Enhancements Questions

[TheMultiVitamin]

1 minute ago, Mopery said:

The best way to learn how to build is to download Mids if your computer can run it, then look for builds here on the forums.

Download a few, look for similarities in the builds. If you want a specific build just search these forums for JJDraken(sp?) builds.

That said, I haven't actually tried any of his builds, but asking a person who has built 1000 houses about your own home will probably tell you more than someone who has only built one, two, or none at all. 

😁

I started using MIDS thanks to this thread to see the what and how on my powers getting effected by enhancements and the total benefits I'm getting from set bonuses, it's been really helpful so far. I'll look up JJDraken builds and the like to see how theirs work, thanks for the tip!

[tidge]

34 minutes ago, TheMultiVitamin said:

What other powers would you suggest? Because normally when I play I typically take all powers in both my starting powersets and a couple in my movement set, with maybe one of the origin sets like experimentation or sorcery.

 

This will vary based on the AT, but generally I don't take both of the first picks from a primary (especially not if those are both attacks) and rarely will I end up taking both of the first two picks from a secondary... at least not right away. As a character levels up and slots attacks, it is rare that both a T1 and a T2 are needed for an attack chain. There are rationalizations for taking both a T1 and T2 attack of course, and I expect a variety of replies explaining why certain folks do exactly this. Usually the first two (offensive) picks of both the primary and secondary are single-target affecting, so there isn't a lot of runway to allow both of them fly. For defensive sets, usually a character doesn't need both of the first two powers early in the career. The most obvious exception is probably Stalkers, which excel with Hide so depending on the second defensive power they may want that sooner rather than later.

 

The temporary (attack) powers as well as the prestige attacks from the START vendor provide enough offensive options for me for lower level content. These cannot be enhanced, and work with the base damage scales of the AT of course.

[TheMultiVitamin]

5 minutes ago, tidge said:

 

This will vary based on the AT, but generally I don't take both of the first picks from a primary (especially not if those are both attacks) and rarely will I end up taking both of the first two picks from a secondary... at least not right away. As a character levels up and slots attacks, it is rare that both a T1 and a T2 are needed for an attack chain. There are rationalizations for taking both a T1 and T2 attack of course, and I expect a variety of replies explaining why certain folks do exactly this. Usually the first two (offensive) picks of both the primary and secondary are single-target affecting, so there isn't a lot of runway to allow both of them fly. For defensive sets, usually a character doesn't need both of the first two powers early in the career. The most obvious exception is probably Stalkers, which excel with Hide so depending on the second defensive power they may want that sooner rather than later.

 

The temporary (attack) powers as well as the prestige attacks from the START vendor provide enough offensive options for me for lower level content. These cannot be enhanced, and work with the base damage scales of the AT of course.

Interesting, this character is a StJ/SR Brute so I took the the powers I did as I level because of the Combo Mechanic (alongside my whole "generally taking all the powers from the 2 starting sets" thing) and all of SR's powers so far are just toggles or ones that are always on, especially given this is a solo playthrough character making them important for all the different enemies and powers they encounter regularly.

[tidge]

1 minute ago, TheMultiVitamin said:

Interesting, this character is a StJ/SR Brute so I took the the powers I did as I level because of the Combo Mechanic (alongside my whole "generally taking all the powers from the 2 starting sets" thing) and all of SR's powers so far are just toggles or ones that are always on, especially given this is a solo playthrough character making them important for all the different enemies and powers they encounter regularly.

 

The combo mechanics (for whatever sets) are IMO a bit of a mixed bag. My Street Justice characters generally don't pay attention to try to build combos, except when facing a hard single-target. Super Reflexes is a top-tier defensive set, and it was constructed in a very "natural" way... meaning that each new power effectively adds something that benefits the build. Resistance-based sets (especially for Tankers and Brutes) often have toggles that aren't needed for certain content. Defenses work against (pretty much) ALL enemies, because of the game's attack mechanics. With a Brute's high HP and the scaling resistances, you may find the SR Brute affects your perspective of how combat affects player ATs.

 

Also keep in mind that at low levels especially, Defenses are doing a LOT more to mitigate damage taken than any similar-level resistance power.

 

[Without_Pause]

1 hour ago, TheMultiVitamin said:

What other powers would you suggest? Because normally when I play I typically take all powers in both my starting powersets and a couple in my movement set, with maybe one of the origin sets like experimentation or sorcery. I build my characters thematically rather then mechanically because I don't really care to do super high level content like advanced difficulty stuff or anything. So I typically only take ancillary pools and slot enhancements that make sense for what I'm trying to do for the character's theme. For example this characters entire theme is "Pure Speedster" so I've been focusing more on Recharge and Endurance to really spam the attacks a lot to reflect "super speed" which has been immense fun so far.

