Noob question: When to stop using 2x XP buff?

[out51d3r]

I've read that sometime after level 40, the amount of inf you get from missions starts going up pretty dramatically.  When does that occur, and is it worth giving up the 2x XP for?

I just hit 40 with the buff on, using it pretty much the entire way.  Because it disables inf gain, I've been specifically running story arcs that give reward merits, then flipping those for inf. That's been fairly profitable, and I'm buying set enhancements with it as I go.

Basically, I'm wondering if the inf increase will be enough to justify not using the XP buff.

[Snarky]

Fiddy

[Glacier Peak]

Five 0

[Clave Dark 5]

Never use the stuff, myself, so you could stop whenever you want.

[Scarlet Shocker]

How do you like to play? 

 

I try and avoid using them unless I want to get to a specific goal. With my regular teams I tend not to use them at all, so that we can explore and enjoy the content as intended. However if I want to get to mid-levels quickly, I will use them and sometimes even camp in an AE farm. That's usually with an AT and/or power set I'm familiar with. 

 

Ultimately, you're the best judge of when to use them. You can stop, delete them at any time (you don't even need to claim them) and see how that works for you. What are your goals? When do you want to experience the most content? How familiar are you with the AT in question? 

 

Those are, I'd suggest, relevant questions and if you have the answers to them you'll know what you want from the DXP boosters! 

[Troo]

9 hours ago, out51d3r said:

I've read that sometime after level 40, the amount of inf you get from missions starts going up pretty dramatically.  When does that occur, and is it worth giving up the 2x XP for?

I just hit 40 with the buff on, using it pretty much the entire way.  Because it disables inf gain, I've been specifically running story arcs that give reward merits, then flipping those for inf. That's been fairly profitable, and I'm buying set enhancements with it as I go.

Basically, I'm wondering if the inf increase will be enough to justify not using the XP buff.

 

Choices = Consequences

As long as you are aware - Use it as little or as much as you like.

 

Me:

I do use it while trying to level. I don't use it when just playing. (we level too fast and can miss out on content)

Example:

I might grab a couple double experiences and run an initial story arc as well as a couple Death from Below (DFBs).

A little jump start for a new character as I have created 100s of other characters. 

For a new player - They may miss a lot of education about the game as well as most of the game content.

 

 

Did you know you can start a new character at level 50 and skip the whole game content and leveling up experience?

[Etched]

16 minutes ago, Troo said:

 

Did you know you can start a new character at level 50 and skip the whole game content and leveling up experience?

 

I have never done this because I thought it was PVP only. Am I misunderstanding this?

[out51d3r]

Thanks guys.  I'm planning to keep it on til 50, just didn't want to miss out on alot of inf.  Though, tbh, I'm doing fine by converting merits to inf.  Already got both ATO sets, a smattering of end recovery stuff, 4 def abilities slotted with 1 lotg/5 red fortune, etc.  It's looking like I might actually be able to afford to get to softcap def and perma hasten a bit before 50.

[Troo]

31 minutes ago, Etched said:

 

I have never done this because I thought it was PVP only. Am I misunderstanding this?

 

Correct. Test Server and Temporal Warriors are what I referred to.

 

Spoiler

Temporal Warriors are limited to:

• The four PvP Zones 
  • Bloody Bay - combat level 25
  • Siren's Call - combat level 30
  • Warburg - combat level 38
  • Recluse's Victory - combat level 50
• Pocket D
• Arena
• Supergroup Bases

They begin with:

• Level 50
• All Pool Powers available immediately
• All Incarnate Slots unlocked
• Free-to-craft Incarnate powers
• Patron Powers unlocked without earning Patron badges

 

Test Server characters can have everything including enhancements and unlimited resources.

[ZemX]

1 hour ago, out51d3r said:

Thanks guys.  I'm planning to keep it on til 50, just didn't want to miss out on alot of inf.  Though, tbh, I'm doing fine by converting merits to inf.  Already got both ATO sets, a smattering of end recovery stuff, 4 def abilities slotted with 1 lotg/5 red fortune, etc.  It's looking like I might actually be able to afford to get to softcap def and perma hasten a bit before 50.

 

Getting to 50 sooner and then running content at 50 by itself will roll in a lot of inf, especially in "kill most" TFs you join at 50 like the ITF.  In the meantime, using merits as you have been doing, for cash is good.  You can also use merits-to-converters and then use the converters on crafted uncommon recipes you have cluttering up your inventory.  Make rare IOs out of them by converting and then sell those for a million or more a pop on the AH.

 

What I do is drop by my base to unload enhancements in inventory and common IO recipes to a vendor.  Then hit a crafting table to see if I can craft any recipes with the salvage I've collected.  Then I sell off any excess salvage left over, leaving about 4 of each common and 1 of each uncommon just to free up space.  Excess orange salvage goes on the AH directly (sells for around 400-500k somewhere apiece.  Once the crafted IOs build up enough in inventory, I spend a few spare minutes converting them into things that sell better on the AH and listing them.  Check back occasionally to see if anything sold and collect inf.

 

Farming is obviously faster than this, but I'm not into that so can't advise.

[Captain Fabulous]

I was today days old when I learned there was a thing called Temporal Warriors. 🤯😱

[Uun]

Level 1. As many have said, it's the journey not the destination.

[Yomo Kimyata]

12 hours ago, out51d3r said:

Basically, I'm wondering if the inf increase will be enough to justify not using the XP buff.

 

It sounds like you are asking this from a min-max perspective:  if I want to maximize experience/leveling speed and inf generation, at what point do I shift from one to another?  That's a very individualistic preference, and I'm not going to hit you with the "that depends" bat, but it does in fact depend on your preferences.

