IO for idiot

[Atomitor]

I've never been a fan of planning and implementing builds.when IOs came out I had a healthy behave and just chucked inf at the problem.

 

Now that I'm out again I need some help.  What's the quickest and cheapest way out getting a simple IO build?

 

Thanks in advance

[Jordan_Lee]

I'm sure others have better ideas than me, but what I've been doing is only making the IO's I have found recipes and salvage for. The cost of crafting them is expensive enough.

 

I have not been hounding the market, but salvage and common recipes are starting to get less expensive. If you know what you are looking for, find it on the market, bid 10-500 influence for it and hope someone too impatient sells it cheaply.

 

But really, you'll need to just play, earn that influence, make your new nest egg. LoL, then hope we don't have to start over on a new server anytime soon.

[Silk]

You can buy IO base recipes from the university  the set IO recipes only from drops or merit reward purchases.

[drake0699]

Personally, I just use DOs and then SOs up until 50, then start investing in basic IOs across the board. There is certainly an argument to be made to IO sooner since those bonuses don't go away as you level. I just don't usually bother.

 

Rule of thumb - two enhancements gets most of what you are going to get for that enhancement. So 2x Acc and 2x Dam gives you most of what you need for accuracy and damage. For some higher powers it might end up being 2x Acc, 2x Rchg, 2x whatever effect I want boosted.

 

Once you get into the IO sets it is a different world, since now you need to consider set bonuses to eke out some extra performance. but once you are IO'ed with basics at 50 you can delve into that world! You can do some neat stuff with sets or frankenslotting.

[Auranyte]

I used to always try and transition to standard IOs around level 30.  If I recall a lvl 30 standard IO is equivalent to an even level SO in value.  So I'd have a combination of lvl 30 35 IOs as I made my way to 50.  I'm pretty sure I would also start looking and piecing together some set IOs around 35 40.  Unless the set I wanted could be slotted at a lower level without issue or was capped at a lower level anyway.

 

As an example my lvl 20 Brute has a lvl 15 Karma Knockback Protection IO slotted already because I got lucky with the drop and the fact there is no difference in performance based on its level.

[Zolgar]

I used to always try and transition to standard IOs around level 30.  If I recall a lvl 30 standard IO is equivalent to an even level SO in value.  So I'd have a combination of lvl 30 35 IOs as I made my way to 50.  I'm pretty sure I would also start looking and piecing together some set IOs around 35 40.  Unless the set I wanted could be slotted at a lower level without issue or was capped at a lower level anyway.

 

As an example my lvl 20 Brute has a lvl 15 Karma Knockback Protection IO slotted already because I got lucky with the drop and the fact there is no difference in performance based on its level.

 

I usually start around 22, 25 IOs are a hair weaker than a white SO, but not bad, and the money you save by not buying up a bunch of SOs only to have them stop functioning is worth it, to me.

 

I also like to unslot them and hang on to them for my next character that needs them.

[Silk]

I read somewhere that IO were better across the board at lvl 42.

[brian9824]

I read somewhere that IO were better across the board at lvl 42.

 

They definitely are, but at level 30 they are so close to the same as being nearly identical.

 

I normally upgrade to IO's around 25 for a lot of my powers, then every 10 levels or so upgrade my key powers.  Then at 50 I focus on upgrading everything.  The cost isn't bad when you consider your not constantly buying SO's every 3 levels, and are going 10-20 levels without upgrading.  Plus if you craft them yourself on your main you can memorize the recipes making it cheaper to craft them for other chars. 

[Sniktch]

Honestly, I go Common 25s across the board until I've got sets at necessary levels - for me, the most common is 30 to enable Exemplar/Malefactor play without losing stuff.  Everything beyond that is pure gravy; a 25 IO gives 32% to a 'big' stat, whereas an even-level SO gives 33%.  So close as to not matter, and the INF you save by never having to replace until you're ready to set is substantial. 

 

Plus, with the Merit values and costs at the levels they are, getting those 'best-in-slot' Set pieces is pretty easy; I've got a 31 that's already got a Miracle, Numina's, Steadfast Res/Def and Knockback protection, 4 out of 5 Doctored Wounds for a self-heal, Performance Shifter proc and END Mod in Stamina, and a Karma Knockback protection, with enough Merits and salvage on-hand to get the 5th piece of Doctored Wounds.  Just need to ding for more slots.

[Erydanus]

That's my take too. At level 22, get level 25 IOs if you can. They're like permanent SOs at that point. ED also flattens the playing field. Three level 25 main type IOs give you 92.2% buff, SOs would give you 94.93%.

 

Additionally, if you do have set recipe IOs or can find cheap ones, you can Frankenslot. No need to worry about set bonuses. Two and three part IOs have more total bonus, at 25 that's 2 things at 21.75% each (or 42% total enhancement...). Here is an example of how that could work. Suppose you actually want to 6 slot a spammable heal with 3 heals and 3 recharges. There are heal/recharge pieces in sets. Suppose you took the heal/recharge piece from all 4 sets that are available at level 25, that would be 79% each (in comparison: 2 of each SO would only be 64%). For four slotting those are actually very good numbers. Now suppose you finish 6-slotting by getting two heal/endurance/recharge pieces from 2 different sets. Your numbers will end up: 96.8% Heal and Recharge (down from 112 pre-ED) and 32% Endurance Reduction. You not only got all the heal and recharge you would have with SOs, you got an entire SO worth of end reduction in there.

