Better to attune or buy

[Redzone08]

Random question about enhancements and attunement.  Say you are a level 30.   Is an enhancement you bought at level 30 (Say Shield Wall), attuned, and when you reached level 40 is it the same stats as a level 40 enhancement?  If so, why would you buy a level 40 (instead of a level 30) to attune?  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks!

[Greycat]

Attuned enhancements are going to be at whatever level you're at (in their level range.) You still won't be able to slot them early (for instance, Thunderstrike is level... 30 or 35 minimum, you won't be able to slot it at 10, but once you DO slot it, it'll keep leveling with you to its max level of 50.)

 

Generally if you're going to *buy,* buy attuned.... *unless* you're planning on boosting, because it's an either/or thing - attune or boost.

 

You'll normally want to use catalysts to attune winter and archetype IOs into their Superior versions once you hit 50 - hold on to them for that.  After those are set? *shrug*

 

I tend to craft stuff, catalyze it on my 50s that just keep accumulating them and toss them in storage, unless I'm attuning and selling winter IOs for cash. People will tell you not to bother attuning other things, just sell on the market and buy the attuned version (they're in the same "bucket,") but I honestly don't care. If I do it myself (yes, "wasting" inf, oh no...) I know an attuned version is there and ready to go without someone screwing around on the market.

[Captain Fabulous]

IIRC the attuned versions cost the same as the non-attuned ones on the AH. The only reason to buy a non-attuned version would be a.) you're not going to exemplar down very often, and/or b) you plan using boosters to up the level beyond 50.
 

[Snarky]

Buy most everything attuned.  Never buy attuned purples. They are considered auto attuned even when 'normal'  Also....if attuned they cannot be boosted.  Boosted purples are very very nice.

[Yomo Kimyata]

Attuned IOs are in the same "pool" as crafted (leveled) IOs, so you can buy and sell them at the same price (or even sell them to yourself on a different character!).  There are some IOs that are only attuned (like ATOs).

 

Attuned IOs will act like they are your level+3, within the limits of the underlying set.  An attuned Kinetic Combat will max out at lvl 35.

 

You cannot boost an attuned IO (or unattune an attuned IO).  

 

In general, I will slot attuned IOs until I hit my final level (usually 50).  Then I will swap out all pvp IOs that are not procs and boost them to +5, since the set bonuses on them (and on purples) will exemp all the way down.  I generally will not boost non-pvp or non-purples unless I plan on not exemping down on that character.

[tidge]

I would never buy a crafted enhancement with the intent of attuning it, but I have attuned a LOT of enhancements that I've simply crafted (or converted into). At this point in the (Homecoming) game's life-cycle I am catalyst-rich (and merit-rich, for that matter) so I am completely unconcerned about raw Influence. I play all levels of content so attuned (for set bonuses) is the way for me.

 

There are a small number of times when I will specifically buy level 50 versions of enhancements with the intent to boost them to 50+5.

• I don't want a set bonus (i.e., the piece is a one-off not giving me a set bonus anyway)
• The power can take enhancement set pieces that boost effects but not IOs (or HOs), like Adjusted Targeting: Recharge in Link Minds (or Mind Link) which cannot have recharge time boosted by IOs or HOs
• It's a piece that isn't available in an HO/D-Sync variety (such as Accuracy/Endurance Reduction)
• It's a piece I'm too cheap to get the equivalent HO/D-Sync. IIRC in almost all cases, the boosts from a 50+5 piece is just under the values offered by a level 50 HO. A classic example for me is choosing to use singleton Universal travel pieces at 50+5 in place of Microfilaments or Accelerations, or a Shield Wall Defense/Endurace Reduction in pure Defense powers in place of a Cytoskeleton

[Erratic1]

It can be cheaper sometimes to buy the recipe, craft it, and then attune it. But you have to check prices.

 

Like others said above, do not buy crafted with the intent to attune.

[lemming]

41 minutes ago, Erratic1 said:

It can be cheaper sometimes to buy the recipe, craft it, and then attune it. But you have to check prices.

 

Like others said above, do not buy crafted with the intent to attune.

