FourSpeed

As a solo player, my toons just consider this mission a "Sneak & Streak"
caper.

So, the disguise gets me in - I grab the goods and get the heck out.

Since all the baddies know where you are (ignoring stealth), and they're
all aggro'd on you, I've never had a toon that stuck around live through it.

I've always assumed that was by design and intent since the mission
"succeeds" after you get all the glowies. <shrug>


Regards,
4

That's definitely the fast trak to wealth - nice, and gratz.

Nicely done - welcome aboard...

That's an interesting build you put together.

I tossed out one that's pretty close to what I use (This build is better
than the capped L27 I have, and quite close to what I'm using on
Freedom).

I'm not sure I agree about sets, since, on the build I'm posting, it has
decent defenses because of Danger Sense and Ninja Reflexes in terms
of Ranged, Melee and AoE (though the typed defenses are low).

It's interesting to see the contrast in our approach. My 1st main was
a blaster, so I put in a couple more attacks, and they're intended for
high burst damage. Basically, if this guy hasn't killed his target after
one run through the attack chain, it's probably time for him to bail...
With your HP and Regen your guy might stick around longer...

These two would definitely approach a fight quite differently (which is
kinda cool, actually).

In my build, apart from the big 4 uniques mentioned previously, there's
nothing fancy or particularly expensive in there... In fact, if you swapped
all sets and IOs (excluding those 4) for +3 SO's, the basic burst numbers
won't change much, and in a some cases actually improve slightly.

Where SO's fall off though is when you start looking at DPS or DPE effects
since all but the Soaring Dragon bonuses apply, even in BB, and over time
those start to have a significant benefit.

The biggest problem I historically have on this guy is trying to get shots
off against the myriad of Mexican SJumping Bean / Super Speeders ,
which is typically much less of a BB problem than an SC problem (though I
notice you managed to put both of those powers in yours).


Regards,
4


NB/Nin Stalker (PvP-centric for BB)

I'd point you here to answer that question...

@macskull: Oddly enough, my L27 stalker was built when CoV released
and was intended for BB from moment one... While he's gotten many kills
in Siren's too, BB is still where he spends most of his time...

That said, I agree with you in two respects.

1> If you're planning on making a PvP specific toon, you should probably
do so on Freedom, these days. The one mentioned above isn't, but all of
my recent PvP toons have been created there... It's much more active,
and (in-general), the caliber of PvP player is better there as well.

2> Siren's Call is much more active, but it's also a ramp-up in difficulty
too - most toons in there are L50, most heroes are on teams, and the
"regulars" have some impressively IO'd toons in many cases, and of
course, the T9 power is also available there.

I don't know anything about the OP's PvP experience/skill level, but
personally, I for one learned an awful lot about playing my stalker in the
much calmer backwaters of BB (on a quieter server), before jumping to
Freedom (and Siren's).

SC needn't be excluded if the OP desires. By the same token, building
well for BB won't hurt him any in SC if he does choose to visit...


Regards,
4

Bloody Bay is a very effective zone for a well played stalker build. I
won't give you an exact build, but I'll toss out some ideas to consider.

Keep in mind these are solely my own personal experience and opinon. YMMV.

You are correct that you can now use all powers up to your L30 pick.

Be advised however, that IO's still function as they did before. So, what
that means is that the key attributes of those IO's will work normally
(subject to scaling to match exemplaring levels), but the extra set bonuses
will not apply unless the IO's themselves are L28 or lower, or you spend
the big bucks and put purples in (at which point your toon has to be L50,
of course). PvP IO's are also an option, but are quite expensive and hard
to get as well, comparatively speaking.

So, I would recommend L28 set IO's. They're relatively cheap, and provide
full bonuses. They can be a bit difficult to find, so you'll want to plan
ahead if you choose that route.

If you plan to cap your level XP at some arbitrary number, you *could*
also get away with simple +3 SO's (at L25, for instance those are more
powerful than L25 common IO's if you don't care about sets or extra
bonuses). You can also do that on the cheap if you like. One of my
stalkers is level-capped at L27 and has simple L30 SO's in some powers.
It works very well.

Overall, sets will be more effective for the long term. As for purples, I
personally don't feel the boost is worth the cost over decent "normal"
sets. Once again, other folks feel differently about this...

In terms of uniques - I always get a Kismet 6% Acc, a Karma or Steadfast
-KB, a Stealth IO, and the Reticle Perception IO. Anything after that is
gravy, but I consider those 4 a requirement.

I don't take stamina on my stalkers. If the fight goes more than a few
hits, you're doing it wrong. (on the theory that if I wanted a lengthy
fight, I'd have built a Brute). Stalkers do best with quick burst damage
from a position of surprise.

