How to survive being sidekicked to L50?

So I've noticed that it is extremely common for teams of 50s to run around doing missions at +2/x8 or +4/x8. And, to their credit, they rarely ever balk at inviting heroes of any and all levels to join them. The problem, of course, is that those L50s are geared up to be able to handle +2/x8 or +4/x8 whereas most mid-level toons are not. That means a rather poor survivability rate for those of us who join up with our lower level toons.

Is there any advice, short of "Don't join teams of 50s", that would help make adventuring with them more survivable? If I hang back and jump in (with my Brute) only when it feels "safe", I survive longer but I don't really feel like much of a hero, and I certainly don't feel like I'm "pulling my weight" for the team either.

For context, I'll just point out that my L32 Brute already has all the defenses she'll ever have, short of Incarnate powers or set IO bonuses. My slotting policy for melee toons is to prioritize defenses over dps, and so at L32 her defenses are already slotted for maximum effect. She's got L30 generic IOs slotted in every defense slot, which means she has the equivalent of green SO+ enhancements that never diminish in value. I'm told that all-SO builds can survive the "end game", that set IOs are not imperative for survivability, but maybe that isn't true for the +4/x8 style of "end game" play?

What Brillig said. I would also point out that the expectation that a level 32 will somehow contribute to a team the same way as the level 50 they're sidekicked to is kind of insane. Would a level 14 contribute much to a level 32 team?

That's a fair question.

I guess I figured that since my defenses were already maximally slotted that I wouldn't expect to be any less survivable sidekicked to 50 than just running at my natural level of 32. But the difficulty setting makes a huge difference I guess. I don't encounter that many mid-level teams running at +4/x8; that seems to be more the purview of all the 50s out there looking for a challenge.

A 14 isn't going to have as many enhancement slots as a 32, nor as many attacks to build attack chains as a 32, nor is a 14 likely to be as endurance efficient as a 32, so naturally I wouldn't expect similar performance. But the number of attacks I have at 32 is pretty much the same as any L50 (who isn't pimped out with Incarnate powers), so it's not like I lack for available firepower. My attacks aren't slotted as heavily yet, since I prioritize defenses, but my ability to "contribute" kind of has less to do with dps and more to do with how often I seem to faceplant.

Q: How to survive being sidekicked to L50?

A: Make sure there's a buff-capable AT on the team before accepting the invite.

I'd say bite off what you can chew in the mission, and don't expect to pull your full weight. As a Brute, dont expect to take the alpha, but helping with the clean up after the alpha strike on each group is fine.

A level 50 team running +4/x8 could probably steamroll with half the members, but have invited you and other mid/lowbies for the company, because its the nice thing to do, and to break up the tedium of running solo or in small groups.

If anyone gives you grief for not pulling your weight in this situation, they're being unrealistic, so don't beat yourself up about it. Just enjoy the ride.

Lowbie sidekicked to a boosted 50 team: don't take more than you can chew. This means you'll want to dial back your normal playstyle so that you don't overrun the natural 50s (possible 50+1s).

Remember: you're not sidekicked to level 50...you're actually combat level 49, so you're already one level worse, and the higher the difficulty is, the less effective you are - even if you're running natural level content, if you boost your difficulty up you'll be less effective. That's just how the game works. But sidekicked up, you have an automatic one level deficiency versus doing your natural level content.

Pull back. Take a breath. Let someone else do the heavy lifting.

But most important: Have fun. Don't worry about not pulling all of your weight. It won't be noticed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dispari I don't know why Dink thinks she's not as sexy as Jay was. In 5 posts she's already upstaged his entire career.

I think that you should probably just play bodyguard and look out for the squishies. You may have all the defensive powers, but you won't have all the slots.

On the bright side, any debt you get is gone pretty fast.

Just relax and don't worry about defeats - unless they are because you're doing something crazy, like trying to tank at +5.

Inspirations.

I read a lot of good advice above. One other thing to consider while you hang back and work on the easy stuff is that you are a lot more useful to the team doing that then being faceplanted.

Honestly? My solution is "don't team with 50s." I know exactly where you're coming from. I hate being in a situation where I could contribute more to the team by doorsitting and staying out of trouble, so I avoid those situations wherever possible.