Just did that last night.  An enh was kinda expensive and it was cheaper buying the level 30 recipe, crafting and attuning it.   Sometimes buying the parts are the cheaper route, but I had all the parts except the recipe itself.

[Andreah]

Prices can tend up and down a bit. So, say you have a crafted enhancement and want to replace it with attuned and don't want to spend a lot doing it. You can put in a low-bid for the attuned version (and an unslotter). When that fills, unslot the crafted version and put the attuned in place. Final important step: list the crafted version for sale 10% above the low bid you bought the attuned version at. Since prices can tend up and down, it'll eventually sell, and when it sells you'll make a profit, possibly enough to cover the cost of the unslotter too.

 

There are even better, more miserly ways, using converters to convert some super cheap enhancement into the one you want, depending on which enhancement it is you want to replace. 

 

Catalysts vary a bit in price too, but I've seen them under 500k, so if you have some significant wealth, maybe the value of a catalyst is worth it to you to get instant attunement.

 

The bottom line is we pay a premium for getting anything right now. Forethought, planning, patience, and some cleverness pay off hugely.

[SeraphimKensai]

Also never attune a PvP IO (the OP used Shield Wall in their example). Only buy the non-proc PvP IOs at lvl 50, they work like very rare purples and will work all the way down to lvl 10 without needing to attune it. Instead boost it to +5, for maximum efficiency.

[Luminara]

27 minutes ago, SeraphimKensai said:

Also never attune a PvP IO (the OP used Shield Wall in their example). Only buy the non-proc PvP IOs at lvl 50, they work like very rare purples and will work all the way down to lvl 10 without needing to attune it. Instead boost it to +5, for maximum efficiency.

 

Level 7-46 characters can't slot level 50 PvP IOs.

[tidge]

32 minutes ago, SeraphimKensai said:

Also never attune a PvP IO (the OP used Shield Wall in their example). Only buy the non-proc PvP IOs at lvl 50, they work like very rare purples and will work all the way down to lvl 10 without needing to attune it. Instead boost it to +5, for maximum efficiency.

 

I typically (eventually) attune a LOT of PVPs, as long as they are below 50. That way I can (later) slot them into new characters at level 10.

[UltraAlt]

On 2/18/2023 at 4:57 PM, Redzone08 said:

Random question about enhancements and attunement.  Say you are a level 30.   Is an enhancement you bought at level 30 (Say Shield Wall), attuned, and when you reached level 40 is it the same stats as a level 40 enhancement?  If so, why would you buy a level 40 (instead of a level 30) to attune?  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks!

 

It's already been pointed out, but there may seem to be a reason to never buy an unattuned enhancement on the market, but there are some exceptions and those are purples.

You can't slot attuned purples until level 50, and you can't buy non-purple attuned purples. That is to say if it is a purple, the only attuned that you can buy on the market is an attuned, but in those  cases, you can buy an unattuned at a lower level and slot it for leveling - at which case - you can attune it and it will level up with you.

These are rare cases.

 

Some are going to take the stance of not bothering with things until a character is level 50. I really don't care about being level 50. The Journey to 50 is the game to me. I'm not an end-gamer.

[Power-leveling has made having a level 50 character mundane. I understand some people just want to be as powerful as possible before they even play a character. That may be the only way that they can enjoy playing for one reason or another.]

So, if you are enjoying (and not trying to rush to the end-game aka +50), yeah go ahead and attune a purple that you can slot as a non-attuned at a lower level. You can always use an unslotter when you get to 50, sell it, and then buy a purple. The trade off is that you get to use that/those enhancements while you level.

 

All PVP IO's have set bonuses for PvE and PvP.

PvPing in CoH when you aren't level 50 isn't a good idea even in lower level PvP zones, because, if your character is "on level" with a PVP zone, a level 50 will still have access to more powers than your character.

But you don't have to go into a PvP zone and, when it comes down to it, characters rarely travel into PvP zones.

When I have gone into a PvP zone in Homecoming, I have never run into an enemy player.

