Maximizing node points and ranking

calarahil

I've been recently moving towards 4 star centered heroes now that I'm starting to max some and while doing store mode content I've had a hard time ranking high in matches. One of the things I've run into is that I'll do typically 4 hits on each node and wait and then do a 1 on each again and then later another. However, I'm trying to understand after all that how people are 300-1000 points ahead of me. Is it best to put nodes at 0 at the start of it all to min max the points you get towards ranking? is it best to do the more rewarding nodes first then go to the less rewarding ones so that once the nodes start to regenerate the larger point pool nodes increase? Just curious what people do any feedback is welcome thanks.

Bowgentle

You do 4 hits to start, then 3 hits as last as possible, ideally in the last 45 minutes.

aa25

In addition to what Bowgentle said above, the first 4 clears should also be done as quick as possible. Ideally, within 1-2 hours after the sub start. Basically, you want to start the countdown clocks on the nodes with higher pts first to maximize pts regen. (Normal nodes need 4 clears, loaner node needs 1 clear, and wave nodes need 2 clears to start the timers.)

At the end, you want to do in the opposite direction. Start the 3 clears from the node with the lowest pts first. Note that you will need 3 clears for all types of nodes. Different subs will take different times to close. You have to guess and decide yourself how long you will need to finish the closing.

bluewolf

What IS up to your discretion is when to begin referring to the game as "Marvel Schedule Quest."

calarahil

I appreciate the help and input. I still feel puzzled with this. The one thing I run into frequently towards the end of an event even with me capping off nodes is people being 1-3 thousand points ahead of me and this is level 8 pve content. I don't know if it's cheating or something I'm doing. I don't believe it's all rubber banding but it feels like maybe clock manipulation of some sort. 

jackstar0

If people can finish the nodes faster than you, they can manage a lot of points beyond a slower player.

Both 5* and 3* Thanos can add a lot of speed to the "easy" nodes to reduce your overall clearing time.

Also, being consistent also helps. If every sub you're able to manage to edge out others, you build a lead over the rest of the pack.

I find my job and other attention-requiring activities prevent me from being a top 10 player in PvE. I tend to aim for top 20 or top 50. But calling it Marvel Schedule Quest is not hyperbole.

DarthDeVo

calarahil said:

I appreciate the help and input. I still feel puzzled with this. The one thing I run into frequently towards the end of an event even with me capping off nodes is people being 1-3 thousand points ahead of me and this is level 8 pve content. I don't know if it's cheating or something I'm doing. I don't believe it's all rubber banding but it feels like maybe clock manipulation of some sort. 

Just to be clear, what do you mean by capping off nodes? Going 6 for 6 and getting the green check mark and 10 XP? If so, you're missing out on an entire seventh clear for more points, which anyone in T10 is likely doing.

calarahil

Trying to figure out how people are min maxing potential in ranking in story mode content is what I'm referring to. Yes, I can see how doing 4 nodes to start before everyone else would provide a distinct advantage over time (meaning if I finish the 4 nodes 30 minutes after those with stronger rosters. I should not at the end of the day event have a 1-2k disadvantage in rankings) . however, the gap is just too large that or there needs to be greater levels of entry for story mode content where primarily 4 and 5 star champion heroes rosters can enter. (for example instead of having a level to enter for rewards have it setup for a value based on the roster you have) It's very frustrating to not be able to get 1-10 ranked rewards and to have to settle with 3 star hero rewards as a consolation. An right now honestly I feel story mode content has a much easier time acquiring talent for forwarding my roster then pvp where getting knocked off ranks is more prone to happen.  

