What level should one reach before seriously slotting IO

I'm a pre-IO veteran I now understand much of the concepts behind their use and have first hand experience with how time consuming everything is but what I want to know is when does everyone start slotting common IOs and what levels do people reach before going after sets?

The best character I have slotted with IO's is my level 50 Mastermind, and I started that at early 30ish. I'm not sure what the word on the (forum) street is, though.

I start *planning* the build very early, but I usually don't start actively buying recipes until the late twenties/early 30s. Then I slot them when I reach the appropriate level; filling in the gaps with common IOs. FYI, I buy and use a wide level range of set IOs, from the low 30s up to 50, depending on what's available and what I'm using them for.

BTW, having SG storage is a *huge* help in this endeavor, since you can craft IOs as you can afford them, and then sock them away until you reach the level where you can slot them.

EDIT: Just saw the common IO question. It varies, but in general I'll get level 15s or 20s instead of DOs as soon as I can slot them, then move on to 25s or 30s until I start slotting set IOs.

I start at lvl 27, with lvl 30 generic IOs. Then i start buying sets that are level 35. Depending if i want the sets bonus for a wide level of range or better %, i'll eventually upgrade them when i'm rich enough.

Of course, if i get a power really late, i'll put higher level IOs in it.

thx for the replys guys if anyone else has more to share please do

I don't tend to use common IOs all that much these days, except for those powers that don't take or won't be getting sets. That's mostly laziness. I used to try to frankenslot at lower levels but with how slow the redside market is, that has proved to be an exercise in frustration for me so I just use DOs and SOs in the early levels.

I start with sets in the early 30s usually, and continue on as I level and gain new slots.

I frankenslot my attacks at L22 instead of using SO's - I find that gives me a lot more flexibility, although as Supernumiphone noted it's getting harder and harder to do that redside so if you plan on that start putting out bids at least a week or two before you expect to get to that point, if you can. I also frankenslot non-attack powers that have cheap sets, like controls on my dominator's and heals on any character. I use SO's for everything else until I hit L27 then I switch over to level 30 common IO's. I have a crafter with all the recipes for the most commonly used L30 IO's, at least for non attack powers (heal, end reduction, end mod, recharge, movement powers, etc).

I pretty much run with this combo until I hit the 30's then i start putting together IO sets that will give me decent enhancements - crushing impact sets for my melee attacks, thunderstrike or decimation for my ranged attacks (depending on whether I want def or recharge), etc. I used to be able to slot up fears, confuses and other type of powers fairly cheaply with good sets (glimpse of the abyss, malaises illusions) but the switch to merits and the corresponding purge of almost all mid-level recipes for the rare IO's in these sets has made that difficult, if not impossible.

I have a bad habit of getting bored with most characters in the late 30's, early 40's and moving on to my next alt (or working on one of the half a dozen I have already created) so I don't do end game/level 50 builds, which is why I like to IO my characters out in the 30's. Because of this I generally don't try for uber, purpled out builds (or even non-purple uber builds) so I don't mind slotting up sets that give decent, if not great, bonuses that are easy to get.

If you DO plan on going to an uber, end game build (whether or not you want to use purples) I would recommend sticking with cheap frankenslotting and common IO's until you hit 47 and can slot L50's. You will find much more available at L50 (or the max level for the recipe you want) since that is where most of the rare recipes are being generated these days. I won't say the good recipes are cheaper at 50 but the are usually available, where you might not find anything at lower levels. Waiting until 50 to replace the cheap sets means you aren't going to have to burn a respec to save any 'good' IO sets you may have already slotted, where if you start adding in decent sets in the 30's then want to upgrade to L50 sets you will have to either overwrite the sets you put in before or use a respec to pull them out.

I usually frankenslot attacks at 22, you can usually get some good #s. I go with SOs for everything else til 27, where I can get level 30 common IOs. Then in the low 30's I start to pick up the actual sets I want for bonuses.

It partly depends on what you want to do with your character. If you plan to exemp a lot, you need to pick a level you want your bonuses to work at and get IOs at that level. You can start slotting them as soon as it is possible.

If you plan on running at 50 all the time and want to maximize all your bonuses (by slotting level 50 IOs), you obviously have to wait until 47. If you want to slot purples you have to wait till 50. These have bonuses that work no matter what level you're exemped to, but require that you be level 50.

I start slotting common IOs at 12, and update as necessary, generally to put in some 25s as needed. Then in the 30s I start slotting IO sets. At that point ED sets in and you can usually get 60% or so accuracy, which is roughly equivalent to slotting 2 Acc and 3 Damage SOs. Powers obtained at higher levels get IOs appropriate to their level, which means their bonuses will work whenever the powers are available.