What AT are you? I have two Scrapper SRs at 50, and working on a Brute SR as well. I also have a StJ/ea Stalker at 50.

 

I see you are a Bute. I can give you a sample build hopefully soon enough. 

Edited November 12 by Without_Pause

[Psyonico]

You're level 27, so I would look at purchasing level 30 Common IOs from the AH.  With a little patience, you can get all of them for 50k each or less.  This is a bit more than an SO at that level, but you never have to replace or upgrade them, so it works out in the long run.

 

Also, if you are buying set IOs, you can purchase them pre-attuned from the AH for the same price as the un-attuned.  This saves you having to purchase a catalyst.  The only things you need catalysts for are turning ATOs/Winter IOs into their Superior counterparts.

 

I would also suggest dropping either the recharge or one of the end redux in Spinning Strike for an accuracy instead.

[TheMultiVitamin]

2 minutes ago, Psyonico said:

You're level 27, so I would look at purchasing level 30 Common IOs from the AH.  With a little patience, you can get all of them for 50k each or less.  This is a bit more than an SO at that level, but you never have to replace or upgrade them, so it works out in the long run.

 

Also, if you are buying set IOs, you can purchase them pre-attuned from the AH for the same price as the un-attuned.  This saves you having to purchase a catalyst.  The only things you need catalysts for are turning ATOs/Winter IOs into their Superior counterparts.

 

I would also suggest dropping either the recharge or one of the end redux in Spinning Strike for an accuracy instead.

Yea i've only been buying them attuned rather then unattuned and a catalyst. I put the recharge in Spinning Strike because I don't use it often but when I do want to, it takes longer then I care for to be able to use it again. I'm planning to slot my main combo (with spinning strike being part of it) to have more accuracy across the board as a result, but the build is meant to be more thematic then optimal, thus the focus more on recharge and endurance. I know it's not going to be optimal but I'm fine with that.

I actually was wondering when IO's start being better then SO's, so it's good to know it's at the 30 level mark, thanks!

[Psyonico]

6 minutes ago, TheMultiVitamin said:

so it's good to know it's at the 30 level mark, thanks

 

I don't remember the exact percentage off the top of my head, but 30 is when they overtake even-level SOs, just by a small amount though.

[Without_Pause]

I do a respec at 27 since the vast majority if not all of the non-Level 50 IOs can be slotted at that point. I use set IOs up to that point. Either the typical one offs or uncommons. Post respec, I can then go and dump the extras in my base for the next character who needs them. I just don't see the point of slotting SOs. I know they early on have better numbers, but they are a financial waste when I have uncommons I don't need to touch after slotting until I do a respec. Also, my soloing Gold side Brute has yet to fall at Level 24. On Live and early on HC, I used common IOs exclusively. 

[TheMultiVitamin]

40 minutes ago, Without_Pause said:

I do a respec at 27 since the vast majority if not all of the non-Level 50 IOs can be slotted at that point. I use set IOs up to that point. Either the typical one offs or uncommons. Post respec, I can then go and dump the extras in my base for the next character who needs them. I just don't see the point of slotting SOs. I know they early on have better numbers, but they are a financial waste when I have uncommons I don't need to touch after slotting until I do a respec. Also, my soloing Gold side Brute has yet to fall at Level 24. On Live and early on HC, I used common IOs exclusively. 

In my casing I don't transfer Inf., enhancements, salvage, etc between characters. I know it's not efficient but I prefer to use the stuff given or earned for that character specifically for said character only. As a result my characters aren't flush with Inf., salvage or anything else. I also don't like to farm either because I've done that for years in Warframe and I'd rather not do that here cause it makes me not want to play anymore. Instead I mainly just sell whatever orange salvage I get and turn reward merits into converters for Inf. as I slowly get enough for IO sets and the like.

Edited November 12 by TheMultiVitamin

[Without_Pause]

54 minutes ago, TheMultiVitamin said:

In my casing I don't transfer Inf., enhancements, salvage, etc between characters. I know it's not efficient but I prefer to use the stuff given or earned for that character specifically for said character only. As a result my characters aren't flush with Inf., salvage or anything else. I also don't like to farm either because I've done that for years in Warframe and I'd rather not do that here cause it makes me not want to play anymore. Instead I mainly just sell whatever orange salvage I get and turn reward merits into converters for Inf. as I slowly get enough for IO sets and the like.