DarthDeVo

calarahil said:

Trying to figure out how people are min maxing potential in ranking in story mode content is what I'm referring to. Yes, I can see how doing 4 nodes to start before everyone else would provide a distinct advantage over time (meaning if I finish the 4 nodes 30 minutes after those with stronger rosters. I should not at the end of the day event have a 1-2k disadvantage in rankings) . however, the gap is just too large that or there needs to be greater levels of entry for story mode content where primarily 4 and 5 star champion heroes rosters can enter. (for example instead of having a level to enter for rewards have it setup for a value based on the roster you have) It's very frustrating to not be able to get 1-10 ranked rewards and to have to settle with 3 star hero rewards as a consolation. An right now honestly I feel story mode content has a much easier time acquiring talent for forwarding my roster then pvp where getting knocked off ranks is more prone to happen.  

You'll get no argument from me that they should open SCL 9 and 10. I believe the most cited reason for not doing so is not enough players would qualify for those levels in order to fill out brackets, but I wonder if there shouldn't be more of a "if you build it, they will come" attitude. 

Several veteran posters/players have said they're basically done until scaling is fixed in PvE or they open SCL 9 and 10. So now its a vicious circle. There aren't enough players to fill out brackets in 9 and 10 so they don't open them; but the high-end players that would fill 9 and 10 are quitting because they have nothing to aim for, no end goal. All that is purely my speculation based on what I've heard and seen others say; I could be way off base. 

But I do share your frustration to some degree. I can and do frequently place T10, sometimes T5, in either SCL 7 or 8, but there are definitely some players I frequently see that ALWAYS finish ahead of me. And for some of them, we have fairly similar rosters, so I don't know how the initial clear seems to always take them about 30 minutes, where it usually lasts 45-50 minutes for me, maybe a little faster depending on who's boosted. I guess there are still some things I need to learn. 

If you are clearing each node seven times instead of six and the point spread is merely down to the fact they're finishing their initial clear 30 minutes ahead of you, I would agree that a 2K point spread may seem a little high; I would think it would only be a few hundred points each sub, but they do add up over the course of an event so 1K wouldn't be out of line. Finishing their initial clear faster also means they can probably start their final grind later, letting each node gain more points. It may not seem like much, but that adds up over the course of an event too. 

I know this isn't super helpful, but I would suggest to just keep practicing and experimenting to find out different combos in your roster that will make node clearing more efficient and faster. And on those initial clears/final grinds focus on speed, speed, speed. 

Bowgentle

DarthDeVo said:

But I do share your frustration to some degree. I can and do frequently place T10, sometimes T5, in either SCL 7 or 8, but there are definitely some players I frequently see that ALWAYS finish ahead of me. And for some of them, we have fairly similar rosters, so I don't know how the initial clear seems to always take them about 30 minutes, where it usually lasts 45-50 minutes for me, maybe a little faster depending on who's boosted. I guess there are still some things I need to learn. 

I know the difference between me and similar rosters is boosts and Panthos.
Most t2 players boost every node, and run Panthos like there's no tomorrow.

Me I'll settle for t5, without boosting, running Bolt Strange instead of the HP suck that is Panthos.

I COULD compete but for me PVE is a resource gain operation - resources I need for PVP where it's "boost or use two packs each match."

DarthDeVo

Bowgentle said:

DarthDeVo said:

But I do share your frustration to some degree. I can and do frequently place T10, sometimes T5, in either SCL 7 or 8, but there are definitely some players I frequently see that ALWAYS finish ahead of me. And for some of them, we have fairly similar rosters, so I don't know how the initial clear seems to always take them about 30 minutes, where it usually lasts 45-50 minutes for me, maybe a little faster depending on who's boosted. I guess there are still some things I need to learn. 

I know the difference between me and similar rosters is boosts and Panthos.
Most t2 players boost every node, and run Panthos like there's no tomorrow.

Me I'll settle for t5, without boosting, running Bolt Strange instead of the HP suck that is Panthos.

I COULD compete but for me PVE is a resource gain operation - resources I need for PVP where it's "boost or use two packs each match."

 I suppose that's true about the boosts; I don't use them in PvE much unless I get stuck on a node during my final grind and I'm trying to make up time or just plain miscalculate when to start. 

