Steadfast Protection res/+3def should be 1 of the 1st IOs to get - its a lvl 30 and below IO that costs about 15m for the recipe iirc, and worth every bit of inf. Then slot that into any of your resistance toggles (not played War Mace/Elec so couldn't tell you which 1 would be best tbh.)
http://www.scene-and-heard.com/cov/covsig.jpg
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Honestly, 50 million doesn't get you very much, as I am sure you know. The recent addition of tip missions and alignment merits is the only way I've been able to outfit my current brute. You can do 5 tip missions a day, which equals two A-merits in 4 days. I bought several level 25 LotG +global recharge enhancements this way for two merits and was able to sell them for 120-150 million. That pays for a full set of enhancements that raise your def by a few percentage points. When you have 2 merits check the prices on Numina and Miracle +Recovery enhancements, they also sell for over 100 million. Obtain and sell whatever enhancement has the best price.
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Originally Posted by Breth
Hi Brutes,
bearing in mind i'll have access to 50 mill or less inf, where should i be putting my hard earned cash? I appreciate your answers in advance. |
So you're saying Luck of the Gambler is my salvation and all this time it's been my downfall, i've been relying on random rolls and getting diddly. Your tactic entrigues me Jim_G and i thank you for your insight. Have been playing this wretched game for 5 years and only ever had 2 drops worth more than 50 mill.
Watch out CoXers, Baron Bone - Daddy is coming!
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Jim is correct, I've been doing the same thing, in just over a month & a half I've netted close to a billion infulence between that and selling the drops from the tip missions. I also use H/V Merits to actually get the IOs that are either hyper-rare on the market or just too damn expensive for my tste. For example, I got 2 full sets of Kinetic Combats that way- 2/3s of which came from Merits. (Most IOs are only 1 Merit a piece with rares/proc/triples being 2)
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Originally Posted by Breth
So you're saying Luck of the Gambler is my salvation and all this time it's been my downfall, i've been relying on random rolls and getting diddly. Your tactic entrigues me Jim_G and i thank you for your insight. Have been playing this wretched game for 5 years and only ever had 2 drops worth more than 50 mill.
Watch out CoXers, Baron Bone - Daddy is coming! |
"Well, there's going to be some light music and a short note of apology saying, 'The universe ended last week, we're really sorry, we don't know what you're doing here, didn't you get the message?'"- Steve Moffat
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Stick it in Grounded.
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Originally Posted by Scene_EU
(not played War Mace/Elec so couldn't tell you which 1 would be best tbh.)
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My guides:Dark Melee/Dark Armor/Soul Mastery, Illusion Control/Kinetics/Primal Forces Mastery, Electric Armor
"Dark Armor is a complete waste as a tanking set."
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sounds painful |
Originally Posted by Nalrok_AthZim
Stick it in Grounded.
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http://www.scene-and-heard.com/cov/covsig.jpg
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You are most welcome. Each person who knows this will contribute to the price coming down slightly, but I see that as a positive thing for the game, long-term.|
Originally Posted by Breth
So you're saying Luck of the Gambler is my salvation and all this time it's been my downfall, i've been relying on random rolls and getting diddly. Your tactic entrigues me Jim_G and i thank you for your insight. Have been playing this wretched game for 5 years and only ever had 2 drops worth more than 50 mill.
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Now just wait until you start wanting PvP and Purples and you need BILLIONS. I guess I'll be spending a lot of time farming 50s, or sitting in Wentworths.
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If you're running Electric Armor you'll have access to Energize and Power Sink to smooth out endurance problems and heal. If you're still having endurance problems (which you might, although I don't know for sure, I've never played a War Mace/ELA) just buy the Numina's Convalescence unique. I've seen it lately under 100 mil. (I bought one at 70 mil last week) Since he saying he's on a budget, that probably will be enough.|
Originally Posted by Jim_G
When you have 2 merits check the prices on Numina and Miracle +Recovery enhancements, they also sell for over 100 million. Obtain and sell whatever enhancement has the best price.
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My suggestion, since you're going the cheap route, I'd go for recharge bonuses first, +Max HP, then Regen in IO set bonuses for an ELA Brute to get Energize up as fast as possible. I'm not saying S/L Defwnse wouldn't help. It's just a question of getting enough defense for it to keep you alive based on the amount of inf. you have to spend. 50 mil is probably enough to get enough IO's with S/L defense bonuses to really matter.
Isn't War Mace's key to survivability it's mitigation? Like it's Knockdown; much like SS's Foot Stomp and the Disorienting attacks?