I also take Stealth (from pool power) since Hide + Stealth + Stealth IO is
capped stealth. You can rely on the Hyper Stealth power from the BB
patrol mission instead, but keep in mind that it has time limits and you can
only get it a maximum of 3 times (and not at all after L25).

I've used NB and Spines as primaries and I really enjoy Nin as a secondary
though I'm dabbling currently with WP as well. ALL of these have been
effective for me.

Lots of folks like CJ/SJ as travel powers, and you'll see a lot of SS'ers, but
I happen to like Fly on my stalkers... However, with all the -fly and immobs
you'll want to give Phase Shift, or Etheral Shift, or the Hyper Phase temp
from Warburg some consideration, to escape the inevitable webnades and
whatnot that abound.

Hope that gives you some ideas - Have Fun!

4

To which I'll add...

If your interest in an SG is purely for marketing, you can do away with
power, tps, medbays or any other frills entirely.

I have a couple (on different servers) that are nothing more than the
entry room, a workshop (get the 1 that holds 9 storage items), and
then, I put in an enhancement storage item (holds 100 crafted IO's)
and some storage racks (30 salvage apiece).

The workshop is 100K and the Enhance Storage is 95K (iirc). Salvage
racks are 15K each. You get 20K per alt in the SG (for up to 15 alts),
so, you can cover all the costs right there.

Failing the 15 alts part (as I do), it takes some time to build up that
much prestige, but leveling your toons in SG mode from L1 gets it
done fairly quickly and you can add storage piecemeal to fit the budget.

Any other "perks" of a base I can cover other ways, or don't need at all,
so my marketeers at least have found this to be a useful approach.


Regards,
4

I'm a blend of all of those strategies.

My two high-end marketeers will poke their noses anywhere they sniff out
a deal, and run it as long as it works... Recent ones were Perf Shifters and
Karmas... They were in those for most of the summer (with the odd purple
tossed in for variety).

My crafters have been in the same niches they started in - for over a
year now. There's *always* a market for common IOs, and these guys
have theirs memorized, have a supply in SG storage, and don't even look
at other marketing opportunities. They also follow Goat's strategy and flip
the cheapies that badgers toss into those niches from time to time to
protect their positions.

I have a couple toons that don't really have a niche per se. They troll the
various recipes looking for low-hanging fruit... It's amazing how often they
grab an Adj Tgt or and Efficacy (or any number of others) for 111, craft
and sell it for 1-5M. Pure opportunism (and a pratical way for me as a
player to get a sense for how things are moving in the Market).

My low-enders just run recipes (see sig) til 100M or so, just to be
self-sufficient while they level up... Once that happens (to the point
where commons or decent sets are purchased), they're pretty much done.

So, for me, it really depends on the character and whatever plans I may
have for it.


Regards,
4

Hmmm... There are tons of things I've not done.

* Haven't got an L50 of every AT
* Haven't filled up all the character slots on a server (although I'm pretty
close on a couple of them)
* Havent got a toon with more than 400 badges
* Have only run 3 hero taskforce/trials ever Posi, Hess, Respec (I am
a 90% solo player). I did do one Hami Raid way back in I3-I4 timeframe.
* Have never run a villain tf of any sort.
* Have never even seen "Sally" in Croatoa, or defeated any of the Villain
"monsters" (I have gotten most of the hero ones at one time or other)
* Have never made a SG base on anything bigger than the default plot.
* Have never PL'd a character...
* Have never played any sonic toon past L5 (the noise drives me nuts)
* Have never played a character past L5 that *didn't* also have a backstory
in his/her bio. All of my toons need a reason to exist...

That's just the stuff off the top of my head... I'm sure there are countless
things I've not yet done in this game...


Regards,
4

Nice.

I didn't try the RP beggar guy, but I did try the drone kill idea. I wasn't
able to make it work... After I aggro'd the baddy, typically by running past
him, and having him follow me to the drone, the "victim" always ran off
afterwards without giving any reward....

After several attempts at that, my "Don't Care" meter pegged and that
was the end of that little experiment...

It's amusing to see someone perservere with the idea though.

Hmmmm...

Taking this post at face value, I'll toss out some thoughts for you to mull..

1> XP = experience. Inf = Influence/Infamy... XP is not to be had at the
market (in game XP at least). Billions in Inf can be made however.

2> Selling/Buying isn't random. It's based (almost entirely) on
Supply/Demand -> leads to "natural pricing" (tech term: Equilibrium Price).