And Panthos is probably also true to a degree, but several of the rosters I'm talking about are fairly similar to mine, meaning about 12-20 4* champs, no 5*s leveled beyond 255. I could run Panthos myself (both at 255, but also have 5 in black for Thanos, 5 in red for Panther), but personally in the current event I'm finding Bl4de, IM40 and Strang3 to be faster/more effective. 

I will say for the trivial nodes, few things are faster than Thanos, G4ocket and G4mora. In most cases it's one and done. Will be interesting to see it next event when G4ocket is boosted and (hopefully) champed for me. 

Blindman13

I came up with a couple scenarios below. This assumes a node is worth 500 points, and each clear reduces the total available by 200 and adds 24 hours to the timer, then each hour you gain about 8 points back.  I don't know if this is exactly how MPQ calculates it, but it shows how maximizing the time between clears 4 and 5 will maximize your points.

Scenario1:
4 clears at 500 pts (assuming this takes about 1 hour)
1 clear 10 hours later - 383 pts (#5)
1 clear 10 hours later - 267 pts (#6)
1 clear 3 hours later - 150 pts (#7)
Total - 2800


Scenario 2:
4 clears at 500 pts (assuming this takes about 1 hour)
1 clear 22.5 hours later - 488 pts (#5)
1 clear 15 mins later - 289 pts (#6)
1 clear 15 mins later - 91 pts (#7)
Total - 2868

This results in a 68 point difference for this one node.  Higher starting node values would give greater point differences. Using the same logic with 1000 points to start would give about 250 point difference.
Across 9 nodes, this could easily make a 1000 point difference per sub.

Feel free to point out any errors in my math or if anyone know exactly how MPQ calculates the node value, I would like to hear it.

DarthDeVo

@Blindman13 that might not be it exactly, but I think it's close enough to illustrate the point. And, to go a step further, those end point totals are going to be different if one player does the initial clear in 30 minutes versus another taking an hour. 

Again, not by much, but it gets compounded in each node, and those totals add up over the course of an event. 

@calarahil I also forgot to suggest bracket sniping to you, if you don't do that already. That could potentially get you into a less competitive bracket. Also, the slice you pick can be more or less competitive. If you have the ability, I would suggest maybe trying a different slice, although I know that isn't always easy. Myself, slice 4 is about the only one that works for me. Slice 1 on rare occasions, although that's not preferred. 

aa25

Blindman13 said:

I came up with a couple scenarios below. This assumes a node is worth 500 points, and each clear reduces the total available by 200 and adds 24 hours to the timer, then each hour you gain about 8 points back.  I don't know if this is exactly how MPQ calculates it, but it shows how maximizing the time between clears 4 and 5 will maximize your points.

Scenario1:
4 clears at 500 pts (assuming this takes about 1 hour)
1 clear 10 hours later - 383 pts (#5)
1 clear 10 hours later - 267 pts (#6)
1 clear 3 hours later - 150 pts (#7)
Total - 2800


Scenario 2:
4 clears at 500 pts (assuming this takes about 1 hour)
1 clear 22.5 hours later - 488 pts (#5)
1 clear 15 mins later - 289 pts (#6)
1 clear 15 mins later - 91 pts (#7)
Total - 2868

This results in a 68 point difference for this one node.  Higher starting node values would give greater point differences. Using the same logic with 1000 points to start would give about 250 point difference.
Across 9 nodes, this could easily make a 1000 point difference per sub.

Feel free to point out any errors in my math or if anyone know exactly how MPQ calculates the node value, I would like to hear it.