 

RE: inf generation, I don't have a lot to say on that.  There are plenty of ways to get inf, some of which are associated with just playing the game.  I have found that once a character hits around 35 or so, they start generating plenty of inf cash through regular play to maintain their spending needs, so if you want a level number that would be my vote.

 

RE: experience, I have found that I tend towards certain "sweet spots" in level play that I find most enjoyable, and certain "dead spots" that I do not enjoy.  If you are just running to 50, which is fine, keep double xp going all the way.  Shoot, I use a lot of Experienced temp powers post-50 because it gets the emp merits faster.  But remember you can always cancel a double xp power.  Nowadays, I tend to play at old school normal xp/inf ratios, and if I get bored with the character's progression, I'll either try to fast track a few levels to see if that helps.

 

Going back to my first sentence on min-max (which I do in spades), I'm going to pull out an old economic concept I vaguely recall.  When I was in college we looked at a fabrication called "utils" which is a hypothetical unit of satisfaction.  In theory, you could create an equation that would maximize utils by putting everything else in context of satisfaction:  level, inf, time spent, etc.  Maximize your happiness, that's my motto.  ("But I can't!"  "Neither can I, that's my trouble.")

[Krimson]

13 hours ago, out51d3r said:

I've read that sometime after level 40, the amount of inf you get from missions starts going up pretty dramatically.  When does that occur, and is it worth giving up the 2x XP for?

I just hit 40 with the buff on, using it pretty much the entire way.  Because it disables inf gain, I've been specifically running story arcs that give reward merits, then flipping those for inf. That's been fairly profitable, and I'm buying set enhancements with it as I go.

Basically, I'm wondering if the inf increase will be enough to justify not using the XP buff.

The amount of INF you can make in a few hours of level 50 play will outweigh anything you make from levels 1-49.

[Bionic_Flea]

I also leave it on to level 50, although I occasionally run out of the buff and forget to top off right away. 

 

I tend not to farm too much.  I have nothing against it and have farmed many levels, but I prefer playing the character through TFs and arcs with a possible farm visit to gain a few quick levels after mid 30s when the leveling slows down and I really want the next power or a few extra slots.  With double XP and without farming, I find that I get to level 50 in less than a weeks worth of playing, probably 10 to 20 hours worth of actual playing.  Once you get to 50, the influence really starts flowing in and you are better at killing things quickly with a complete build.

 

I did try to play without any doubleXP or sending influence and other gifts from my other 50s.  I couldn't do it.  At least not all the way.  I broke down early and took some IOs from my base.  And then used my second account to farm him some levels around level 35.  So while I didn't buy double XP or send any influence, I could not tolerate the feeling of being slow and weak and cheated on the spirit of the challenge.  Some people love to play each character on their own, without buffs or gifts.  I realized that it is not for me.

[lemming]

1 hour ago, Captain Fabulous said:

I was today days old when I learned there was a thing called Temporal Warriors. 🤯😱

Tempura Warriors are where it's at!

 

As mentioned, once you hit 50, you'll make more influence playing and be able to outfit better.    My first few chars were basic IOs, then as time went on, started outfitting sets and doing real builds.   You'll get there.   And you can get the basic IOs pretty cheap on the auction house since they get generated for badges and most sell for much less than what it costs to build.

[madicen]

If you're using them at all there is no reason to not to use them all the way to 50. The amount of influence you make pre-50 is miniscule compared to what you make at 50. If you need a little fliff before that do a few zones exploration badges for merits and convert them to boosters or converters and sell them on the AH. The amount of influence you'll make from just 10 merits is more than you would make leveling 1-49. 

[Ukase]

As you can read, there are many different ways to play. There's no wrong level, no right level to turn it off. 
Myself, I did not use it with my kheldians until about level 30, simply because both PB and Warshade have their AT specific arcs, and I didn't want to go through ouro for them. 

To me, I would just leave it on. It sounds like you're comfortable with flipping the loot that reward merits allow you to get. 

 

[Scarlet Shocker]

3 hours ago, Captain Fabulous said:

I was today days old when I learned there was a thing called Temporal Warriors. 🤯😱

 

Untrue. You were originally about 3 billion years old when you first learned it but Temporal Warriors pushed you back in time until today when you read this. So you kinda knew it already but you unforgot it in regression

[biostem]

16 hours ago, out51d3r said:

I'm wondering if the inf increase will be enough to justify not using the XP buff.

To put it simply, if your priority is earning a lot of inf, then you'll want to get to 50 ASAP.  If you're being PL'd or such, then the recipe and other such drops are likely worth more than any pre-50 inf you'd be getting, at least in my experience...

[out51d3r]

2 hours ago, biostem said:

To put it simply, if your priority is earning a lot of inf, then you'll want to get to 50 ASAP.  If you're being PL'd or such, then the recipe and other such drops are likely worth more than any pre-50 inf you'd be getting, at least in my experience...

Nah, not getting powerlevelled.  Just running missions/story arcs at a relatively high speed.  I rolled this character on Saturday, up to 41 now.

My priority is basically "hit 50 with relatively good enhancements".  I don't need to be fully geared by then, just don't want to be completely ungeared/broke either.  I seem to be on the right path for that.

[biostem]

2 minutes ago, out51d3r said:

My priority is basically "hit 50 with relatively good enhancements"

Gotcha.  You're a bit past the point I normally start doing this, but I craft and slot level 25 generic IOs starting at level 22, since they never expire and are relatively cheap.  You are close enough to the magic level 47 that it may not be worth it for you to start doing that now.  Unless you are having a very tough time right now, then I'd say continue using the 2x XP buff until you do at least hit 47, then...  Best of luck to you!