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Originally Posted by Breth
Hi Brutes,
am running my first Brute and needs your ever so wise advice. Bone - Daddy runs a War mace/ Elec combo and he's obviously got Resist shields and i keep hearing you all talk about soft capping S/L defences. Riddle me this? How the hell do i do that... or even come close? Am planning on going the Tough/ Weave combo come i19, bearing in mind i'll have access to 50 mill or less inf, where should i be putting my hard earned cash? Please tell me what is glaringly obvious to you all that i just don't get? I'm 31 atm and would like to have some defence to support my shields. I appreciate your answers in advance. |
Youre not going to get softcapped on an Ela Brute to SM/L for 50 mill, not in any way that allows you to make sensible build choices.
For now, I would plan for the following (includes what others have said):
· Steadfast 3%
· Weave
· Combat Jumping
· Maneuvers
· 4 piece Reactive Armors in 2 to 3 resistance toggles
· 4 Piece Smashing Haymakers in your melee attacks (eventually you should look to market/tip your way to Kinetic Combats)
· 6 piece perfect zinger if you have the slots for it, as well as room for taunt.
These are some of the cheaper ways to get your SM/L Def up.
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Originally Posted by Breth
So you're saying Luck of the Gambler is my salvation and all this time it's been my downfall, i've been relying on random rolls and getting diddly. Your tactic entrigues me Jim_G and i thank you for your insight. Have been playing this wretched game for 5 years and only ever had 2 drops worth more than 50 mill.
Watch out CoXers, Baron Bone - Daddy is coming! |
Also, you can random roll for 1 A merit and get 5 recipes. Real trick or treat. I did it once and got one LOTG +7.5% and 4 garbage. Not sure if its a great long term tactic, but it worked once.
I need to reply, thanks so far, the feedback has been great. I'm running a 31 Brute without the fitness pool, i know it's unheard of but i built him thinking i19 was the next day, two months later i can't stop playing him and i'm gasping for air. End is a huge problem but War Mace (or my bone) mitigates beautifully and i can get away with running only Static Shield if i'm careful.
I currently have a Steadfast Knockback Protect in my Static Shield, i should get immob status thingy with Weave, do i need Grounded? I can then free up a slot for Combat Jumping? There are so many choices here.
I see now i need more dosh, it seems to be the way forward. I used to be so happy just to be able to afford the next IOs (yes i'm a Dinosaur) but this is getting overwhelming. Do i need a degree to play this game or can i still just bash stuff up and get killed when i take my eye off the ball?
I rarely play beyond 50, when is the point to stop ploughing cashola into stuff and just say "i'm average?"
btw i'm not average, my costumes and superior game play make me exceptional!
(add dry comments here)
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Grounded is always nice to have; I consider it a staple of Elec as it'll cap you to Energy Resist, but if you can circumvent taking it, more power to ya.
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Originally Posted by Breth
I need to reply, thanks so far, the feedback has been great. I'm running a 31 Brute without the fitness pool, i know it's unheard of but i built him thinking i19 was the next day, two months later i can't stop playing him and i'm gasping for air. End is a huge problem but War Mace (or my bone) mitigates beautifully and i can get away with running only Static Shield if i'm careful.
I currently have a Steadfast Knockback Protect in my Static Shield, i should get immob status thingy with Weave, do i need Grounded? I can then free up a slot for Combat Jumping? There are so many choices here. I see now i need more dosh, it seems to be the way forward. I used to be so happy just to be able to afford the next IOs (yes i'm a Dinosaur) but this is getting overwhelming. Do i need a degree to play this game or can i still just bash stuff up and get killed when i take my eye off the ball? I rarely play beyond 50, when is the point to stop ploughing cashola into stuff and just say "i'm average?" btw i'm not average, my costumes and superior game play make me exceptional! (add dry comments here) |
My guides:Dark Melee/Dark Armor/Soul Mastery, Illusion Control/Kinetics/Primal Forces Mastery, Electric Armor
"Dark Armor is a complete waste as a tanking set."
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I too, had this stroke of enormous luck! I wouldn't count on it... I tried about 8 times before the luck of the draw gave me what I wanted.
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Originally Posted by Blue_Centurion
Also, you can random roll for 1 A merit and get 5 recipes. Real trick or treat. I did it once and got one LOTG +7.5% and 4 garbage. Not sure if its a great long term tactic, but it worked once.
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Breth
I need to reply, thanks so far, the feedback has been great. I'm running a 31 Brute without the fitness pool, i know it's unheard of but i built him thinking i19 was the next day, two months later i can't stop playing him and i'm gasping for air. End is a huge problem but War Mace (or my bone) mitigates beautifully and i can get away with running only Static Shield if i'm careful.
