Smash_Zone's guide to making INF.

I know there are already some guides about this particular subject, but I figured I could post my own strategies here.

*Ahem*

You say you're strapped for cash? Can't get those SO's you've been waiting for? Is just doing missions not cutting it for you? Well, my friend. You have come to the right place. With these tips, you can make up to 3,000,000 INF as early as level 4! If you have XP turned off, you could even make it at level 1! How do you do this, you may ask? Let's get started and find out.

Tip 1: Mission Architect and the market.

With the Mission Architect, making INF can be really easy. No, this does not involve farming in any way. All you need is 550 tickets, which can easily be gained by running a standard 5-mission story arc. (Shameless plug: My story arc "Becoming a villain" is perfect for this. Very solo friendly for lowbies.)So, all you need to do is run through the story arc of your choosing. By the end of the final mission, you should have at least 550 tickets, and unless you have XP turned off, you will have gained a couple levels too!

Now that you have your tickets, go to any Consignment house or Black Market. Check the listings for Rare salvage, and find the ones selling for at least 1,000,000 INF. As of 6/24/10, Deific Weapon and Impervium salvage are selling for around 2,500,000 Inluence blue-side. After you have found the salvage, go back to the Mission Architect and go to the ticket vendor. Go under the "Invention Salvage" tab and look for the piece you need. After you've received your salvage, go back to the market. Since you probably don't have a ton of INF at this point, you won't be able to list it for 1,000,000 due to listing fees. Simply list it for as much as you can. After it sells, Voila! You should have something around 750,000 to 1,000,000 INF, maybe even more! This INF should be able to hold you over until you get to SO's. Congratulations!

Tip 2: Sell sell sell!

By the time you get to level 20, some of that previous INF may start to dwindle away as enhancements get more and more expensive. So, instead of using our previous method, we're going to try my second tip.

Check your invention recipes. you should have a few uncommon recipes, and maybe some rare ones. If you have no particular want of these recipes, then they are perfect for selling. But, we're not just going to sell the recipe all by itself are we? no, we're going to craft them first.

Check what kind of recipe it is. PBAoE Damage? Defense? Healing? This is very important, as different types don't sell for the same amount. The three types mentioned above usually sell for the most in my experience. The ones you probably couldn't get much off of are sets like To-hit Debuff, Immobilize Duration, or Sleep duration. Now, with your recipes in hand, go to the market and buy the required salvage for your recipe. A word of warning, check the prices that the Set Enhancement you're selling is going for. Compare them to the price of the salvage required. If the salvage ends up being more expensive than the selling price, it would be better to just sell the recipe.

Assuming the net gain is higher, resume your salvage buying. Don't be a crazy bidder; we're trying to make money, not lose it! Bid at about the same price as the previous auctions, maybe 500 more or so. If you don't get it immediately, don't worry. Just leave it there until you do get it. If a full day passes and you still don't get it, then you may cancel the bid and input another one.

Now that you have your salvage, go to any university and craft your recipes. Go back to the market, and put up a selling price. Crafted recipes sell for much higher than uncrafted ones. Don't get all frustrated if it doesn't sell immediately. Trust me, it will sell. Usually you can get about 1,000,000 INF for rare recipes, and about 500,000 for uncommon recipes. If you do this with any rare recipe you don't want, you can make a ton of INF for every level.

Tip 3: The inner hoarder

This last step doesn't make any INF in and of itself, but it can save you money on expensive salvage. By around level 20, rare salvage drops become increasingly more expensive on the market. As I pointed out earlier, some rare salvage can go for around 3,000,000 INF. We don't want to pay that much for salvage! It's highway robbery!

You remember those salvage vaults? That's right, we're going to use those. Salvage vaults can usually be found any place where there's a market. Simply go to the vault, and store any rare salvage drops you find that you don't need. The next time you find a rare recipe, check your vault to see if you have the rare salvage for it. This can save you up to 3,000,000 INF in crafting costs, provided you have the salvage needed. Also, if there's an expensive piece of salvage that you don't have, remember that rare salvage is sold at the Mission Architect for only 550 tickets. If you find yourself in need, running a AE arc or two can get you the salvage you need. Now just repeat the second tip, and there you have it!

