Alpha slotting on alts

Just a few ideas on working through alpha slot progression..bear with it

The last few nights, I have been talking with a few friends on the way we slot up our toons post level 50. We mainly play on the one server, freedumb, but have a fair few level 50 alts on virtue and other servers.

Nearly all of my toons of Free are t4 alpha'd and high in the judge/int/etc powers, but most of my alts on Virtue had very little. Naturally, as lesser played alts...they get the shinies later on, and having less friends to team with over there, I am less inclined to pug tfs. Nevermind that the tfs are usually less common now..since most people are doing the iTrials.

So, what to do? How to get an alpha, hopefully T3, on an alt on a server you don’t often play. Assuming your toon has no or very few shards, and that you do not want to spend a few nights grinding trials over and over. And that you’re just after a t3 alpha to get the +1 shift.

Tier 1 alpha needs 12 shards, or 3 shard components, or 3 thread components. Obviously the best way to get them is 3 specific level 50 task forces, to get the three components. One friend was talking about using Vouchers to convert astral merits into shards (via Astral Christy in oro) but complaining that the exchange rate was unfair. Looking at the rate..
12 shards to get your T1, that is 12 astrals merits. Which is..2 BAFS, kinda. About an hour at most, not counting finding the trial teams.

Another friend said she was making her entire alpha from thread components, that is, using threads to craft into the salvage bits that the corresponding alpha boost requires. Sounds like a better way doesn’t it? Well..it isn’t.
Tier 1 Alpha: 3 Thread components, each costing 20 threads. If you are getting those threads directly via astrals...that is SIXTY threads, 15 Astral merits.

So it is actually better to convert astrals straight to shards, than into threads, to slot your alpha. Worried how you’re going to GET astrals for your alt on whatever server it is, where trials might not be as common? Simple, run them on toons on some of the more populated servers and Voucher them to your alts.

Another thing, I have found it is much much easier to create your T2 alpha boost from Thread components. Why? Because uncommon trial salvage is actually the most common, and a lot easier to get (usually) than the 12 shards a single uncommon shard component costs to create. So if you get your tier 1 via global voucher astrals, run say..2 bafs on your alt, it is pretty good odds you will get an uncommon drop and convert the emp merits to threads, for the common parts. Then, you just need a WTF for the notice of the well...which should be fairly easy to find on any server.

Anyway..a few people I have spoken to did not even realise we can trade astrals and shards on our accounts..hopefully I have given some people ideas

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Consider running WTFs on your other server alts and if you get lucky enough, join a ship raid for the merits to buy a gr'ai matter.

The WTFs will give you the Notice which you will need later or you can breakdown into 4-6 shards or 40 threads. The WTF can also supply you with a component and miscellaneous shards.

Your idea to run BAFs is also solid.

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50s: Inv/SS PB Emp/Dark Grav/FF DM/Regen TA/A Sonic/Elec MA/Regen Fire/Kin Sonic/Rad Ice/Kin Crab Fire/Cold NW Merc/Dark Emp/Sonic Rad/Psy Emp/Ice WP/DB FA/SM

Overlord of Dream Team and Nightmare Squad

You can craft a T1 alpha in your first BAF, surely. You get a component, plus 4-6 astrals, plus an empyrean, plus however many threads.

You only need 40 threads to craft the other two components. My SG-mate did her first BAF yesterday and ended up with 41 threads and a common. T1 sorted.

Eco

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MArcs:

The Echo, Arc ID 1688 (5mish, easy, drama)
The Audition, Arc ID 221240 (6 mish, complex mech, comedy)
Storming Citadel, Arc ID 379488 (lowbie, 1mish, 10-min timed)