What happens when you pass 50 and hit "Incarnate" level?

[Black Talon]

I've done a search for this - all too brief, it could be argued; the search-fu wasn't all that fu-lish - and haven't found a relevant thread.  So here's the point:

 

My main alt - Black Talon, pick your jaw up off the floor, it's not as big a surprise as some might take it to be - hit 50 some days ago, the first of my alts to do so.  Been fooling around since that point, working on arcs-in-progress and adjusting the levels in order to keep it at least halfway interesting.  The thing is, he is now literally one notch (4,000 xp or so) from hitting 51.  What happens at this level?  He's managed to accumulate about three dozen Incarnate "threads" as salvage, as well as a couple of rare Incarnate salvage pieces; what the heck does he do with those?

 

I will state that, if this involves an invention-heavy time/cash investment, my interest in the whole inventions thing is pretty much nil.  Otherwise, some insight into this game-engine addition - which I'm presuming has occurred following the Homecoming initiation - so that B.T. can make the most of his advancement would be much appreciated.

[Zhym]

The incarnate system is pretty arcane and hard to understand.  Fortunately, there are some guides on the forums.  Here are three:

 

 

 

 

 

[Jacktar]

Hi, you go to Oroborus and talk to the Incarnate contact over by Luna and start the lvl 50 content.

Also check out Incarnate system in your search on the web or in our forums

Also ask any questions you have whilst ingame, we will all help you np.

 

[Jacktar]

Sorry forgot to say, you could also go redside and do all that content or stay blue and do all the content you missed on your way to 50.

Also get all the badges if that interests you, but what I mean is that the Incarnate system is just one of a list of stuff you can do at 50.

Enjoy.

[Triumphant]

@Black Talon Zhym's links are what you need.  👍

[Aurora_Girl]

It's a lot. LOT. Less time and effort intensive now than it was when it was first implemented. 

[Greycat]

1 hour ago, Black Talon said:

I will state that, if this involves an invention-heavy time/cash investment, my interest in the whole inventions thing is pretty much nil.  Otherwise, some insight into this game-engine addition - which I'm presuming has occurred following the Homecoming initiation - so that B.T. can make the most of his advancement would be much appreciated.

 

Incarnates came along during the late, late live game. The only thing SCORE or Homecoming has done with it is allow the Hybrid slot and prune the tree above that (and, honestly, simplified things a little.)

 

We *were* going to have another tier of powers above it (with Hybrid at the "root," just like Alpha is for the first sets,) with their own "Advanced IXP" or whatever they were calling it.  You'd have Hybrid (finished/enabled here,) Genesis, Mind, Vitae and Omega - presumably all this would have been tied into the Coming Storm. If I'm remembering properly - probably from AMAs - there would have been a tree introduced on top of that, and potentially one on top of that.... all of which, honestly, would have gotten really annoying (and just added to the whole overpowered-ness.)

 

Incarnates have absolutely nothing to do with inventions. You can be an Incarnate and still run on SOs. You may have issues during some incarnate content if you try it, but it's doable.

 

As far as time investment? Spend a little time reading up on and/or asking about the powers. While you're doing that, play content. Play task forces, go on MSRs - you don't even have to go through the Mender Ramiel arc, if you don't want to (though I generally prefer playing it and rushing through it, since it can be done quickly and I hate "wasting" the Incarnate experience to unlock Alpha.) You'll occasionally notice (or, well, not if you're in an MSR... lots of "merit earned" messages there to tune out) judgement, lore, etc. unlocked messages. Don't even have to do Incarnate content (though that'll be quicker.) You'll also just get threads and shards dropping, and every third "level" after 50 (think it's every third) for a while you'll get Empyrians and such dropped on you (through VL99.) That last is a score/homecoming change. Makes it even easier to get your powers built up.

[PLVRIZR]

3 hours ago, Black Talon said:

  The thing is, he is now literally one notch (4,000 xp or so) from hitting 51.  What happens at this level?  

 

 

It *really* gets rolling at 53 (vet lvl 3), when you start getting Empyrean merits, in earnest.  About vet level 12, you've got enough Emp merits and threads to get T3 in four (if not all five) incarnate slots.  THEN you really hit the pinnacle of this game.

[Clave Dark 5]

Still not all that sold on Incarnate stuff personally.  When I hit 50 it's often time to give in and play that new alt I've been itching to try out anyway.  😀

[Without_Pause]

I saw a vet level 130 with no sign of using incarnates, so you don't "have" to do it. I will say life as a player gets easier if you simply go T3 on the alpha slot since you now are level 50(+1). Depending on the build, just getting that amount of the incarnate system can be a decent boon to a character, see fixing end issues. Two additional levels are possible for Incarnate specific content, but again, that is less "required."

[Without_Pause]

1 minute ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

Still not all that sold on Incarnate stuff personally.  When I hit 50 it's often time to give in and play that new alt I've been itching to try out anyway.  😀

For me, I go getting the four stat boosting accolades, IO sets, and then Incarnates if I'm will to go all in. I'm honestly fine with not doing so on various builds. We are talking a various amounts of hundreds of thousands of currency to fully IO and 80+ levels of play to T4 everything. Sometimes it is just nice to go out and play a build for the sake of it versus feeling the need to fully pimp it out as well. I have roughly 30 characters. I am close to having two done.