I use converters to actually convert things as the return is actually better. Recently started having my Level 50s get the Banker Day Job badge for the 25% increase. I don't pound the market like I used to, but simply playing a Level 50 is pretty good low effort for earning extra currency. At one point my goal was a to make any character self-sufficient only to get tired of it when I had other characters sitting in the hundreds of millions, and they weren't even my main marketer, who was handing out billions to other characters. I have non farming builds who can solo at x8 and currently have at least one purple sitting and waiting to be crafted. My TL;DR guide to making money is T4 a build. 

[TheMultiVitamin]

33 minutes ago, Without_Pause said:

I use converters to actually convert things as the return is actually better. Recently started having my Level 50s get the Banker Day Job badge for the 25% increase. I don't pound the market like I used to, but simply playing a Level 50 is pretty good low effort for earning extra currency. At one point my goal was a to make any character self-sufficient only to get tired of it when I had other characters sitting in the hundreds of millions, and they weren't even my main marketer, who was handing out billions to other characters. I have non farming builds who can solo at x8 and currently have at least one purple sitting and waiting to be crafted. My TL;DR guide to making money is T4 a build. 

 

What do you mean by "guide to making money is T4 a build"? 

Also damn that sounds great, I forget that Day Jobs are also a thing a lot, really gotta keep that in mind, especially while I'm levelling. I just sell converters because honestly I don't know how to use 'em, though that's probably on account of my being really tired every time I've tried lol. None of my characters are 50 atm, I have a single level 40 and the rest are scattered, and the level 40 is that way because I powerleveled them instead of playing normal content (thus why I'm playing this character the way I am).

I have a habit of making new characters almost every other day but not playing them, so I regularly do purges if I haven't touched them and they're not at least level 5. My last purge was a few months ago or so, deleted around 120 characters I think, can't remember. Currently only have 6 non-purged characters atm.

[UltraAlt]

On 11/8/2024 at 10:58 AM, TheMultiVitamin said:

Also I understand that IO's can be parts of Sets, but honestly the bonuses from the sets just seem so minor and thus not worth it to me, so why do it other then to just have a minor bump in those areas overall for your character?

 

The IO sets bonuses are a plus to what the IO sets can already give you, but they mainly kick in at being useful for the base STATs once you get past level 35 or so.

Before that point, I tend to just go for procs or - after 2 SO Accuracy in a power - possibly for the set bonus if only adding 2 or 3 (a proc being one of them).

 

Same goes for non-set IOs. They become more powerful than SO's around 35 or 40 as long as they are at the same level. If I recall correctly, the level 45 non-set IOs are more powerful then the level 50 SO's or close enough that the difference doesn't matter.

 

At 35 or 40, you can slot 2 or 3 of an IO set that will give you the equivalent acc bonus of at least 1 SO, but also give you the damage, recharge, and or end reduction while giving you access to the set bonus. I mainly go for set bonuses that increase global accuracy, recovery, or regeneration.

 

On 11/8/2024 at 10:58 AM, TheMultiVitamin said:

Alongside that, why slot IO set enhancements when the bonuses are even lower, where as for example an IO from a set with 2 modifiers is just, weaker overall to just slotting a single modifier non-set IO, which is weaker then slotting just a +3 SO?

 

Like I mentioned above, their relative power of set IO's to SO's increase as your level in increases.

Always buy Attuned IO set enhances. You can slot them at the lowest level that they set will allow and they will stay related to your level as you level up ... that is to say, that they will become more powerful as you level up without having to replace them.

 

Generally, the only IO sets that bother slotting up as sets before level 35 are the archetype enhancement sets.

 

 

 

 

[Without_Pause]

T4 is to get max level on your characters in terms of Incarnates. Even if you farm Heather's arc, it is going to take some time. Lets say you get to T4 on a build, you could easily be Vet Level 25. That's 25 more levels of play at the highest XP requirement for leveling.

 

I played a ton on Live. I've played quite a bit on HC. I essentially know what works for me. I have roughly 35 characters. Roughly 20 of them are Level 50. My standard is do I even want to get them to Level 50? Do I want to invest in getting them to T4? Do I even what to IO out their builds? If I take a long break from the game, what builds do I first play? Hundreds of builds have failed the first requirement. Even very meta builds. I'm at least fine with getting something to 50 and retiring it. Even if you want to skip on Incarnates, I would still play a 50 to earn more drops.

 

I also do builds in Mids and then import them to Beta to see how they perform. That defaults to +0x8 on solo friendly builds. If I don't like it, I don't roll it on an active server. I'm at the point I want characters I'm genuinely excited about their name and look along with how they play. My todo 'list' so far is doing a TW/invul Scrapper since I've never rolled either.

