Dimishing Returns

I've been away for a few years, two questions:

(1) do the same rules on diminishing returns apply? (3 enhancement of the same type is most efficient, a 4th one does very little)

(2) what about if you have (for example) 3 damage SO's, then you add a damage IO... do dimishing returns apply to that IO?


ty

Enhancement Diversification is based on the total enhancement percentage, so it would still kick in.

In fact, with Lv50 IOs you start getting to the point where even the 3rd enhancement is of debatable value.

In the case of a power slotted with Lv50 damage SOs, 2 enhancements give a 66% bonus, whilst 3 give you a 94.93%. i.e That 3rd SO is giving you a 28.93% bonus instead of 33% (88% effective).

With Lv50 IOs, 2 enhancements give a 83.32% bonus, whilst 3 give 99.08%. i.e That 3rd IO is only giving you a 15.76% bonus instead of 42.4% (Only 37% effective).

Here is a link to the wiki page that explains the details:

http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Enhancement_Diversification

The short answer to your specific question is that the IO would suffer from significant diminished returns.

A somewhat longer answer is that the number of enhancements used technically has nothing to do with dimishing returns. The "rule of three" is usually cited because with SO's and (high level) IO's the third enhancement of a type will bring the total bonus past the point where diminishing returns kick in. So with three you are already loosing some efficiency, just not as much as further enhancements. With same-level DO's diminishing returns would start kicking in with the fifth enhancement.