I currently have a Steadfast Knockback Protect in my Static Shield, i should get immob status thingy with Weave, do i need Grounded? I can then free up a slot for Combat Jumping? There are so many choices here. I see now i need more dosh, it seems to be the way forward. I used to be so happy just to be able to afford the next IOs (yes i'm a Dinosaur) but this is getting overwhelming. Do i need a degree to play this game or can i still just bash stuff up and get killed when i take my eye off the ball? I rarely play beyond 50, when is the point to stop ploughing cashola into stuff and just say "i'm average?" btw i'm not average, my costumes and superior game play make me exceptional! (add dry comments here) |
If you only play to 50 and move on to another character, I would stick to the inexpensive sets (smashing haymaker) as well as frankenslotting to get the most out of your individual powers.
Beyond that, just carry purple insps.
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Honestly, I don't think you're going to softcap an Electric Armor Brute at any price without gimping your build. You can get around 60% S/L resist with your armors and Tough, and probably 30% or so S/L defense with Weave, Maneuvers, Combat Jumping, and some IO bonuses. That will give you quite good mitigation without crippling your ability to actually smash things. It will cost a heck of a lot more than 60 million, but a couple weeks running Hero or Villain merits can make you several hundred million inf or so just from selling LotGs. It's hard not to have a large bankroll by the time you hit 50 just from selling drops, since a lot of fairly common IOs are going for several million inf or more crafted. (Be sure to check the sell price of crafted IOs before selling a recipe... sometimes you can make 5-10 mil just by crafting it. Other times you lose inf due to the salvage costing more than the markup, so check both recipe and crafted IO prices.)
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Originally Posted by Deus_Otiosus
Youre not going to get softcapped on an Ela Brute to SM/L for 50 mill, not in any way that allows you to make sensible build choices.
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Cascade, level 50 Blaster (NRG/NRG since before it was cool)
Mechmeister, level 50 Bots / Traps MM
FAR too many non-50 alts to name
[u]Arcs[u]
The Scavenger Hunt: 187076
The Instant Lair Delivery Service: 206636
Hi again all and thanks really for all your input, it's given me lots to think about. I hate sounding like a noob but when it comes to IOs i am... I've been doing my tips and got my first Hero Merits, where the hell do i trade these things? I've been to the merit trainer person thingy and see no option for trading my Hero Merits for anything.
Regarding all of your suggestions, i think i'm going to go the Recharge/ HP/ Regen route, I've got Energize and it seems silly not to exploit this. I'll get a Steadfast Def, prob a Numina unique, some Reactive Armours for my shields and i guess Smashing Haymakers or Kin Combats for my melees if i can be bothered putting in the hours... i still want to enjoy playing and teaming and don't want to do just tips.
As a side note, i've had my other toons at it as well to get there a little quicker, my Scrap did a hero morality mission and got 50 merits but no Hero merit, where as my Corruptor did the same thing and got the Hero Merit, is this normal?
cheers again, i appreciate your collective knowledge.
Hi again all and thanks really for all your input, it's given me lots to think about. I hate sounding like a noob but when it comes to IOs i am... I've been doing my tips and got my first Hero Merits, where the hell do i trade these things? I've been to the merit trainer person thingy and see no option for trading my Hero Merits for anything.
Regarding all of your suggestions, i think i'm going to go the Recharge/ HP/ Regen route, I've got Energize and it seems silly not to exploit this. I'll get a Steadfast Def, prob a Numina unique, some Reactive Armours for my shields and i guess Smashing Haymakers or Kin Combats for my melees if i can be bothered putting in the hours... i still want to enjoy playing and teaming and don't want to do just tips.
As a side note, i've had my other toons at it as well to get there a little quicker, my Scrap did a hero morality mission and got 50 merits but no Hero merit, where as my Corruptor did the same thing and got the Hero Merit, is this normal?
cheers again, i appreciate your collective knowledge.
As I recall, the first time you do a Hero or Villain morality mission on a character that is already that alignment, you just get normal merits. Every additional time you re-confirm your alignment you get a hero or villain merit. If a villain goes hero, I don't know if you get merits when you switch and an H-merit when you do it again, or if you get merits for switching and the first confirmation and then H-merits afterwards.
Likewise, Rogues and Vigilantes get twice as many normal merits the second and subsequent times they confirm their alignment.