Now, this guide doesn't incorporate unique recipes, as those are often difficult to find. Usually however, Unique recipes sell for much more than regular recipes when they are crafted. I found a Regenerative Tissue: Recovery Bonus on my level 22 Scrapper once. I crafted it and it sold for about 20,000,000 Influence.

And there you have it. Just some tips for easy INF. Never again should you find yourself unable to afford SO's. Never again should you be dirt-poor. I usually end with with around 200,000,000 INF by level 50 using these tips. No farming needed, no endless grinding for anything. These tips are all based on drops you get from playing the game regularly. Even if you're just a casual player, you can use these tips.

Now, go forth, use the knowledge I have shared with you. And may the INF be with you.

[EDIT:] After a little testing, it seems that the "Invention Salvage" tab for the Ticket Vendor does not actually appear until you have found a piece of invention salvage from a enemy drop. You could wait for an enemy to drop one, or go and buy a really cheap piece of salvage off the market. Might I suggest a Computer Virus or Inanimate Carbon Rod? =P

Good Guide!

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Originally Posted by Smash_Zone Now that you have your tickets, go to any Consignment house or Black Market. Check the listings for Rare salvage, and find the ones selling for at least 1,000,000 INF. As of 6/24/10, Deific Weapon and Impervium salvage are selling for around 2,500,000 Inluence blue-side. After you have found the salvage, go back to the Mission Architect and go to the ticket vendor. Go under "Invention Salvage<Rare Salvage" and look for the piece you need. After you've received your salvage, go back to the market. Since you probably don't have a ton of INF at this point, you won't be able to list it for 1,000,000 due to listing fees. Simply list it for as much as you can. After it sells, Voila! You should have something around 750,000 to 1,000,000 INF, maybe even more! This INF should be able to hold you over until you get to SO's. Congratulations!

Pangean Soil and most other high-level rare arcanes go for 2.5 million to 5 million. Way better than mid-levels like Deific Weapon and Impervium.

Special note: most prices tend to be higher on the villain market. If you are selling as the OP recommends, this is good news for you as a villain!

Quote:

Check your invention recipes. you should have a few uncommon recipes, and maybe some rare ones. If you have no particular want of these recipes, then they are perfect for selling. But, we're not just going to sell the recipe all by itself are we? no, we're going to craft them first.

Caution #1: If it requires rare salvage, many mid-level set IOs are not worth crafting because they sell for less than the salvage costs. ALWAYS check the going price before crafting you might be better off just selling the recipe.

Caution #2: Watch out for recipies at levels in increments of 5. Many recipies spike the crafting cost at these levels. So a level 34 or 24 might be half the price of a level 35 or 25 to craft. Here is a quick example:

Pulverizing Fisticuffs Acc/Dam Level 24: 36.8k, level 25: 74.8k

Mako's Bite Acc/Dam Level 39: 97k, level 40: 209k

When you are judging if you want to craft and sell, keep the crafting cost in mind. If you'll lose money, sell the recipe.

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Check what kind of recipe it is. PBAoE Damage? Defense? Healing? This is very important, as different types don't sell for the same amount. The three types mentioned above usually sell for the most in my experience.

All attacks, are good, but you are right the PBaOE's are primo. Also withinEndurance Modification, two sets are valuable and the others suck. Efficiency Adapter and Performance Shifter. Nearly always worth crafting and selling.

Another recommendation:
Sell tier-3 (Large) inspirations. Lucks for 200k+ and all others for 50-75k. Steady, solid income. Bosses higher level than you are a reasonable source of them, and level 1-10 bosses are almost the same difficulty as lieutenants. It's not until after level 10 that bosses really start getting more hp and damage (level 1 lieut has 79 hp, boss only has 115hp but is worth triple the inf and xp as well as higher chance to drop a large inspiration).

I just came back to the game after about 5 years away (left right before I6 and ED was released) so I was pretty amazed at the cost of things nowadays. Thanks for the guide. I ran a few of the AE arcs (including the OP's one..nice work!) and used the tickets to post a few things to the Black Market. I made a couple million relatively easy, so thanks a lot. For everyone that is experienced with this type thing, it's probably common knowledge, but for an old-noob like myself, I found it very useful.

Ty.

Welcome back. Sticker shock is much nicer when it's working in your favor.

Check my sig for a guide to "Frankenslotting"- with some patience, you can get much better results than SOs (or generic IOs) for only slightly more inf.