Hero merits can fail to drop?

So I have a spider crab that I brought blueside by doing alignment missions. The first time I went through the cycle I got a nice shiny temp power and 50 merits, fine. This time, I go through the whole thing, although not in the space of 2 days - more like 5. Anyway, I pick up some tip missions and then a Morality mission, except this time when I vanquish Doc Quantum, I get this bogus 'Reward Merit' message instead of the momentous 'Hero Merit' message I usually get.

Pardon me, but WTH is exactly going on here? I'm seriously rethinking my inclination to do Tip missions anymore, if in the end, there is the chance that I am going to get the Consolation Prize rather than what I put the time and effort in for.

The first 10+1 gets you the new alignment, plus some reward merits and the countdown power. The SECOND 10+1, confirming your new alignment, only gets you reward merits. The THIRD run of 10+1 starts the Hero Merit drops, which then continue for every following 10+1 till you change alignment again.

Sucks, I know, but there it is.

Interesting- I know that the first time, ever, you confirm your "own alignment" you get enough Reward Merits to buy a Hero Merit (with a spare 20 million inf). I did not realize the first time you confirm a NEW alignment you also got enough Reward Merits to buy a Hero Merit.

Alignment Merits are a loyalty program. You haven't been loyal yet, have you?

Fulmens,

You don't get the full 50 merits upon changing alignments. I actually don't think you get any merits, just the new alignment and the 7 day countdown timer, but I could be wrong and there's some small merit reward too, but it's DEFINATELY not the full 50.

I just finished taking a Hero over to Villain last night. When I left Paragon and travelled over to the Isles, he had around 48 merits. Now (after the final conversion to Villain) he has more than that. (it's somewhere in the 80's). He did go around and picked up all the explore badges and the +5 merits from each of the red-side zones, so that's +35 merits there and he definately hasn't gained +85 merits.

As far as I understand it:

Morality Mission for Actual Alignment Change (H to Vig, Vig to V, V to R, R to H):
--gets you the new alignment
--gets you the 7 day countdown timer to your new alignment power

1st Morality Mission where you keep whatever alignment you are at:
--gets you the big normal merit bonus
--gets you the 7 day countdown timer if you don't already have one

2nd + Morality Mission where you keep whatever alignment you are at:
-- Hero/Villain gets you 1 alignment merit
-- Vig/Rogue gets you the smaller merit bonus

I think the OP is mixing up events. He said that the first time going blue, he got the temp power and the 50 reward merits. No. You *DO* get the temp power the first time you hit the hero alignment but you get the 50 merits the first time you REAFFIRM (i.e. do the hero morality mission AGAIN). So something doesn't add up.

<deleted>

What are the alignment merits good for, anyway - and to whom do you turn them in?

You can use them to buy purples or other rare recipes, and you turn them at Fort Tridet if you're a Hero, and the Crucible if you're a Villain.