upgrade those DOs and SOs....that is allowed?

[Bionic_Flea]

Endurance modification drops are rarer than purples!  They do drop, but very, very rarely.  The only thing I can think of is doing one of those missions that give an SO table on mission or arc completion.  Do those still exist?  Even if they do, I don't remember if they had end. mod.  But they probably didn't.  Sorry, I wasn't very helpful.

 

U-to-the-Max-kase!

 

Ah ha!  This is at least helpful information.  https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Enhancements#Drop_Rates

Edited July 12, 2021 by Bionic_Flea

[Snarky]

9 minutes ago, Bionic_Flea said:

U-to-the-Max-kase!

 

Once I met Ukase I realized what DJ Zero was saying in Pocket D allatime...  UKASE IN DA HOUSE!!!!!

[Luminara]

3 hours ago, Snarky said:

Ukase is one of the more stubborn individuals you might meet.

[iBot]

Gotta hand it to ya there @Ukase.  I've tried the "slot only what drops" route a few times and I usually last until about level 2 and then say "oh hell no".  I tried to make my latest farmer self found but got bored around level 30 and started slotting.  Way more fun now for me.  Good luck!  Do keep us posted.  Reading these sorts of things always reminds me not to do it myself.

[Doomguide2005]

Empowerment buff station tier 2 or 3 --> recovery serum should mostly end any endurance woes since you're allowing sg buff stations.  The the issue is getting the salvage to drop instead of endmod recipes or IOs.

[Ukase]

Recovery serum is a purchased temp from p2w - sadly, not allowed. And at the lower levels, I looked and either lacked the salvage for recovery buff, or it wasn't available to my lowby. In any event, as you saw, I had to start over! 

I'm going to rethink my rules a little bit. No sense turning a game into a grind, right? 

[Yomo Kimyata]

Can you save salvage and inspirations for yourself in your base under your rules?  Especially inspirations that drop in the first few levels before you really need them?

[Ukase]

I could - but salvage has ordinarily been something I didn't save - too cheap to mess with storage. My base has nothing but purples stashed, and a couple of insp bins with super insps for rhw and MoTFs. 

I did make a new base for this character tho, so that's something I could do. Sadly, at level 14, there just wasn't much by way of salvage to need base storage. And, lol, once I deleted it - the base went with it, I imagine, as there were no other members. 

 

[Zhym]

23 hours ago, Ukase said:

8. Absolutely no teaming with anyone. Nobody wants your crippled character on their team. Besides, you should be too proud to team up playing as vulnerable as this. 
9. If you die, delete and start over! Would you believe my new defender died at level 1 against two level 3 Hellions, lol? I only had 2 bars of xp and had to start over! 

 

I was with you until these points.

 

A no-market restriction makes sense if you want to play old-school: the market makes the game a lot easier to play and vastly improves QOL, but it's also kind of broken and overpowered (when the inf received from missions and enemy defeats is essentially meaningless, that's a sign that something is really unbalanced, IMO.  In this case, it's happens to be unbalanced in a way that most players like).  So having a character use only drops and enhancements they can buy from regular vendors using inf that drops?  That's a very Issue 0 challenge, and I applaud it.  

 

But not teaming with anyone is a bit too much.  I get why it would be cheating to join most groups, since you'd still be taking advantage of the market and its cheap IOs, you'd just be doing it indirectly.  But if you could find other players who are also playing the "drop challenge," that seems entirely within the spirit of the challenge.

 

As for deleting on defeat: nope, not my jam.  I am not and will never be that hardcore.   

Edited July 12, 2021 by Zhym

[Ukase]

I respect your perspective, but I have done this challenge before. Everyone quits. And getting people to meet consistently for a specific time without such constraints is hard enough. And, golden rule - do unto others. I wouldn't want someone with a deliberately crippled build on my team in any circumstance. Why would I want to carry someone along with so many ways to be kitted out? It just wouldn't be fair to anyone else - that's the reason for the no teaming rule. 

Even a new player can afford a few enhancements given access to the market/AE, etc. But in my case, I was level 12, half of my slots were empty. It just wouldn't be fair to other players to carry me along. Additionally, with a "defeat you delete" proviso, teaming with unknown players is a HUGE risk. There are so many players who create chaos without meaning to, causing various team wipes due to one or more players splitting off and attacking a different crowd of npcs. No sense inviting that kind of risk on a defeat/delete character. 

Granted - if there were like-minded folks, that would be different, but how many people are that insane? Not many, and finding a consistent time would limit that pool even further. Thus the rule. 

[Yomo Kimyata]

If only there were some name, some catch phrase we could give to such a solo-oriented challenge...

 

[cranebump]

Sure, I'll bite. Lemme figure out what to run. With nothing but drops, I'm gonna want something that gives me a movement boost as an inherent. I like tah move it, move it, after all.:-)

 

Went with all the KB: Nrgy/Nrgy Blastage, like my first real toon back in the day. We who are about to faceplant give you a hearty wave. (guess I don't care about inherent travel as much as I thought)

Edited July 13, 2021 by cranebump

[Yomo Kimyata]

Recipes are your lifeblood, so don’t forget to get the Ouroboros day job ASAP.

[EmperorSteele]

I think DFB has a reward option that increases your End Recovery, and it only drops SOs... oh, wait, "no teaming". Nvmnd =/

[DoctorDitko]

DFB is soloable now.

Not that you'd know it from the LFG spam.

 

[Ukase]

On 7/12/2021 at 5:27 AM, DrZeus said:

It throws me you'd say not to team because you're crippled. You're not.  You're fine, just not trying to be uber. You're a street level hero.   I could see being anxious about teaming but only because in hardcore mode... Death is more likely in a team, and obviously you'd want to avoid any powerleveling teams just because of death and the lack of fun.

How do I put this without coming off like an a$$...well, I probably lack the eloquence, so I'll just say it. 
Every player has the right to play they want to, to play in a manner that's fun for them. 


That said, for me, to not outfit my characters with what I think are the best IOs is crippling. I wouldn't respect myself to just play with SOs outside of a challenge concept. And yes, I DO judge other players if I don't see IOs in their build. I consider them casual players and not as invested in performing well. If that's the way you play - that's perfectly okay, it just tells me I am different than you and seek a different game experience. I run with a crowd of speeders. Gotta be able to keep up, and I want to be sure I'm contributing. Trust me, in comparison to my other characters, even at level 14, they are crippled. 

Steadfast Protection 3% Def
Glad Armor 3% Def
Shield Wall 5% resist

Those three IOs can be slotted at level 7. And EVERY character of mine, outside of these silly challenges will have those slotted and more. By comparison, not even having an end mod DO enhancement, having to stop and rest after each fight...yeah, it's crippled. Super-crippled. 

It's hard to remember how ineffective characters were before IOs, but this challenge was a good reminder.