 

Alternatively if you mix 3 pieces of Heal/Recharge and 2 pieces of Heal/End/Recharge you will in 5 slots get 89.4% heal and recharge and 32% end reduction. (If they were level 30 IOs, you'd be getting 95% and 34%.) So basically you just 6 slotted your power in 5 slots, and you managed to tweak it to get a whole SO of end reduction in there too.

 

Bottom Line: any time you are using any set IO with 2 or 3 parameters, as long as the buffs are something you'd want if you could afford the slotting for it, you are coming out ahead. In fact a rule of thumb for frankenslotting is: you only need 5 "half" IOs to get to max. 

 

For example, suppose you took 3 heal/recharge IOs and added 2 heal/endurance IOs. You'd get 40% end, 66% recharge, and 95% heal. Basically it's like you compressed 1 end, 2 recharge, and 3 heal SOs into 5 slots.

 

But what about 3-part pieces you ask? If you stack 4x heal/endurance/recharge set IOs you'll end up with 64% for all 3 things. In other words, you can 6 slot your power in just 4 slots. There are only 4 heal sets at 25, but there are 6 at 30. If you get the 3-parter from 6 different sets and use level 30 IOs, then you will end up with 95.6% in heal/end/recharge; in other words you 9 slotted the power in 6 slots.

 

So in conclusion, as of level 22 any time you start using IOs that are at least 25 you will be doing well in the long run as long as you are slotting for things you actually want. But most of the power sets have IOs set up so you can squeeze an extra half enhancement of a basic parameter like accuracy, recharge, or end reduction in without doing too complicated a setup. The powers that work on the second value set (like defense, resistance, end mod, etc) work similarly.

[markofantares]

Don't forget about ParagonWiki! A great source for everything City of Heroes!

[_NOPE_]

According to Positron (from ParagonWiki):

 

Lower level IO's are strengthened around that of Training Enhancements, mid level IO's are about the power of Dual Origin Enhancements, and IO's level 25 and above have about the same punch as current Single Origin Enhancements. Of course the power of the Enhancement is better with level, so high level invented Enhancements are slightly more powerful than the equivalent SO.

 

So my advice on common IOs at least would be to grab some as soon as you can at level 10, then maybe upgrade every 10 levels after that, so that you can feel the value of the incremental improvements, but not be wasting tons of money on enhancements, like you would be if having to replace TOs/DOs/SOs.

 

[markofantares]

According to Positron (from ParagonWiki):

 

Lower level IO's are strengthened around that of Training Enhancements, mid level IO's are about the power of Dual Origin Enhancements, and IO's level 25 and above have about the same punch as current Single Origin Enhancements. Of course the power of the Enhancement is better with level, so high level invented Enhancements are slightly more powerful than the equivalent SO.

 

So my advice on common IOs at least would be to grab some as soon as you can at level 10, then maybe upgrade every 10 levels after that, so that you can feel the value of the incremental improvements, but not be wasting tons of money on enhancements, like you would be if having to replace TOs/DOs/SOs.

 

I recently used Merit Rewards to purchase SO's at lvl 20. They help a lot. And I don't waste Inf

[brian9824]

According to Positron (from ParagonWiki):

 

Lower level IO's are strengthened around that of Training Enhancements, mid level IO's are about the power of Dual Origin Enhancements, and IO's level 25 and above have about the same punch as current Single Origin Enhancements. Of course the power of the Enhancement is better with level, so high level invented Enhancements are slightly more powerful than the equivalent SO.

 

So my advice on common IOs at least would be to grab some as soon as you can at level 10, then maybe upgrade every 10 levels after that, so that you can feel the value of the incremental improvements, but not be wasting tons of money on enhancements, like you would be if having to replace TOs/DOs/SOs.

 

I recently used Merit Rewards to purchase SO's at lvl 20. They help a lot. And I don't waste Inf

 

Yeah but could have used Merit's to make influence to buy IO's instead.  In the long term your gonna spend far more keeping SO's viable then you would if you invest in IO's up front. 

[Heraclea]

It pays to start with generic IOs at level 10.  They don't improve, but neither do they need to be replaced, and those IOs will all be in your lowbie powers anyways.  They can be upgraded at your leisure.  Keeping SO's in the green, by contrast, is an expensive proposition.

 

You can start thinking about IO sets as soon as you get high enough to start earning reward merits; the easiest way to do that is to run one task force after another.  There are some IOs that you want to be as low as possible: the Steadfast Protection Res/Def (damage resistance), the Numina's Chance for Regen/Recovery (goes in inherent Health), the Performance Shifter Chance for Endurance (goes in inherent Stamina); the resist knockback button whose name I don't remember.  The effects of these don't improve significantly for being higher level.  Keeping them low means they still work when you exemp down to run a Positron.

 

Architect tickets are the key to not having to buy salvage at Wentworth's.  Join or make a supergroup and save your uncommon and rare salvage in racks so you can find what you need.  Put an enhancement bin in the base as well, and your higher levels can hand down their lowbie generic IOs for up and coming characters to slot.