[TheMultiVitamin]

3 minutes ago, Without_Pause said:

T4 is to get max level on your characters in terms of Incarnates. Even if you farm Heather's arc, it is going to take some time. Lets say you get to T4 on a build, you could easily be Vet Level 25. That's 25 more levels of play at the highest XP requirement for leveling.

 

I played a ton on Live. I've played quite a bit on HC. I essentially know what works for me. I have roughly 35 characters. Roughly 20 of them are Level 50. My standard is do I even want to get them to Level 50? Do I want to invest in getting them to T4? Do I even what to IO out their builds? If I take a long break from the game, what builds do I first play? Hundreds of builds have failed the first requirement. Even very meta builds. I'm at least fine with getting something to 50 and retiring it. Even if you want to skip on Incarnates, I would still play a 50 to earn more drops.

 

I also do builds in Mids and then import them to Beta to see how they perform. That defaults to +0x8 on solo friendly builds. If I don't like it, I don't roll it on an active server. I'm at the point I want characters I'm genuinely excited about their name and look along with how they play. My todo 'list' so far is doing a TW/invul Scrapper since I've never rolled either.

Ah, I was aware of Incarnates (and I'm excited to get to that content when I do) I just wasn't aware that they were called T1, T2, T3 and T4. The aspect of farming to reach the maximum for T4 is something I'm dreading and I'm aware of Vet Levels and how they work as well so I don't mind them either.

It's interesting that you default to +0x8 for stuff, I just stick with the default and the only time I remember touching notoriety was when I was powerleveling that first character that's sitting at 40 I mentioned previously.

I'm using MIDS currently to just see the actual stats of my current build, rather then planning out what I want build wise (at least until I have internalized and become more familiar with Enhancements and the like).

 

 

36 minutes ago, UltraAlt said:

 

The IO sets bonuses are a plus to what the IO sets can already give you, but they mainly kick in at being useful for the base STATs once you get past level 35 or so.

Before that point, I tend to just go for procs or - after 2 SO Accuracy in a power - possibly for the set bonus if only adding 2 or 3 (a proc being one of them).

 

Same goes for non-set IOs. They become more powerful than SO's around 35 or 40 as long as they are at the same level. If I recall correctly, the level 45 non-set IOs are more powerful then the level 50 SO's or close enough that the difference doesn't matter.

 

At 35 or 40, you can slot 2 or 3 of an IO set that will give you the equivalent acc bonus of at least 1 SO, but also give you the damage, recharge, and or end reduction while giving you access to the set bonus. I mainly go for set bonuses that increase global accuracy, recovery, or regeneration.

 

 

Like I mentioned above, their relative power of set IO's to SO's increase as your level in increases.

Always buy Attuned IO set enhances. You can slot them at the lowest level that they set will allow and they will stay related to your level as you level up ... that is to say, that they will become more powerful as you level up without having to replace them.

 

Generally, the only IO sets that bother slotting up as sets before level 35 are the archetype enhancement sets.

 

 

 

 

Oh gotcha, it's interesting that each Archetype has 2 IO sets specific to them (with a superior version of each) but I forget that they exist sometimes, I should pay more attention to them. I saw them on the AH but they're much more expensive then normal IO sets so I don't know when I'll get around to acquiring them (whether through crafting and attuning them myself or buying them off of the AH).

[Without_Pause]

54 minutes ago, TheMultiVitamin said:

It's interesting that you default to +0x8 for stuff, I just stick with the default and the only time I remember touching notoriety was when I was powerleveling that first character that's sitting at 40 I mentioned previously.

The only difference between +0 and +4 is the amount of currency gained outside of it being more difficult. In terms of drops ie salvage, recipes etc, you want x8. I only bump up the diff setting in terms of +# as I get further into Incarnates. For me, +3 is where stuff starts to get hard depending on the AT and build plus the actual content. Certain Contacts are absolute build checks. 

[Ironblade]

1 hour ago, TheMultiVitamin said:

Ah, I was aware of Incarnates (and I'm excited to get to that content when I do) I just wasn't aware that they were called T1, T2, T3 and T4. The aspect of farming to reach the maximum for T4 is something I'm dreading and I'm aware of Vet Levels and how they work as well so I don't mind them either.

 

The T1, 2, 3, 4 refers to the level of individual powers.  There are six incarnate slots and, in each one, there are a number of options to choose from.  The Lore slot, for example, is a pet summon and there are something like 25 to choose from.  The Destiny slot is support powers and you can pick from a heal/regen, END/recovery, shield (DEF and resist), group teleport to your location, group status protection.