Your List / Bid price in relation to Equilibrium Price will dictate how quickly,
or even if, it will sell... For instance, our esteemed colleague Fulmen's has
some Luck Charms listed for 2B each... I'm certain he understands that
those won't sell for a Very Long Time, because they're WAY above the
natural Equilibrium Price for Luck Charms (which is typically 5K - 50K or so).

3> Market Transaction slots are gained by level (1 at L1, 4 at L6, etc) and
also, there are a couple crafting badges that will earn you some. I forget
the exact number (I have 21/24 in my head), but you can find the details
on ParagonWiki.

4> The 60 day rule no longer applies - as long as your account is in good
standing, regardless of whether you log in or not. If your account is
unpaid (and presumably dormant), then the 60 day rule will come into
play.

5> In terms of strategies, there are all kinds of them (including the one in
my sig). Wander through the Guides section, and you'll see plenty. Also,
keep in mind that strategies can be "blended" - you're not limited to any
particular approach, and of course, some strategies work better at
different times, and with different requirements...

6> Double XP (and other events) are always volatile in the sense that for
a brief few days, the player base changes their behaviour in response to
the event. This, obviously has a corresponding effect on the market.

Even outside of specific events, there is flux. Patterns change due to any
number of reasons. A key skill to develop is watching items/niches that
interest you to understand how they behave. Another is learning to detect
a bargain when you see it and capitalize on it.

7> Take the interface, and the Last 5 with a grain of salt... The last 5
can be manipulated (though it's usually not worth the trouble), and of
course, the interface is subject to lag, typos, and other silliness.

8> If you have questions. Ask. The regulars in here don't brook whiners
or morons gently, but they show excellent patience and provide top notch
advice to those with a sincere interest in learning how to Market.

9> Patience Matters - both in buying and selling, but keep it in context, it
isn't the be-all or end-all.

10> Have Fun.

Cheers,
4


PS> I too, live 3 inches from the Sun in Phx

PPS> "Purples" are L50 only recipe drops. They are very rare, but you can get
them in drops from Bosses and Mobs that are at least L47. Due to the rarity,
they sell for LOTS of inf.

Nine Categories of Market Posts

While far too small to be it's own guide, I thought I'd throw these in this
thread for folks who may have forgotten them. I believe they were
originally from peterpeter (if it was someone else, I apologize).

I've reproduced them here (from a sticky on my cubicle wall) with
some minor edits - Enjoy!

I'm guessing there's not much traction on getting this stickied.

I think it has some valuable insights that would help set expectations for
budding marketeers, and perhaps somewhat clarify why #6 posters are often
met with derision for their sense of entitlement without a pre-req of effort,
rather than sympathy for their abject poverty.

One alternative to a sticky may be to re-package the salient points in the
thread as a guide and post it to that thread if the OP feels so-inclined.

No special changes for me... My marketeer toons will be "business as usual"
unless something bizarre occurs.

So, I'll just be levelling a couple new toons I started the other day...


4

I've argued in the past that the "rampant inflation" position is largely
exaggerated with the exception of a very few clear-cut luxury niches.

Consequently, I agree with Fulmen's earlier post about price scaling
over the past few issues.

Additionally, I'll point out (once again) that we are quick in this forum
section to tell #6 posters that they don't *need* teh supa shinies, but
evidently, quick to forget that prices on those haven't changed a whit
from years ago.

There is, in actual fact, ZERO inflation in several niche segments, namely
ALL TO's, DO's, SO's, tier-1 inspirations... ie. ALL the key items that are
a pre-req to play the basic game well, even for our mythical casual gamer.

On top of which, common IO recipes haven't changed prices (afaik) since
they were introduced in I9 (when purchased from a crafting table). That's
in addition to the items Fulmens listed in his post. So, I ask once again,
What Inflation??? If anything, there is de-flation on sundry goods currently.

To OP's original point, I'm not sure what purpose/value a revaluation of
currency would have. Even keeping relative purchasing power equivalent, the
only thing it would solve is preventing a need for them to change the 2B cap.

With 64 bit machines these days, I'm mildly uncertain why that wouldn't
be as simple as a re-compile after changing some .h structures and doing
some testing -- assuming the devs even want to alter the cap... (PS> yes
I know that's an oversimplification - largely due to the need to support player
clients which may still be on 32 bit XP systems). Nevertheless, it's hardly
an insurmountable issue from a technical standpoint.

An interesting speculation certainly, but largely a solution in search of a
problem as far as I can tell...

As far as inf goes, if the devs feel there is in fact too much of it in the
game system, then I'm in the camp saying "Fine, provide us some enticing
reasons to spend it - and we probably will"...


Regards,
4