[lemming]

1 hour ago, UltraAlt said:

 

It's already been pointed out, but there may seem to be a reason to never buy an unattuned enhancement on the market, but there are some exceptions and those are purples.

You can't slot attuned purples until level 50, and you can't buy non-purple attuned purples. That is to say if it is a purple, the only attuned that you can buy on the market is an attuned, but in those  cases, you can buy an unattuned at a lower level and slot it for leveling - at which case - you can attune it and it will level up with you.

These are rare cases.

You can not slot Purples (Very Rare) except at level 50.  Their minimum level is 50.

 

[UltraAlt]

11 hours ago, lemming said:

You can not slot Purples (Very Rare) except at level 50.  Their minimum level is 50.

 

Correct. If an attuned enhancement is purple, a character can only slot them at level 50.

 

Here is an example of what I was saying.

Experienced Markman is a Purple set. You can only buy it attuned on the Market as a purple. (If you can buy it attuned on the Market as  non-purple, please let me know. I don't see how to do it). 

That being said, I can buy an Experienced Marksman recipe as low as level 10, craft it (or purchase a crafted level 10 on the Market), slot it at level 10, and attune it.

It doesn't make it a purple if attune it at level 10, but it is a Purple IO enhancement set, it is attuned, and it levels up to 50.

 

You can have that attuned, non-purple Experienced Marksman from 10 to 50+, use an unslotter to take it out at level 50, sell it on the market, and buy the purple version.

I haven't done testing to compare an attuned non-purple Experienced Marksman at level 50 to a purple Experienced Marksman so I have no idea if the results of their slotting are any different.

 

If this doesn't clearly explain what I was saying in the post you replied to, please let me know.

 

[Shred Monkey]

I see this question a lot.   It just occurred to me that if they just made attuned enhancements boostable, it would (ALMOST) get rid of any reason we have to use non-attuned versions and they could remove them and the confusion from the game. 

 

I am going to post this in suggestions.  I'm posting this here so if you like this idea you can go comment/like there.

[High_Beam]

I always buy attuned.  I do craft a lot and while a lot are for selling some are for slotting and then I attune them.  Especially the case when I can CONVERT to something great instead of paying big then attune it.

[Doomguide2005]

Is an enhancement you bought at level 30 (Say Shield Wall), attuned, and when you reached level 40 is it the same stats as a level 40 enhancement?

 

I don't think this particular point has been answered.  Ignoring it's talking about a Shield Wall (which is a PvP IO and therefore already subject to footnotes) let's call it a Positron Blast Damage/Range IO lvl 30 intitially.  If it gets attuned while the user is 30th and the user continues to level does the attuned IO carry level 30 attribute enhancements or has it now scaled to level 40.  Basically do the enhancement attributes scale up and down on an attuned IO along with the user's current security level or is it now usable at all ranges but always carrying the level 30 enhancement attributes.  Seems like the obvious answer is the values scale with security level but nothing specifically states it does.

 

And not sure if it's a bug but once, in-game, if I've attuned an IO enhancement unslotters no longer seem to work for me to remove the enhancement.

[Yomo Kimyata]

1 hour ago, Doomguide2005 said:

 

 

I don't think this particular point has been answered.  Ignoring it's talking about a Shield Wall (which is a PvP IO and therefore already subject to footnotes) let's call it a Positron Blast Damage/Range IO lvl 30 intitially.  If it gets attuned while the user is 30th and the user continues to level does the attuned IO carry level 30 attribute enhancements or has it now scaled to level 40.  Basically do the enhancement attributes scale up and down on an attuned IO along with the user's current security level or is it now usable at all ranges but always carrying the level 30 enhancement attributes.  Seems like the obvious answer is the values scale with security level but nothing specifically states it does.

 

And not sure if it's a bug but once, in-game, if I've attuned an IO enhancement unslotters no longer seem to work for me to remove the enhancement.

 

Let's find out!

 

I'm on a lvl 29 defender, and I have a level 28 Serendipity Def:

 

 

That should increase defense by 20.5%, which I presume is the level 28 value for Schedule B for defense.  Slotting that shows:

 

 

Ok, now what happens when I catalyze it?