 

Each has four 'tiers' of powers with tier 1 being the weakest and tier 4 being the most powerful.  Realistically, you don't need to go past tier 3 unless you feel like it.  If you're going to do any incarnate content, you probably want to get to tier 3 in the Alpha, Lore and Destiny slots because each gives you a 'level shift'.  Basically, it's +1 level that only applies under certain conditions.  So, when you're in Ouroboros and people are gathering for iTrials, if you look at their level, most of them will probably display as 50+3.  The Alpha slot has much broader application and will allow you to be 50+1 in much of the high-level content.

 

And all of this is not something you really need to farm or grind for.  If you enjoy incarnate content, you'll get there inevitably.

[UltraAlt]

6 hours ago, TheMultiVitamin said:

Oh gotcha, it's interesting that each Archetype has 2 IO sets specific to them (with a superior version of each) but I forget that they exist sometimes, I should pay more attention to them. I saw them on the AH but they're much more expensive then normal IO sets so I don't know when I'll get around to acquiring them (whether through crafting and attuning them myself or buying them off of the AH).

 

Yes, the ATOs are pricey on the market. You can't craft them.

There are two other ways to get them.

You can purchase super packs for 10 million in the /AH (I think the heading under "special salvage") to get a random selection of stuff that usually give you at least one random ATO (and that is completely random in regard to ATOs as well); the Heroes and Villains have one set of the ATOs, and the Rogues and Vigilantes have the 2nd ATO set.

-or- you can buy any one of them you want for 100 merits at a merit vendor under the event sets.

These usually have a special proc in each ATO set that can really help a character.

https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Super_Pack

The Lords of Winter packs are a special deal in themselves and they cost 50 million each. The used to cost 10 million during the Winter Event, but they stopped doing that within the last couple of years. The Lords of Winter have their own winther-themed enhancement sets. You will see these mixed into the market (/ah) with hold, melee, etc. sets.

Like the ATO's you can get these through the super packs or by purchasing them for 100 merits at a merit vendor under the event sets.

I'm character conception based, but, if my character conception allows it, I often go for the https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Blistering_Cold:_Recharge/Chance_for_Hold for a melee power that will take a melee set.

 

[One thing that you might no like about the super packs is that they dump the "rewards" into a sub window in the email window (click on subject in that sub window to sort by name) that allows any character on your account to pull one of the "rewards". The reward types are random and, as you can see, sometimes you get a "card" that give you 25 merits. Between getting an ATO that you can sell if you can use it in order to buy one that you want and the possibility of 25 merits ... and other things... most of them that you can sell ... super packs can be worth it most of the time ... that is to say, to get a little more bang for your buck ... as it were ...]

 

Another set that  you might find useful is the Universal Damage set called Overwhelming Force. You can't craft these either.

You get these for free by running the Summer Blockbuster "holiday" event. It's called a "holiday" event, but it is available year round.

You can run these back to back if you want for the enhancement.

You run this with 3 other people, so people are often willing to trade at the end for one that they don't have or someone needs. (I generally drag the one I have to the chat window so people can see which one I have at the end ... and I'm pretty much always willing to trade).

A favorite in this set is https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Overwhelming_Force:_Damage/Chance_for_Knockdown/Knockback_to_Knockdown

 

The fun part of this game to me is that there is always something new and fun to explore.

 

Oh, and with this discussion about IO set slotting, I very rarely 6 slot a power with a set. Most of the time I don't end up putting any more than 2 or 3 in a set in any one power (frankenslotting as it were) but sometimes put enhancements from more than one IO Set in a power.

 

 

[Psyonico]

1 hour ago, UltraAlt said:

u can buy any one of them you want for 100 merits at a merit vendor under the event sets.

I should point out that this is not an efficient way to get ATOs.

 

ATOs generally run 8-10 million inf, while 100 merits can get you a Winter IO which will sell for ~20 million inf

[Without_Pause]

Depending on the AT and how long you are willing to wait, ATOs can be had for 7-7.5 mill. 

[UltraAlt]

1 hour ago, Psyonico said:

I should point out that this is not an efficient way to get ATOs.

 

ATOs generally run 8-10 million inf, while 100 merits can get you a Winter IO which will sell for ~20 million inf

 

To me, I'm flush enough with inf that buy plenty of super packs. I have 2040 x25 merits in Character Items email. I consider those to be free.

 

This is thread about enhancements.

 

Sorry, have to run ... other players have left another pile of infl for me ...