Guide to planning your Ultimate IO'd out character
By
Major_Force,
Posted on: 2007-10-05 08:40 in Player Guides
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Rare recipes are drops from Task Forces and some story arcs (IIRC),
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Task Forces and Trails. Not Story Arcs. paragonwiki has a good list going of which ones drop from TFs and which ones drop from Trials.
205723: A Different DESTINY
When Soldiers of Arachnos got their names added to the Destiny List, Longbow managed to get a copy of the list and began rounding villains up. But one name on the list shocked them...
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Rare recipes are drops from Task Forces and some story arcs (IIRC),
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Task Forces and Trails. Not Story Arcs. paragonwiki has a good list going of which ones drop from TFs and which ones drop from Trials.
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Thanks for the clarification Major_Force. I knew TFs were included, but went fuzzy after that. 
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[ QUOTE ]
Rare recipes are drops from Task Forces and some story arcs (IIRC),
[/ QUOTE ]
Task Forces and Trails. Not Story Arcs. paragonwiki has a good list going of which ones drop from TFs and which ones drop from Trials.
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There are 4 pools of recipes.
Pool A - Defeat Enemies
Pool B - Mission Completions (10% chance)
Pool C - Task Force
Pool D - Trials
Each pool is mutually exclusive, so pool D drops ONLY come from trial completions. Pool C ONLY comes from TF completion.
Drops from pool A can be common, uncommon, or rare. Pools B, C, and D are always "rares", although rarity != value. The most valuable recipes in the game (Miracle: +recovery, Numina's +r/+r, Luck of the Gambler: +7.5% recharge) are all pool C drops. There are some very valuable pool A recipes, the most notable of which i'm aware is Regenerative Tissue: Regeneration.
There's also a separate pool for Costume recipes; they used to be part of pool A, but they still come from kills.
So you want the ultimate character with all the best IOs and set bonuses huh? Hows that going to happen? Do you have a 50 with Millions upon Millions of influence? If not, then read up.
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This Guide is for:
[*] The player who wants to build a character from 1-50 with IOs.[*] The player whos at the point they want to start slotting IOs, but are unsure what to do.[*] The player who just sold a rare salvage, only to buy a recipe later that needed it and had to re-buy it. (in other words, disorganized)
So, lets get started. Im going to assume that youre ready to plan out a new hero; youve got your concept, and think What powers do I need?
You should really download a Hero Planner. Its a fan written program that allows you to plan out your hero from level 1 all the way to level 50. Mids Hero Designer is the current fan favorite because it actually allows you to input IOs and see the results, and calculates it into your totals. You can find it here or type it into your browser http://www.honourableunited.org.uk/mhd.php.
From here, you should plan out your build from level 1 to level 50.
Q-But Star, Im already level X, should I still do this?
A-Yes, absolutely. Failing to plan is to planning to fail. You may take a power that you really should have put off a few levels thats going to perhaps slow your progress or worse, wont perform as you think it does.
When it comes to slotting enhancements, start with just simple Single-Origin Enhancements or Training-Origin Enhancements. Head to your respective Archetypes forum and post your build with the easy-to-use forum export feature built into Mids planner. There are hundreds of experts that will love to critique your build and offer their advice about when you should take x power or y power, and how to slot them for maximum efficiency.
Q- You mean I cant do this on my own?
A- Absolutely, but when there are so many great advisors on the boards, why wouldnt you ask an opinion just in case you missed something (like slotting Combat Jumping for EndRdx
Your next step is to think about Invention Origin Enhancements. Whats your archetype? Does it have any weaknesses or gaps in defense? What should be boosted? A typical rule of thumb is to think of the Archetypes role in the game and look into IOs that compliment that set:
Blasters- Ranged Damage Dealers
Controllers- Holds & Debuffs
Defenders- Buffs & Debuffs
Scrappers- Melee Damage Dealers
Tankers- Defensive Melee
Peacebringers- Ranged & Melee Damage Dealers
Warshades- Ranged damage dealers with crowd control features
Now that youve gotten your build created, and youre ready to head into the wonderful world of Invention Origin Enhancements, I highly suggest downloading an Excel spreadsheet created by Iokona and found on coh.redtomax.com in the City of Data section. Quick Link. At this point Id like to thank Iokona for putting that together for us. Its such a blessing for the planning nerds like me.
Hopefully youve got Excel on your computer, but if not, dont worry. Put in your IOs into your build in Mids Hero Designer. Notice that great View Totals button to find out what bonuses youre getting to things like Defense, Resistance, Recovery, Regeneration, etc Play around until you get what you like.
OK, now that youve plotted in your IOs, head back to the boards (if youd like) and (in the same post) upload your new build with the IOs and ask for critiques. Make adjustments as desired.
