Grinding Strategy for 8-Hour Refresh Nodes

Unknown

I've gotten so used to playing the 3-hour PVE events that I haven't really stopped to consider if the game hasn't changed rather a lot with the 8-hour system.

I'm 85th right now, having played each node once. I was fourth when I played the last node. Now, a lot of players have replayed those nodes for diminishing returns, and I'm wondering if re-grinding isn't a better way to go. Are the players who are ahead of me going to fall behind by the end, or am I falling behind by not grinding?

If I played every node I could until I ran out of viable teams, and did it again once my heals recharged, would I be shooting myself in the foot? I need math.

FierceKiwi

I'm far to lazy for math but nothing really changed from between 8 and 3. Presumably these guys just can't play later/can only play once a day.

Unknown

Vertigozooropa wrote:

I've gotten so used to playing the 3-hour PVE events that I haven't really stopped to consider if the game hasn't changed rather a lot with the 8-hour system.

I'm 85th right now, having played each node once. I was fourth when I played the last node. Now, a lot of players have replayed those nodes for diminishing returns, and I'm wondering if re-grinding isn't a better way to go. Are the players who are ahead of me going to fall behind by the end, or am I falling behind by not grinding?

If I played every node I could until I ran out of viable teams, and did it again once my heals recharged, would I be shooting myself in the foot? I need math.

The optimal way to play is to be patient and let each node refresh fully before hitting again. The people that jump ahead and double or triple tap each node lose a lot of points by this action. We call these people rabbits in our alliance, since they feel good rabbiting ahead of everyone else The closer to each refresh you can clear, the better off you will be in the long run, even if it appears to you that others are gaining a higher temporary rank than you. If you have to clear earlier to not miss a refresh, that is better than clearing later since you will lose less points overall.

When the sub is coming close to the end (3-4 hours out), that is the time to clear each node as many times as you can right until the very end of the sub.

ynglink

With the last event when I had my subs starting at 9 am/pm PST, I would do two before I went to bed (so if the node started at 9pm, I'd do two back-to-back) and then I'd do one when they refreshed and then would grind about the last hour of the event.

Unknown

It depends on the event. Here is some maths

36 hour subs
Clear at 36/28/20/12/4(6x)
1+1+1+1+1+5/6+4/6+3/6+2/6+1/6 = 7.5 times base value
Clear at 36/28/20/12(3x)/4(4x)
1+1+1+1+5/6+4/6+4/6+3/6+2/6+1/6 = 7.17 times base value

As you can see, optimal clears still win out.

However, if scaling is so jacked that players can only make 3 clears at a time, that would change the points earned in those two scenarios to 6.5 and 7.0 respectively, as being able to get an extra 2 clears (even at diminished values) is superior.

Finally, timing is huge, it is always better to play a clear early than late. In a 36 hour sub, there are 4 times base value available in the first 32 hours, but 3.5 times base value available in the final 4. Being able to get full points at the 4 (or 3.5 hour mark) is a huge advantage over someone not getting full value until the 2 hour mark. But really, that difference is only really applicable to pushing for a top2. Getting 3 clears in the final 4 hours should be plenty for top50 and, in most brackets, top10.

slidecage

Something change tonight or am i going nuts. went into one nod and won pushed the timer back 8 hours. Went into the nod a 2nd time and lost no big deal and the timer stuck on 8 hour. Came back 3 hours later with new health packs when into the nod and it said 5 hours left (What is normal) Lost again but this time when i came out the nod said 13 hours.

Meaning Win or lose a 8 hour refresh is now being put on nods?

Then again on lots of meds tonight (screwed up my back and leg) so maybe im seeing things

Unknown

slidecage wrote:

Something change tonight or am i going nuts. went into one nod and won pushed the timer back 8 hours. Went into the nod a 2nd time and lost no big deal and the timer stuck on 8 hour. Came back 3 hours later with new health packs when into the nod and it said 5 hours left (What is normal) Lost again but this time when i came out the nod said 13 hours.

Meaning Win or lose a 8 hour refresh is now being put on nods?