[Grouchybeast]

One really key part is that on the live servers, the Incarnate system was a nonsensical labyrinth of different types of XP and currencies, that meant you needed to grind particular incarnate trials in a particular order to make your way through it.

 

On HC is this massively simplified: playing any content will gain incarnate XP that will unlock your incarnate powers in time, and levelling up through veteran levels will give you components that you need to craft enhancements to use those powers.  You can still choose to speed the process up by playing incarnate-level content that will give you drops to move you through the process a bit faster, and the guides people have linked above will tell you how.  Otherwise you can just keep playing the game, and everything will automagically unlock without you needed to pay any attention to it at all.  So rest assured that you won't be screwing anything up by not focusing on the incarnate system right away (or ever).

 

The other key part is that when you finally track down the the UI for crafting incarnate enhancements, there is a ridiculously non-obvious scroll bar on the right that lets you scroll down to see all the alternate recipes to craft each enhancement.  Finding that scroll bar is now probably the single hardest part of the incarnate process.

[arcane]

17 hours ago, Jacktar said:

Hi, you go to Oroborus and talk to the Incarnate contact over by Luna and start the lvl 50 content.

Also check out Incarnate system in your search on the web or in our forums

Also ask any questions you have whilst ingame, we will all help you np.

 

You also don’t have to do this. Your Alpha will unlock automatically from normal gameplay. I haven’t seen Trapdoor since Live.

[Carnifax]

28 minutes ago, arcane said:

You also don’t have to do this. Your Alpha will unlock automatically from normal gameplay. I haven’t seen Trapdoor since Live.

He misses you and is always asking why you never call 

 

12 hours ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

Still not all that sold on Incarnate stuff personally.  When I hit 50 it's often time to give in and play that new alt I've been itching to try out anyway.  😀

This is what I usually do too. I'll do the Dark Astoria arcs for as long as I can tolerate the dark maps but the incarnate powers themselves are much less appealing than some new combo to try out.

[Maelwys]

Because it hasn't yet been expressly pointed out:

AS YOU HIT VETERAN LEVEL 3 AND HIGHER, YOU WILL GAIN EMPYREAN MERITS. DO NOT WASTE THESE BY CONVERTING THEM INTO ANYTHING OTHER THAN "RARE" OR "VERY RARE" INCARNATE COMPONENTS UNTIL YOU HIT TIER 4 ON ALL YOUR INCARNATE SLOT ABILITIES.

https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Veteran_Levels#Empyrean_Merits
https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Incarnate_System#Ability_List 

If you're a newcomer to the whole Incarnate system, then the short version is that Alpha slots and Interface slots are "passive" buffs which are always-on. Judgement is a "click" attack that is basically like a Blaster's Nuke. The Lore slot is a "click" summon ability which has a decent uptime. The Destiny slot is a "click" buff which can effectively become permanent at highest tiers (the effectiveness drops off over time; but a little bit of the buff lasts until all 120 seconds of its recharge time are up). The Hybrid slot is a "toggle" that has a maximum uptime of 120 seconds before it automatically detoggles and then takes another 120 seconds to recharge.

The Alpha slot is the one you want to get to Tier #3 as soon as possible, as whenever you equip a T3 or T4 Alpha ability you become "level 51" in all content.
Alpha slot is also the only slot that you can build with either Incarnate Shards or Incarnate Threads (there are two seperate recipes listed for each Alpha Slot ability!)

The usual recommendation is to go T3 Alpha --> T3 Interface --> T3 Destiny/Lore (these give you a +1 level buff during "Incarnate Content") -> T3 Others; then T4 whatever you want.

You can transfer Empyrean Merits to other characters on your account; and you can earn extra by running the missions in Dark Astoria, perhaps most notably Heather Townshend's arc - see https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Heather_Townshend (note that completion of story arcs gives one merit and a choice between another merit and salvage. Generally it's most efficient to go with the salvage)

 

Edited October 4, 2021 by Maelwys

[Col. Kernel]

Here's the short short version:

 

When  you hit 50 visit Mender Ramiel in Ouro, he gives you an arc that rewards you with one Incarnate Shard.  That's fairly pathetic, to be honest, but you get some iXP and start work unlocking your Alpha slot.  Your Alpha slot is the only one that has an real impact on non-Incarnate content, so it's kind of a big deal. 

 

Once your Alpha slot is unlocked you will get Captain Noling (Blue) or some unknown letter (Red).  These contacts will give you a brief arc to introduce you to Dark Astoria (shared zone, has Incarnate content).

 

I recommend getting your Alpha slot to T3 because it will give you +1 level vs non-Incarnate content, plus boost your non-Incarnate powers.

 

Threads are much easier to get than Shards, so I recommend building your Alpha to T3 with Threads.  Save up your Shards for the T4 if you plan to build other Incarnate powers because Shards can only be used for your Alpha slot.

