Question from a Mids Noob

[That.Retro.Guy]

Hiya!

When placing Set Enhancements on my build, I've noticed that sometimes the Damage number will be red, and the words Pre-ED (with another number behind it) will be displayed.  The Pre-ED number is usually (if not always . . . I haven't checked) larger than the Damage value.

What does this mean?

[Tazhyngarth]

Everything you needed to know about Enhancement Diversification.

Boy do I miss those days....

Anyway, the Pre-ED number shows you what your current Enhancement % would be if the whole ED thing didn't exist.  The other number is the current Post-ED %.

[Catharctic]

It's basically a way to see how much your enhancements are getting depreciated. If the pre-ED number is extremely different from the number you are actually getting, you may be able to move a slot or two elsewhere in your build.

The only thing to pay attention to at that point is your set bonuses. If you need bonuses from a certain set but you don't need the entire set, try to get the most bang for your buck.

Case in point: Ragnarok (Targetted AoE Damage Set): It has a pure Damage piece. If you don't need the entire set for the bonuses you want, it would typically be a prime target for skipping. Why? Play around with the set and see what your damage number is with the whole set. Then, look at what the damage number is without it.

Purple sets will help explain the weirdness that is ED pretty good, but there are lots of other sets that have "pure" pieces. When they are avoidable, skip them. You'll see less of an ED impact that way.

[That.Retro.Guy]

Thanks for the quick replies! 

I'm going to read up on Enhancement Diversification right now.

See, I'm planning what Sets to use with my Samurai (Katana/WP Scrapper) once he hits L50.  I'll start swapping Set enhancements around to see if I can get the numbers closer together.

[That.Retro.Guy]

Sorry for the double-post, but another question has reared its ugly head.

Let's say, (for the sake of this discussion), that my Samurai is L50 and has all of his Enhancement Sets created and slotted.  He then decides to go do the Positron TF.  I know that all powers chosen after L14 will NOT be available to him for the length of the TF, but what about the enhancement slots in his L1-L14 powers?

Example:  At Level 1, I took Sting of the Wasp.  I've decided to 5-slot it (with Crushing Impact).  The last two slots are placed at L34 and L39.  When I'm doing Posi's TF, will those enhancement slots work even though they were placed after L15?

Thanks much in advance!   

[eabrace]

When you exemp down, all enhancements in the powers you have available are still valid.

However, to compensate for this, the effectiveness of the slotted enhancements is reduced somewhat proportionately to the number of levels difference between your exemped level and actual level.  More info on this can be found at Paragon Wiki.

[That.Retro.Guy]

Thanks for the info!   

[eldandil]

It's really a bit more complicated than that, so do read the Wiki link that eabrace has given you. Some IOs will function at all levels, and some will stop working when you exemp too low. Set bonuses get lost when you exemp to more than 3 levels below the IOs' level too.

Really, the whole system is unnecessarily complex.

[Catharctic]

Really, the whole system is unnecessarily complex.

Agreed. 

[Steiner]

[Steiner: Chance For Greatness.9000]

LOL!

Even the naming convections are quite curious...

[That.Retro.Guy]

OK.

After numerous attempts (9, to be precise) at creating a build for my Samurai, I had finally thought that I had gotten the most bang for my buck.  Then I hit the 'View Active Sets' button.  This is what pops up:

Information:
One or more set bonuses have exceeded the 5 bonus cap, and will not affect your stats. Scroll down this list to find bonuses marked as '>Cap'

Crushing Impact
(Sting of the Wasp)
  MezResist(Immobilize) 2.2%
  15.1 HP (1.12%) HitPoints
  7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
  5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Numina's Convalescence
(High Pain Tolerance)
  12% (0.67 HP/sec) Regeneration

Aegis
(High Pain Tolerance)
  5% RunSpeed

Analyze Weakness
(Flashing Steel)
  10% (0.56 HP/sec) Regeneration

Scirocco's Dervish
(Flashing Steel)
  10% (0.56 HP/sec) Regeneration
  3.13% Resistance(Negative)
  9% Enhancement(Accuracy)

Aegis
(Mind Over Body)
  5% RunSpeed

Crushing Impact
(Divine Avalanche)
  MezResist(Immobilize) 2.2%
  15.1 HP (1.12%) HitPoints
  7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
  5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Numina's Convalescence
(Fast Healing)
  12% (0.67 HP/sec) Regeneration

Luck of the Gambler
(Indomitable Will)
  10% (0.56 HP/sec) Regeneration
  15.1 HP (1.12%) HitPoints
  9% Enhancement(Accuracy)

Numina's Convalescence
(Health)
  12% (0.67 HP/sec) Regeneration

Luck of the Gambler
(Stealth)
  10% (0.56 HP/sec) Regeneration
  15.1 HP (1.12%) HitPoints
  9% Enhancement(Accuracy)