By now you should have a build that youll be happy with and is effective as well.
Well the roadmap looks good, but its a long road to 50, you say? Well have no fear; were going to make it simpler/more efficient. Using Iokonas spreadsheet or just the info on coh.redtomax.com you should write down what salvage your recipes will need. If youre using Excel you can just click on the recipe and the needed salvage will populate for you and you can just copy/paste into a separate spreadsheet and using Excels Sort Ascending feature it will line up all your Salvage. Since Iokona organized them by Rarity then name, youll have all those Rare Salvage names bunched together. Go ahead and delete the rest from the list. (Note: If youre doing this by hand or without Excel, just list out your wanted Recipes and Rare salvage only). Rare recipe drops are the most difficult to get and the most expensive in the consignment house, hence the name: rare. All the others will be manageable cost-wise.
From here (in Excel) print out your shopping/farming list. With that list, you now know what you need to keep, and what you can sell. Only need 1 Mu Vestment and you have 2? Put that baby in WW and get some Infl. When you get an item that you need, put it in personal storage in Vault Reserve, Personal storage in your SG base (Vault Reserve and Personal storage are the same), keep it in your inventory, or just keep it stored at the CH (Dont put it for sale, just drop it in a slot).
Q-I need 4 Deific weapons!?
A- Youre going to find out exactly what your ultimate build needs, so you can be precise in what youre looking for. Need Arcane Salvage? Pick missions that face you against foes that drop them (CoT, etc. . .). Or put in low bids for them at the consignment house.
Q- I have 3 unneeded Rares. What do I do with them?
A- Sell them or give them to an alt.
Q- I need a bunch of Rare Recipes. What do I do?
A- Rare recipes are drops from Task Forces and some Trials, youd better plan on doing some, otherwise youll be buying your rare items instead of getting them on your own (which is typically cheaper).
Q- Ive already slotted some IOs, but they arent the ones I just planned for. What do I do?
A- Two options:[*]Just keep them as they are and replace them as you go.[*]Write down which ones you do have, and go to the CH. Note how much they go for. Do a Respec trial or use a free one (if you have it). At the end of Respecing you re-slot all your enhancements with the option of putting 10 in your enhancement tray (any left unslotted or not in your tray are sold at store value). Put the highest valued IOs in the CH.
Q- I planned for a 50 enhancement, but I just got a level 30 drop for it, what do I do?
A- There are some guidelines for that. Some IO sets only go up to X level. Check and see whats the difference in the bonus between the one you got & the 50 version, if its only 1% or 2%, you may just keep it and slot it. Certain Rare recipes (PROCS, +Regen, +Recov, etc ) dont change value no matter what level, so craft and slot them as you get them. Remember that the SET BONUSES dont change no matter what level IOs you have slotted. So its up to you, you can create it, but if you choose to do the higher level version later youll have to replenish the salvage you use.
Q- Ill need 45 rare salvage, but I only have room for 40 in personal storage.
A- You can use your characters Salvage window to keep salvage until its needed, or (my personal favorite) you can simply store it in the CH without selling it. That does mean that you have less room to sell items, so priority should be 1. personal storage; 2. Consignment House; 3. Salvage window on your hero.
GUIDELINES & TIPS:[*] Any common or uncommon salvage should be sold at the AH. However, if its selling for +500,000 influence, you should consider keeping it. Why? Youll be using your personal storage for the rare drops youll need for your recipes. Common/Uncommon salvage can be re-purchased for generally low prices.
[*] If your personal recipe/salvage inventory is full, youve got a 0% chance of getting a rare recipe/salvage. Store your rares in personal storage. Delete any common/uncommon salvage that isnt very valuable so you have room unless youre on your way to the CH.
[*] Dont overprice/under price your sales at the CH. You want to get the most money you can in the quickest time possible. Dont put inert gas on for $1 Million; it will NEVER sell for that. Likewise, dont put it for $1 either.
[*] If you need 3 of x rare recipe and you get a 4th, sell it. No reason to keep surplus using this method. Use the influence to get those recipes/rare salvage that hasnt dropped for you. Same rule applies for recipes as well.
[*] You can buy an extra 10 salvage space buy trading in Vanguard Merits. It takes a bit, but its worth it. (Plus you can get some Rare salvage from the Rikti)
[*] Be aware of what items sell for at a store vs. what you can sell them for at the Consignment House. There is a balance between helping others get needed items cheaply and getting taken, so just make a judgment call.
Final Q- "How long is this going to take?"
A- There's no real timeframe answer for that, using this process with streamline it for you. With IOs its hard to keep track of what you have, what you want, what does that need and how many of those will I need all in your head. This guide helps you avoid getting rid of something that may take some time to get back.
Hope this helps!
EDIT: Had some misinfo that Major_Force pointed out. Updated to correct.