just got incarnate slot.. uh. *Scratches head*

I looked up "incarnate guide" and got this: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=257011


which seems to be written entirely in an alien language.

while it gives me to names of many things, and in many colors it doesn't give me, the uninitiated, some sort of rational explanation of, ok what do i do to "craft" my first power?

what can i do as a primarily solo player, to use this new "slot?" what missions? how does this power "tier up" as illistrated rather vexingly?

Some plainspeak on how to proceed for a complete noob on the incarnate system would be great.

(and no, thats not sarcasm.)

Thanks for any usable info.

If you click "Powers" in your tray and then the Incarnate tab it'll open a window with Equip/Create/Convert. That actually shows you a plain speak tech tree of what each tier of Incarnate enhancement gives you with mouseover help text giving full details. In order to craft each tier you usually have to have crafted the one below it, more being required the higher you get.

Each of those enhancements will list salvage required, and you can get that from doing TFs/iTFs or from "converting" those Incarnate shards you get as random salvage drops when defeating enemies (the way I've been doing it casually). Four of them combine in the convert tab to create whatever common salvage you need and you'll need three of those to craft the first tier Alpha enhancement, which you then slot on the equip tab.

If you work your way up the tiers the bonuses continually get better then diverge giving you two options (more damage vs. less endurance cost, then splitting again in to end + resistance vs. end + control or damage + damage reduction etc.) for each; the top-most tiers also boost your level to effectively 51. Will leave the other guides to cover the rest for you but that's a casual players practical guide to starting off at any rate.

Once you've completed the Incarnate arc in Ouroboros (or unlocked the Alpha slot by running iTrials) then any even level or above mobs have a chance to drop incarnate shards; these are the building blocks of your first incarnate powers.

Shards are turned into components (components can also be acquired by completing TFs and the WST gives a Notice of the Well component on top of that). and components are turned into Tier 1 Alpha powers.

T1 Alpha powers + components are turned into T2 Alpha powers.

T2 Alpha powers + components are turned into T3 Alpha powers.

2 * T3 Alpha powers + components are turned into T4 Alpha powers.

There's also this:

http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Alpha_Slot

http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Alpha_Slot_Abilities

Here's the quick and dirty version:

First, just do what I do and "/bind I incarnate". Now hit I to open the menu. For an alpha slot, you need components that you can get by 1) running certain TF/SFs or 2) crafting them from Incarnate Shards which are dropped by everything. Look under the "Convert" tab to see the components you can craft and how many Shards you need.

For the enxt four slots, you need to first run BAF/Lambda to unlock the slot. These trials also give you more components upon completion. Enemies in these trials also drop Incarnate Threads. It's basically the same deal here, either get components from Trial completion or by using Threads.

The one major differance is that each TF/SF is guarenteed to give you the same component every time, while a Trial gives you a random list of Common, Uncommon, Rare, or Very Rare.

I have nothing to add to simplify the instructions, but I do have some advice for the solo player. Solo'ing to get the T1 Alpha is fairly easy, but getting the higher tier ones is not. I have 27 characters with Alphas slotted, most (23 or 24) earned the T1 solo, while only one or two of 14 with level shifts have gotten their higher tiers that way.

Some points that may help for solo progress:

• Any foe of equal combat level or higher may drop a Shard. So you can get Shards when Ex, such as when doing Flashback arcs. This can provide you with something fun to do while getting the Shards rather than just farming for them.
• Bosses, and to a lesser extent Lieutenants, are more likely to drop Shards than Minions. So if you do decent single target damage make sure you have Bosses turned on.
• Defeats are the key, so turn difficult up to the top of your comfort zone for the +0 level setting. Don't go beyond that comfort zone though, as you'll end up slowing your earnings rate down. Don't raise the level unless your bored and already at x8. Don't lower the level or most of the foes will not drop Shards.
• Look at the components you need to get the buff you want. If there is a Gr'ai Matter in the mix you can buy that from the Vanguard terminals using Vanguard Merits. So if that's the case, make sure to log out in the Vanguard base for the day job bonus and take Rikti missions whenever you can. It costs 150 Vanguard Merits for a Gr'ai Matter, which is the equivalent of 4 Shards. Doing arcs such as Levantera's "Welcome to Vanguard" or Serpent Drummer's "Dreams of Peace and Acts of War" through Flashback can just about double your effective Shard drop rate if you can use a Gr'ai Matter. For the latter arc, set the difficulty low for the first two missions to get them out of the way fast (I often autocomplete or deliberately fail the 2nd mission), then up the diff after that. And note that the last mission is one you can clear after completing and has LOTS of Rikti in it. For simplicity, you can run Borea's repeatable missions, but I tend to prefer something that will also give me a few Reward Merits at the end (the L40-44 arc "Division: Line" from Angus McQueen is one that I'll often speed run for RM with the VM as a bonus) and has some big maps in it.

Hmm. So i just uh do tip missions and get shards to combine? i don't assume there are any task forces that can be done "alone" ? I am level 50 and a bit squishy (corr) but i did manage to cap s/l and get nrg to 30 or so (plus im dark so fearsome/anchor help me live a little bit.)

I'm red side on a server that is kinda.. empty alot of the time... so i'm not certain what exactly is the best path to keep building on my character. He's the first one i've ever gotten to 50, i like playing him enough to want to go on though.

Thanks for some info, any other direct (go here, this might be doable) kinda suggestions are also welcome. My global (im only on triumph) is @Cinderfang

I find getting fillers - including someone willing to park a toon till you finish - for solo'ing the high level TFs is more trouble than just doing the TFs. Especially the short ones. Here are the TFs that drop components and some key points:

ITF: 6 to start, L35+. Soloable by any AT with a quality build and patience. A favorite of players looking for Shards, so not too hard to get a team together for this one, especially when it's the WST as it is right now. It will take up to 2 hours for teams after Shards though. Speed runs are very practical for almost any time budget however.

Dr Kahn TF: 4 to start, L45+. It's not practically soloable, which is a shame since it is not that hard to come up with 3 fillers. This TF can be really quick though, so it's best just to run it with a team.

Barracuda SF: 4 to start, L45+. This one is not practically soloable either, and low DPS teams can take some time to finish it, so it's not as friendly as Kahn.

LGTF: 8 to start, L45+. Soloable by many as long as they have Hold powers to deal with Hamidon. Like the ITF this is a highly popular TF, especially for speed runners.

STF: 8 to start, L45+. Probably not soloable by a Corr.

LRSF: 8 to start, L45+. Also probably beyond a Dark Corr's ability to solo except with both tremendous skill and patience.

Apex: 8 to start, L50 and those with no Alpha slotted suffer a -4 Level debuff. Probably not soloable by a level 50. Given how short the TF is and the need for 8 50s to start, it's probably a lot easier to just do the TF with a team.

Tin Mage II: 8 to start, L50 and those with no Alpha slotted suffer a -4 Level debuff. The same story as Apex.


Basically, none of these is suitable for solo play either because of the team size needed to start them or the challenges in the TF itself. Many WST are however, if you can get fillers.

Unfortunately the devs really haven't released the solo friendly Incarnate content yet.