[Yomo Kimyata]

You collect $200.

[UltraAlt]

19 hours ago, Black Talon said:

my interest in the whole inventions thing is pretty much nil.

 

Well, if you don't want to craft, then you don't want to get involved in the incarnate system.

The invention system is pretty up-and-up; the incarnate system is a quano-slog fest that should be avoided at all costs.

 

What do I do when my character hits 50? I put them on the shelf until they really need to be called upon for something that I feel like doing/helping.

[Maelwys]

Incarnate System on HC is anything but a slog fest.
You don't need to go and talk to any contacts to unlock anything or do any missions or earn any influence etc. etc.
You can literally just keep doing whatever it is that you already want to do.

After you hit level 50, the Incarnate slots will gradually open up automatically without you needing to do anything other than keep earning experience and keep fighting regular enemies; and you'll gradually accrue salvage drops and gain the ablity to craft components.

Then every few levels, check your salvage: for Incarnate Thread and Incarnate Shard and Empyrean Merits. 
Click on your Power Tray and open the Incarnate Tab to see the recipe crafting/building screen. Click in it a few times to craft a recipe from the salvage drops you already have (keeping the Empyrean merits for spending on the Rare/Very rare components) and then equip your shiny new Incarnate ability. Hurrah!

Sure, it helps if you farm the Dark Astoria arcs a few times. But that just means the drops go a bit faster.

There are a few "trap" incarnate powers though, which is why it's better to have a glance over them and have a rough idea of what you want before you decide to craft anything (For LORE see here . For INTERFACE just remember that the secondary effects are mostly useless aside from the -MaxHP one from Degenerative)

Edited October 4, 2021 by Maelwys

[Black Talon]

All of you, thank you very much for the opinions, guidelines and links.  From the submitted viewpoints, it's pretty easy to reach the definitive conclusion that the whole Incarnate thing...?  Eh, well, maybe.  I will get B.T. to 51 and proceed on from there, but with regard to any new power sets...?  Bud, I'll just take the extra slots for the already-in-place powers that weren't quite filled to capacity and go from there, and the already-established power pool sets offer plenty extra to choose from.

 

I will likely start a new thread after 51, with the title: "Incarnate Power Sets: Why the People Who Set This Up Should be Boiled Alive in Their Own Urine and Left to Rot in the Sun".  Otherwise, submission of opinions on the whole "What Happens After 50...?" thing are still encouraged to post on here.

[BZRKR]

15 minutes ago, Black Talon said:

I will get B.T. to 51 and proceed on from there, but with regard to any new power sets...?  Bud, I'll just take the extra slots for the already-in-place powers that weren't quite filled to capacity and go from there, and the already-established power pool sets offer plenty extra to choose from.

You don't literally go to level 51. You will not get to pick extra powers from your Primary, Secondary, or Pool Powers. You will not receive any more slots to distribute among your powers.

 

17 minutes ago, Black Talon said:

I will likely start a new thread after 51, with the title: "Incarnate Power Sets: Why the People Who Set This Up Should be Boiled Alive in Their Own Urine and Left to Rot in the Sun".

Wow.

[Coyotedancer]

It's really not that bad... It seriously isn't. 

If you can wrap your head around how the game works in general, you can handle picking Incarnate powers. 😝

[Aurora_Girl]

45 minutes ago, BZRKR said:

Wow.

 

Right? I wonder what happens at the holidays.

 

"You gave me a TOASTER?!"

 

*Chucks it out the window*

 

 

In slightly different terms: do iTrials, read up on incarnate and Praetorian lore. Use orouborous...ous to catch all the arcs you missed or want to do again. Run task forces you haven't done. THEN SWITCH ALIGNMENTS AND DO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ORIGINAL STUFF AS A VILLAIN!

 

THEB SWITCH ALIGNMENTS AGAIN AND DO IT AGAIN!

 

THEN GO DO ALL THE PRAETORIAN ARCS!

 

Or bitch, ymmv. 

[Aurora_Girl]

1 hour ago, Black Talon said:

All of you, thank you very much for the opinions, guidelines and links.  From the submitted viewpoints, it's pretty easy to reach the definitive conclusion that the whole Incarnate thing...?  Eh, well, maybe.  I will get B.T. to 51 and proceed on from there, but with regard to any new power sets...?  Bud, I'll just take the extra slots for the already-in-place powers that weren't quite filled to capacity and go from there, and the already-established power pool sets offer plenty extra to choose from.

 

I will likely start a new thread after 51, with the title: "Incarnate Power Sets: Why the People Who Set This Up Should be Boiled Alive in Their Own Urine and Left to Rot in the Sun".  Otherwise, submission of opinions on the whole "What Happens After 50...?" thing are still encouraged to post on here.

 

A) Can't wait to read the Pulitzer-worthy nonsense that thread is gonna be. 

 

B) As stated, that is in no way at all how the Invention/Incarnate/Veteran Level system works, please actually read the guides before you get all "piss metaphor" on these shiny volunteer-run forums. 

[arcane]

Ok now what happened here..