If you're concerned about saving cash, you need to plan ahead and spread your purchases over a long period. You need to be able to put in bids and let them sit a long time, adjusting as needed if you're not getting what you need.

I slot Common IOs around level 27-32 depending on how impatient I am and how my salvage accumilation is turning out. I also start to gather and Set IOs that cap out in my level range, like Eradication.

During the level up process I tend to respec 2-3 times. Sometimes at 22 depending on the build, but most times at 32 and then again at 47. During these respecs I drop any SOs and move slots around towards my final IO build.

32 for level 35 IO's and them 47 for level 50 IO's and Hami-O's

Generally what i do is use SO's at lvl 22 up until i hit lvl 32 . Then from there ill will slot lvl 35 common IO's and use those till i hit lvl 47. If im planning on using lvl 40 set bonuses ill start slotting those at lvl 40 then finish on the rest of the sets at lvl 47 -50.

So HOs are still worth getting in this era of IO sets?

Well I typically dont slot much of anything till about 17 most of my toons never feel they need it that badly. Then I might toss some lvl 20 trainers in a couple things just to get me to 22 then I put lvl 25 generic IO's in everything. 3 lvl 25 generic IO's will usually get you comfortably close to the enhancement cap. 3 lvl 25 health or damage in a power will get you 95% improvement (ballpark).

I will then make what I will need in the 25-30 range and start working on sets from 30 on up as I get them or can afford them.

A little planning of your available storage (especially redside) goes a long way. I will store luck charms, boresight, brass, etc. all the things that drop to make lvl 25 damage, acc, recharge, end red, and maybe health in my market slots, vault or SG storage. I sell the rest of the salavage and enhancements I get from drops...all of it.

If you dont feel comfortable with empty slots till 17-22 then just go to 12 and slot lvl 15 trainers. There is really no need with the change to accuracy to slot much of anything for the first 10 levels and if you can make it that far you can make it to 12.

This is all assuming of course that you do not have a sugar daddy alt that bank rolls your baby toons. If that is the case I still save the salvage and let sugar daddy do the crafting, since he has the recipes memorized, and give the baby toon some cash to fill in the gaps.

Long story short..for me lvl 22 for generic IO's 30 and up for sets...your experience may vary.

With a bankroll and SG bins: the Steadfast +def and perhaps the Kismet +tohit slotted 10-15. Plain IOs at 12 to be replaced at 22, in powers that won't take useful sets or can't spare the slots to be frankenslotted. If grabbing set IOs, I'll usually grab a round in the early twenties, add as I go, and replace them in the early-mid 30s. This is perhaps a bit obsessive.

Some bits of information that really need to be more commonly passed around:

This table from the Wiki shows you a ranking of all enhancements. Key take away: Level 17 tripple IOs are equal to level 49 (-1 level) SOs and you can slot them at level 14. Level 21 Dual IOs are better than level 50 SOs (+0 level) and you can slot them at level 18. You can't slot an SO until level 22. Level 20 triple IOs are better than level 53 SOs (+3 level, "best SO you can slot) and you can slot those at level 17. So just from that, I'd recommend IOing before you SO or DO. Your mileage may vary.

Cost of IOs vs SOs (with thanks to Catwhoorg for the math). Again, the take away message is go with IOs from the lowest level possible and never waste your time/inf with SOs. Cost of purchased SOs starting at level 25 and updating every 5 levels through 50 (so no "greening up" and you let them lose effectiveness, for the cheapest possible path): 266,112 Inf. Crafting a memorized generic level 25 IO: ~60,000 (salvage cost varies).

Honestly, there is no reason to go with SOs unless they drop and you have an open slot. By the time you can slot them (level 22), you can already get higher bonuses for less inf by using cheap IO sets (starting at level 14).

When you look at the effects of exemplaring, things look even worse for SOs. Frankenslotted with duals an triples you can exemp down to level 21 and keep 100% of your enhancement numbers because of the exemp rule that small bonuses don't get reduced. From the Wiki:

I slot common IOs at 15, 25, and 35. It's much easier and cheaper than replacing all of your TOs, then DOs, then SOs every 3 levels. I usually don't get into sets until I hit 50. By the time I get there I usually have enough inf. to slot out one or two powers (sometimes more). I do not farm so I think this is the best method for someone like me. I do play the market a little but I'm not that proficient at it. I make a little money there but I'm no high roller.

I usually use common IOs and frankenslot starting at lvl 22 (also tend to not build for stamina until that point and burn a vet respec or use my 2nd build at that point). At lvl 32, I start building sets, focusing on sets that max out at 30-40. In the 40s, I work on finishing my sets and replacing lower level pieces.