Analyze Weakness
(The Lotus Drops)
  10% (0.56 HP/sec) Regeneration

Scirocco's Dervish
(The Lotus Drops)
  10% (0.56 HP/sec) Regeneration >Cap
  3.13% Resistance(Negative)
  9% Enhancement(Accuracy)

Efficacy Adaptor
(Stamina)
  15.1 HP (1.12%) HitPoints
  1.5% (0.03 End/sec) Recovery
  10% (0.56 HP/sec) Regeneration >Cap

Efficacy Adaptor
(Quick Recovery)
  15.1 HP (1.12%) HitPoints >Cap
  1.5% (0.03 End/sec) Recovery
  10% (0.56 HP/sec) Regeneration >Cap

Numina's Convalescence
(Rise to the Challenge)
  12% (0.67 HP/sec) Regeneration

Dark Watcher's Despair
(Rise to the Challenge)
  20.1 HP (1.5%) HitPoints
  2.5% (0.04 End/sec) Recovery
  5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Crushing Impact
(Gambler's Cut)
  MezResist(Immobilize) 2.2%
  15.1 HP (1.12%) HitPoints >Cap
  7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
  5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Crushing Impact
(Soaring Dragon)
  MezResist(Immobilize) 2.2%
  15.1 HP (1.12%) HitPoints >Cap
  7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
  5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Analyze Weakness
(Golden Dragonfly)
  10% (0.56 HP/sec) Regeneration >Cap

Scirocco's Dervish
(Golden Dragonfly)
  10% (0.56 HP/sec) Regeneration >Cap
  3.13% Resistance(Negative)
  9% Enhancement(Accuracy)

Efficacy Adaptor
(Resurgence)
  15.1 HP (1.12%) HitPoints >Cap
  1.5% (0.03 End/sec) Recovery
  10% (0.56 HP/sec) Regeneration >Cap

Luck of the Gambler
(Heightened Senses)
  10% (0.56 HP/sec) Regeneration >Cap
  15.1 HP (1.12%) HitPoints >Cap
  9% Enhancement(Accuracy) >Cap

Aegis
(Strength of Will)
  5% RunSpeed

Luck of the Gambler
(Invisibility)
  10% (0.56 HP/sec) Regeneration >Cap

Devastation
(Shuriken)
  12% (0.67 HP/sec) Regeneration


If I'm reading this right, I'm basically wasting some slots because the Set Bonus isn't affecting my stats.

Is this accurate?   

[eabrace]

When dealing with IO bonuses, only 5 of the same strength of any type of bonus may be applied in any build.

So, to use your build as an example, only five of your 10% Regeneration bonuses will actually be applied for a total of 50%.

Keep in mind, however, that you are not prevented from slotting 5 instances of 10% Regeneration and 5 more instances of something like a 2.5% Regeneration (hypothetical, since I'm not actually looking at the available regen bonuses at the moment) which would then bring the total bonus to 75%.

[Lazoris]

yes  you would be wasting slots anything slotted over 5 is not used and or counted towards any bonuses that your toon has in the build.

[faero malikite]

Hopefully you are going to get accolades on this toon, cause i wanna know what your final HP's after all those set bonuses and then the accolades...lol

[That.Retro.Guy]

Will do.  The Samurai already has the Atlas Medallion (or whatever the heck the first one's called . . . I'm so tired I can't see straight.)

Oh, and I plan on getting every Accolade.  Badges too.  I'll do every Task Force and Trial. 

[Lazoris]

nice lol. yeah task forces are great fun. till everyone quits on the first 2-3 mishs lol.

[That.Retro.Guy]

Well, since the Samurai will be L50 when he does the Task Forces, I'll keep it on Heroic.  Or is there a reason (say, better salvage, better recipes, etc) at higher difficulty levels?

[Catharctic]

nice lol. yeah task forces are great fun. till everyone quits on the first 2-3 mishs lol.

Quits on the first 2 or 3....

Oh, Freedom, got it. 

[Tazhyngarth]

Well, since the Samurai will be L50 when he does the Task Forces, I'll keep it on Heroic.  Or is there a reason (say, better salvage, better recipes, etc) at higher difficulty levels?

Each difficulty brings with it a different spawn rate.  This means different size Mobs, more Lts or Boss per mob, etc, based on which Diff Setting is chosen.  When I played on my 50 Tank, I would normally run on the second to highest Diff, as I was told that was the best, for the most spawns.  More Mobs = more Inf payout.  Difficulty does not determine which Recipes or Salvage will drop, that ultimately comes from whatever you are fighting, as each Creature Type has their own batch of stuff they will drop.  What the Diff will do to impact the Drop Rate though, is if you can get more of that Creature Type to Spawn, you may have a better chance of getting one of their Rare Drops.

[That.Retro.Guy]

I was messing around with Mids, and I saw something that really confused me.  From what I can see, all Purple Recipe enhancements are Unique.  How the heck do you get the 5-slot Set bonus if you can only use 1 Unique per toon?