Then again on lots of meds tonight (screwed up my back and leg) so maybe im seeing things

Survival nodes have their timer increased as long as you beat any portion of it, because otherwise you'd just clear to the end and then retreat on purpose. Normal nodes should not exhibit this at all. If you lose, the timer stays as is.

Unknown

papa07 wrote:

It depends on the event. Here is some maths

36 hour subs
Clear at 36/28/20/12/4(6x)
1+1+1+1+1+5/6+4/6+3/6+2/6+1/6 = 7.5 times base value
Clear at 36/28/20/12(3x)/4(4x)
1+1+1+1+5/6+4/6+4/6+3/6+2/6+1/6 = 7.17 times base value

As you can see, optimal clears still win out.

However, if scaling is so jacked that players can only make 3 clears at a time, that would change the points earned in those two scenarios to 6.5 and 7.0 respectively, as being able to get an extra 2 clears (even at diminished values) is superior.

Finally, timing is huge, it is always better to play a clear early than late. In a 36 hour sub, there are 4 times base value available in the first 32 hours, but 3.5 times base value available in the final 4. Being able to get full points at the 4 (or 3.5 hour mark) is a huge advantage over someone not getting full value until the 2 hour mark. But really, that difference is only really applicable to pushing for a top2. Getting 3 clears in the final 4 hours should be plenty for top50 and, in most brackets, top10.

I'm still having some issues understanding this so I do apologize, but if I'm understanding basically what you want to do is clear all nodes when it first starts, wait for refresh, clear again, and then in the last 4 hours grind then out? What does the 1+1...=7.5 represent,represent?

Unknown

DmCMugiwara wrote:

I'm still having some issues understanding this so I do apologize, but if I'm understanding basically what you want to do is clear all nodes when it first starts, wait for refresh, clear again, and then in the last 4 hours grind then out? What does the 1+1...=7.5 represent,represent?

For each sub event there is a certain base value of points - x for node1, y for node2, z for node3, etc.
36 hours - clear for 1 times base value
28 hours - clear for 1 times base value
20 hours - clear for 1 times base value
12 hours - clear for 1 times base value
4 hours - clear for 1 times base value
4 hours - clear for 5/6 times base value
4 hours - clear for 4/6 times base value
4 hours - clear for 3/6 times base value
4 hours - clear for 2/6 times base value
4 hours - clear for 1/6 times base value

Unknown

Zigram wrote:

Vertigozooropa wrote:

I've gotten so used to playing the 3-hour PVE events that I haven't really stopped to consider if the game hasn't changed rather a lot with the 8-hour system.

I'm 85th right now, having played each node once. I was fourth when I played the last node. Now, a lot of players have replayed those nodes for diminishing returns, and I'm wondering if re-grinding isn't a better way to go. Are the players who are ahead of me going to fall behind by the end, or am I falling behind by not grinding?

If I played every node I could until I ran out of viable teams, and did it again once my heals recharged, would I be shooting myself in the foot? I need math.

The optimal way to play is to be patient and let each node refresh fully before hitting again. The people that jump ahead and double or triple tap each node lose a lot of points by this action. We call these people rabbits in our alliance, since they feel good rabbiting ahead of everyone else The closer to each refresh you can clear, the better off you will be in the long run, even if it appears to you that others are gaining a higher temporary rank than you. If you have to clear earlier to not miss a refresh, that is better than clearing later since you will lose less points overall.

When the sub is coming close to the end (3-4 hours out), that is the time to clear each node as many times as you can right until the very end of the sub.

While this is true, the 8h cooldown has a secondary effect. The "rabbits" would previously start feeling the effects of their sub-optimal clears relatively early in the past. Now, it can take quite a while to be able to tell why you're lagging behind at the end of the sub. On top of that, because the nodes take so long to cool down, the difference is nowhere as big at the end as they were in the past. It also gets tricky when you are forced to consider end-of-sub scaling, number of health packs available, how long it takes to hit a node 6x, etc.

So while it's easy to say "just hit every 8 hours then grind them down before the end", it actuality there's a ton of stuff you have to consider.