After the 4th clear (2nd clear for wave node, and 1st clear for loaner node), the pts will be reduced by 33% of the max points. The node then needs 24h to regen back to full point, e.g. 1.4% per hour. So based on your scenarios above,

Scenario1:
4 clears at 500 pts (assuming this takes about 1 hour) - the pts drops to 330.
1 clear 10 hours later - 400 pts (#5); the pts drops to 230.
1 clear 10 hours later - 300 pts (#6); the pts drops to 130.
1 clear 3 hours later - 151 pts (#7)
Total - 2851


Scenario 2:.
4 clears at 500 pts (assuming this takes about 1 hour) - the pts drops to 330.
1 clear 22.5 hours later - 488 pts (#5); the pts drops to 318.
1 clear 15 mins later - 320 pts (#6); the pts drops to 150.
1 clear 15 mins later - 152 pts (#7)
Total - 2960

Difference: 109 pts from this one node.

Blindman13

@aa25 Thanks for the clarification.    

calarahil

@darth i normally do the 8 o'clock slice because it enables me to go to bed after where as the 11 is too late I work at 6 am.  I can try the 10 hour method the only thing that kills me is using reses on heroes

Bowgentle

DarthDeVo said:

Bowgentle said:

DarthDeVo said:

But I do share your frustration to some degree. I can and do frequently place T10, sometimes T5, in either SCL 7 or 8, but there are definitely some players I frequently see that ALWAYS finish ahead of me. And for some of them, we have fairly similar rosters, so I don't know how the initial clear seems to always take them about 30 minutes, where it usually lasts 45-50 minutes for me, maybe a little faster depending on who's boosted. I guess there are still some things I need to learn. 

I know the difference between me and similar rosters is boosts and Panthos.
Most t2 players boost every node, and run Panthos like there's no tomorrow.

Me I'll settle for t5, without boosting, running Bolt Strange instead of the HP suck that is Panthos.

I COULD compete but for me PVE is a resource gain operation - resources I need for PVP where it's "boost or use two packs each match."

 I suppose that's true about the boosts; I don't use them in PvE much unless I get stuck on a node during my final grind and I'm trying to make up time or just plain miscalculate when to start. 

And Panthos is probably also true to a degree, but several of the rosters I'm talking about are fairly similar to mine, meaning about 12-20 4* champs, no 5*s leveled beyond 255. I could run Panthos myself (both at 255, but also have 5 in black for Thanos, 5 in red for Panther), but personally in the current event I'm finding Bl4de, IM40 and Strang3 to be faster/more effective. 

I will say for the trivial nodes, few things are faster than Thanos, G4ocket and G4mora. In most cases it's one and done. Will be interesting to see it next event when G4ocket is boosted and (hopefully) champed for me. 

I can only speak about my own scaling and rosters similar to mine, which is kneedeep in 5* land.

Of course rosters similar to yours look different - levels on the 4s make quite a difference there, and knowing how they interact.

BoyWonder1914

The doing the first 4x early as possible and the last 3x late as possible has been true since they changed PVE nodes from refreshing to full points every 8 hours. That won't change. Nor does the ideal order - highest point nodes (essentials) first, then the rest of the nodes from hardest to easiest so that the highest point nodes get the most amount of recharge time. That also includes of course, going the reverse way on the 3x grind. 

Doing that is the base level of knowledge that should get your t20 - t50 just about every time. As everyone else has also pointed out, speed is the great X-factor in all of this. It seems that the people capable of hitting t10 consistently are able to do their first 4 clears in an hour or less. That has NEVER been the case for me, and I'd say my roster is pretty damn decent at 25 4* champs. It would appear that my main issue is not being willing to throw the same teams at every node. I consider Thanos/Strange, or Medusa/Bl4de/Strange to be very boring, so if there's more innovative combos to put together I would like to try them. Especially if there are boosted 4s that I don't usually mess around with. I'm sure you would benefit a lot by asking what teams people are running to be able to clear so fast. 

calarahil

I'm starting to get pretty far ahead in 4 star transition I have 4 currently with many in the 11 and 12 out of 13 area. The starting nodes are easy to clear fast the later another story but I do have champion marvel 4 star dusa, blade 4 star and wolverine. That along with just about every 3 star championed. The 1 hour staring clear and 10 node hitting is something I could perfect.

spectator

Don't forget extra clears in two day subs. That can cost people thousands of points