Cascade, level 50 Blaster (NRG/NRG since before it was cool)
Mechmeister, level 50 Bots / Traps MM
FAR too many non-50 alts to name
[u]Arcs[u]
The Scavenger Hunt: 187076
The Instant Lair Delivery Service: 206636
Quote:
When you switch to rogue or vigilante you lose all alignment merits (hero/villain) so spend 'em first.|
Originally Posted by StrykerX
As I recall, the first time you do a Hero or Villain morality mission on a character that is already that alignment, you just get normal merits. Every additional time you re-confirm your alignment you get a hero or villain merit. If a villain goes hero, I don't know if you get merits when you switch and an H-merit when you do it again, or if you get merits for switching and the first confirmation and then H-merits afterwards.
Likewise, Rogues and Vigilantes get twice as many normal merits the second and subsequent times they confirm their alignment. |
When you go from rogue to hero you get normal merits. It is only "reinforcing" hero or villain that gives the alignment merit.
However, you do get 50 regular merits which you can convert to 1 alignment merit. This is universally worth doing. There is absolutely nothing you can get with reward merits that is worth more than the top buys you can get with alignment merits even including the 20 million inf conversion fee.
"Hmm, I guess I'm not as omniscient as I thought" -Gavin Runeblade.
I can be found, outside of paragon city here.
Thank you everyone at Paragon and on Virtue. When the lights go out in November, you'll find me on Razor Bunny.
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Agreed. A combo of frankenslotting and SOs will get you to 50. |
Originally Posted by Deus_Otiosus
If you only play to 50 and move on to another character, I would stick to the inexpensive sets (smashing haymaker) as well as frankenslotting to get the most out of your individual powers.
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Of course, if you're just fooling around in AE, SOs are enough since the AE is designed to let you level.
Put some low bids out on uncommon/yellow IOs.
If you must craft, buy recipes level 20-30 to keep crafting costs down.
By lv 50, you have 88 slots:
Assuming:
20000/recipe
60000/3 pc of salv
50000/craft cost
Total crafted cost: 88*(20000+60000+50000) =13,640,000
13.6 mil should fit your budget.
When my toons hit 50, I don't respec with goodies. Instead, each toon must earn their next upgrade. My frankenslotted Elec/shield brute earned enough merits to get a 1 bill upgrade. Currently earning purples...
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Hi and thanks for this information, how do you guys even find out this stuff? My noob question once again is how do you convert the 50 merits to an alignment merit and where do i go to spend them?
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Originally Posted by GavinRuneblade
When you switch to rogue or vigilante you lose all alignment merits (hero/villain) so spend 'em first.
When you go from rogue to hero you get normal merits. It is only "reinforcing" hero or villain that gives the alignment merit. However, you do get 50 regular merits which you can convert to 1 alignment merit. This is universally worth doing. There is absolutely nothing you can get with reward merits that is worth more than the top buys you can get with alignment merits even including the 20 million inf conversion fee. |
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Patch notes. On Hero side, Atlas->Fort Trident. Vill side, Cap->Crucible. I'm a villain player, so all I can tell you that it's the Trashcan in the Crucible.
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Originally Posted by Breth
Hi and thanks for this information, how do you guys even find out this stuff? My noob question once again is how do you convert the 50 merits to an alignment merit and where do i go to spend them?
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Hi all and thanks once again for your invaluable feedback, My question of how to raise my defences took me on quite a journey. I've learnt more about that and the market and how to raise inf in a coupla days than what i've learned in the game in 5 years. These forums can be quite amazing and kudos to those that put the time and energy into teaching the rest of us that don't know.
Bone - Daddy now has now raised his S/L defences by 10% and there's more on the way. I've got 150 mill in the bank and know how to make more, that's the biggest gift.
One post i came across was incredible, it's by Fury Flechette and the post is here http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showt...4&referrerid=0
She goes from 0 inf to over a Billion in a week and it's a lesson we could all benefit from.
Happy gaming
A huge thanks to all those that took the time to help me, it's really appreciated.
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Hahaha. Very good.|
Originally Posted by Scene_EU
sounds painful
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Good question OP, I'm just now starting to get into the who soft cap deal after all these years. Love the info presented, keep it up!
My Kin/Elec brute has good resist, but I'm struggling for sets that fit and give me some Def boost.
Hi Brutes,
am running my first Brute and needs your ever so wise advice. Bone - Daddy runs a War mace/ Elec combo and he's obviously got Resist shields and i keep hearing you all talk about soft capping S/L defences. Riddle me this? How the hell do i do that... or even come close? Am planning on going the Tough/ Weave combo come i19, bearing in mind i'll have access to 50 mill or less inf, where should i be putting my hard earned cash? Please tell me what is glaringly obvious to you all that i just don't get? I'm 31 atm and would like to have some defence to support my shields.
I appreciate your answers in advance.