 

 

The enhancement has increased, not by much (about 1%).  Is that working as intended?  No idea.  But attuning has, indeed, had an effect.  Note:  I had no trouble unslotting it afterwards.

[lemming]

4 hours ago, UltraAlt said:

 

Correct. If an attuned enhancement is purple, a character can only slot them at level 50.

 

Here is an example of what I was saying.

Experienced Markman is a Purple set. You can only buy it attuned on the Market as a purple. (If you can buy it attuned on the Market as  non-purple, please let me know. I don't see how to do it). 

That being said, I can buy an Experienced Marksman recipe as low as level 10, craft it (or purchase a crafted level 10 on the Market), slot it at level 10, and attune it.

It doesn't make it a purple if attune it at level 10, but it is a Purple IO enhancement set, it is attuned, and it levels up to 50.

 

You can have that attuned, non-purple Experienced Marksman from 10 to 50+, use an unslotter to take it out at level 50, sell it on the market, and buy the purple version.

I haven't done testing to compare an attuned non-purple Experienced Marksman at level 50 to a purple Experienced Marksman so I have no idea if the results of their slotting are any different.

 

If this doesn't clearly explain what I was saying in the post you replied to, please let me know.

 

Oh, there's the confusion.   Experienced Marksman is a PvP set which just happens to be colored purple in the merit vendor and only sells at level 50.  PvP recipes drop at lower levels.

 

What I think is commonly called purple are the very rare sets: Absolute Amazement, Apocalypse, Armageddon, Coersive Persuassion, Fortunata Hypnosis, Gravitational Anchor, Hecatomb, Ragnorok, Soulbound Allegience, and Unbreakable Constraint.

Those are only available at 50 and can only be slotted by a character at 50.  Attuned or not, and really should have attunement disabled for them.

 

And is a Panacea at level 50 attuned the same as a level 50 Panacea, yes.   The Heal/Absorb version is 42.4% for both.  Though a 50+5 is 53%

 

PvPs are odd in that they can be gotten at lower levels, and if attuned will level up with you, but at level 50, they're worth swapping out and putting in a +5 version.

 

 

[tidge]

It is possible to slot level 50 PVP pieces before level 50, of course....subject to the same rules for slotting higher level pieces.

Edited February 21, 2023 by tidge

[Psyonico]

1 hour ago, Yomo Kimyata said:

The enhancement has increased, not by much (about 1%).  Is that working as intended?  No idea.  But attuning has, indeed, had an effect.

Yes, I'd say it was working as intended because catalyzing am enhancement makes it work at your level, not the level of the un-catalyzed io.  So your level 29 character should get slightly better results from a catalyzed enhancement than it would a level 28 enhancement.

 

To confirm this, if you looked at the value for a level 29 enhancement it should be the same as your catalyzed one.

[Yomo Kimyata]

25 minutes ago, Psyonico said:

Yes, I'd say it was working as intended because catalyzing am enhancement makes it work at your level, not the level of the un-catalyzed io.  So your level 29 character should get slightly better results from a catalyzed enhancement than it would a level 28 enhancement.

 

To confirm this, if you looked at the value for a level 29 enhancement it should be the same as your catalyzed one.

 

Yes it is, which brings me to an oddity.  You can slot an attuned when you are 3 levels below the minimum, but I never bothered to see what the effective level is.

 

I assumed that an attuned would give you +3, but instead it gives you your level even if it is below the minimum for the set.  Interesting.  So I just looked at an Obliteration lvl 30, and the enhancement is lower for the attuned (which is using lvl 29) than for the fixed 30.

[UltraAlt]

13 hours ago, lemming said:

Oh, there's the confusion.   Experienced Marksman is a PvP set which just happens to be colored purple in the merit vendor and only sells at level 50.  PvP recipes drop at lower levels.

 

What I think is commonly called purple are the very rare sets

 

 

 

 

My confusion.

I thought they were purples because it shows up as a purple set.

I see that even though it is Purple in the Market that you can still slot it at level 7. 

Because it is purple in the Auction House, that always confuses me and then I forget about it the next time I see it purple.

 

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by UltraAlt