Noob questions about weapons, upgrading, and rarity...

First off I would like to say Thanks for getting this game working again Trion! I have been vocal about it not working and now I have a shot at the daily. It's not perfect and there is still a ton of lag at times...but...hey, at least its playable. On to the questions...

I have looked on Defiance Data as well as Google and I can't seem to find up to date answers for the things I need to know.

1. Can I upgrade a white weapon to Orange or does it become encrypted at green only? Is it even worthwhile to do so if I can?

2. If I upgrade a weapon does a bonus attribute get added? For example if I upgrade a white ar with +1 mag to green would it then be +1 mag and whatever green attribute I RNG'd?

3. Is a weapon upgraded to Orange ever as good as the same weapon that is found as a "natural" orange?

4. Is it worthwhile to upgrade the ego of a weapon or should I just look for something new? If it is how often should I upgrade it?

5. What exactly are the costs to upgrade EGO? I understand it costs arkforge but as a new player the whole arkforge concept ( what it is, how exactly its obtained and its value) remain a mystery. Everything i know about this game comes from the show ;P

6. What is the "best" ar (or weapon in general) in your opinion? I want to build something that melts the Volge. I just hit level 1000. I'm partial to full-auto AR's but I am willing to stray. I only have the base game btw.

7. Does anyone else miss game manuals as much as me? They were one of the best parts of a new game. I still have mine from the 8 bit days.

I'm asking all of this because I have finally started getting good blues and purps. I have only gotten one orange and that was very early. Almost everything outshines it. I'm also sick of wading through the massive amount of possibilities and burning arkforge and scrip without a real understanding of what I'm doing. My mistakes are getting expensive and leading to scrapped weapons and mods. Thanks for your help!

Black magic spam bump

Gonna take a crack at some of these questions before the "experts" descend upon this thread.

...Tee Hee

1) A weapon becomes encrypted after one rarity upgrade. As such, a white can only become a green, a blue can only become a purple, etc.

2) Yes it does

3) Good question... I know the named weapons are always the same, not sure about others. The upgrades never seem as good tho.

4) Not at low level... you should really only be looking at upgrading ego's around ego 4000 imo. Before that, experiement with every type you can find.

5) I'm sure someone has exact numbers... but it costs a boatload. I think 25 arkforge to upgrade an orange weapon 100 ego levels. And arkforge is hard to come by, even for higher level toons.

6) My personal favourite, even as a lil toon, is the VBI fully automatic assault rifle. It's black, sleek, useful in every situation & it packs a decent punch.

7) Yes... yes I do. I always check for them everytime I buy a new game, and I am becoming more and more disappointed lately.

P.S. I myself only started playing mid October of this year, so I am also a bit of a noob. But I hope these answers help you, even a little.

Thank you oh exalted leader of the Fallen one's sons. That helped a lot. So basically everything should be scrapped, sold, traded until I'm at a much higher EGO to prevent crazy arkforge costs?

...and number 7 breaks my heart. BRING BACK THE MANUALS!

Sorry but I have another quick question... I have been eyeing the VBI assault rifle at Shondu's Consulate. It is only available in a blue variety though. Do the vendors ever "upgrade" to carry a better version? Will they eventually have a purple version there?

Lol... You're welcome.

But, yes... basically. Unless you find an event weapon you really like or a named one, everything else can be found again later on. Me? I got a purple "Blackened Hellfire AR" (based off of the VBI) during the halloween event at around ego 3400... I'm ego 5070 now, still my favourite weapon, one of the few I've kept.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by atomsteele

Sorry but I have another quick question... I have been eyeing the VBI assault rifle at Shondu's Consulate. It is only available in a blue variety though. Do the vendors ever "upgrade" to carry a better version? Will they eventually have a purple version there?

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You mean the faction weapons? No... those stay as is. They're special weapons bought with faction reputation points. I think the on you may be referring to is the EMC Service Rifle?

Ahh, you are correct. I'm going from memory. It is the EMC variant. I have read on other sites that particular version has a built in +10% damage that is unlisted. Do you happen to know if that is true? I have read it only applies to the VBI faction vendors and not (for example) the hidden hermit vendor.

Anyway thanks for your help! You are truly a King amongst Giants.

It depends on the rolls of the weapon to be upgraded. If you upgrade a terrible weapon, it will still be a terrible weapon. I have upgraded several weapons that would be considered "unicorns" by the general player populace.

Arkforge is the currency which allows you to upgrade weapon rarity, change weapon mastery bonus, and upgrade/downgrade the EGO of a weapon. It is obtained by doing things, ie; arkfalls, incursions, co-op maps, etc. It doesn't have a "true" value, as it depends on how its used. It is rare, in the meaning, that it takes a little while to amass a nice chunk unless you purchase it from the bit store. It is only as valuable as the way it's used. Upgrade a nice purple to orange and create a unicorn, and the value is priceless. Upgrade a terrible weapon and it's worth nothing!

At EGO 1k, the last thing you need to worry about is dealing with arkforge at all. Let it build. Unless you come across one of those extremely rare weapons or shields, it isn't worth it to upgrade it to keep up with your leveling. You want the weapons and shields that you use to stay within a couple hundred pts. of your EGO. within 100 is ideal.