PvE placement/optimized clearing

Stick

So, I apologize if I missed some good posts about this. I have poor searching skills, it seems. Anyways, I've been going a lot harder in PvE lately, and I was wondering if I could get some advice about optimizing my points for placement. It seems like I've been finishing around T25 in most PvE events (both the subs and overall events) lately.

This might be one of those questions where I already know the answer, but I'd like to verify my thoughts on the matter. First, my general clearing schedule is as follows:
1.) Hit essential node (if it exists) to unlock the required team-up nodes and the first regular node once.
2.) Starting with the required 4*, clear each required node 4 times.
3.) Going to the regular node, clear each one once until I get to the one with the highest reward, then clear that four times,
4.) Go back in reverse order until each one is cleared four times.
5.) About 90-120 minutes before the sub is finished I hit each node 3 times (usually down to 0 or <5 points) starting with the lowest value one and working my way up, giving the valuable nodes the most time to recharge.
6.) If there's still time, wrangle as many points as I can from nodes that still have a couple points on them. (Typically less than 10)

Rinse and repeat until the event is over. Doing this method, I always hit max progression, no problem. The question at the crux of this all is: is the only problem my clear time? Or is there something else I'm missing? I'm like... 90% sure that the main problem is my clear time; 90 minutes feels like way too long. I am working on optimizing my times, but since I do a lot of my grind at work, I do have the odd interruption along the way.

If there's any thing I may be overlooking, I'd love any advice I can get. In case anyone replies to this and haven't interacted with me yet, I'm currently in 4* transition, with about 5 champed, several high level. For PvE, I tend to play at SCL8. Going forward I might try picking slices where I can do the grind at home instead so there's less interruptions, although I find I get distracted easier at home.

aa25

Stick said:

1.) Hit essential node (if it exists) to unlock the required team-up nodes and the first regular node once. as many points as I can from nodes that still have a couple points on them. (Typically less than 10)

Yes. Although, people generally called the three nodes that required 2*/3*/4* on your roster as essential nodes and called the node that forces you to use all three featured as loaner node (since it provided you a loan, if you don't have one.) Just want to let you know so that you know what people are referring to exactly.

2.) Starting with the required 4*, clear each required node 4 times.
3.) Going to the regular node, clear each one once until I get to the one with the highest reward, then clear that four times,
4.) Go back in reverse order until each one is cleared four times.

These steps are preferred to be completed as fast as possible as well. Most competitive players will get all the clocks start within 1-2h. (2h is probably already too slow.)

5.) About 90-120 minutes before the sub is finished I hit each node 3 times (usually down to 0 or <5 points) starting with the lowest value one and working my way up, giving the valuable nodes the most time to recharge.

This is where your roster/mileage comes to play, the so called 'final grind'. Ideally, you want tostart the process and play continuously until finish the last match right when the time runs out. Unfortunately, there is no straightforward tip on this since it depends on your roster strength and the event itself. Again, most competitive players aim for 75 mins at most to start grinding them down 3 times each (some aims even lower).


Below are small things here and there you didn't mention. I think you already know, but just in case.

1. Repeatable node(s) on the main sub: Some event has a repeatable node on the main page that fully regen every day. Hit when it's full each day, and grind it down on the last day.
2. Wave node: They are generally worth more points that regular nodes. Some players (myself included) prioritize them first.
3. Use fast team. If you want to go for competitive game-play, go for speed. It doesn't matter if you take zero damage from a match, but take 10 minutes to complete. A lot of good team or even top-tier characters out there don't have speed, pick your team wisely. (For xample, Carnage+Medusa team has a very high durability, but it is way too slow.)
   
4. Use boosted if needed. AP boosts are your best friend. They are costly though. You when you needed or speed up some crazy nodes. For example, nodes that involve Jugg can spin sideway-face-down easily when Jugg starts rolling. Use AP boosts to try to finish the match before then.
   

Last words: All of these take time to get accustomed to. Don't rush. Try thing out a bit by a bit and enjoy the game. If this play-style is not your cup of tea, it's not the end of the world. Have fun and hope this help

Edit: These are more or less in a recipe for T10 and up. Since you already hit T25 regularly, I think these are stuffs that you might need to improve your placement. Although, there tend to be a hump around T10 (people who want and don't want to compete for T10 will play differently can create two types of scores.)

Stick

Thanks! You're re-affirming a lot of what I assumed, but as I mentioned, the advice is welcome

Dormammu

Yeah, you've got it down. Really, it's all about accelerating your time. A faster start and a later finish will mean more points for your final clears. Find your fast teams. Thanos can cut the time it takes to do the three easy nodes to a third. 'Charlie's Angels' is a fast team that can deal with much harder opponents (Prof X, 3-star Widow, Scarlet Witch). Use IM40 to accelerate things when you can.

Stick

I really should give IM40 a shot. I know everybody swears by him, but I've never liked using him. I'd run Charlie's Angels, but for me it's only viable if Prof X is boosted; I still need a few more covers to really get that bonus damage going. I'm kind of in this weird position where my champed 3 stars feel just a little too weak, and I'm still frantically trying to collect enough of the stronger four stars to be viable.

Oh, and I should note since I forgot the second sub of Meet Rocket & Groot is a 48 hour sub, I'm assuming what I want to do is try and tap all the nodes as soon as they fully refresh once, going in descending point value?

aa25

Stick said:

:snip:

Oh, and I should note since I forgot the second sub of Meet Rocket & Groot is a 48 hour sub, I'm assuming what I want to do is try and tap all the nodes as soon as they fully refresh once, going in descending point value?

Yes.

Dormammu

Stick said:

I really should give IM40 a shot. I know everybody swears by him, but I've never liked using him.

You're really handicapping yourself, especially if you're in the 3-star tier. Put him with 3Cap and then add a green/purple user - I like 3Bullseye - once Cap gets his shields bouncing around things get really easy. Another good pairing is IM40/Patch/Strange for PvE goon nodes. Really, IM40 plays well with everybody and remains viable well into the 4-star tier.

Good luck out there!

Stick

Yeah, I've got all the 3 stars champed except Starlord, Doc Ock and Sentry. For the Four stars, I've got Medusa, IW, XFW, C4Rol and 4Thor. I've got quite a few at 12 covers and a good chunk close to that. For the past month or so I've been running Medusa/C4Rol/Whoever's boosted. I'm building up a hoard of LTs and CP right now that I'm probably gonna pop when Mockingbird hits the vault (I really like her set). Hopefully with the change to vaulting I can get some Iceman/Rulk covers; I've seen them quite a bit, especially in PvP. Iceman especially is terrifying when he's boosted. I'd assume running him with IM40 and whoever else would work pretty good in PvE too.

But yeah, I've got enough stuff between boosted 4 stars and my champs that I'm usually playing with full 4 stars, or 2 4 stars and my strongest boosted 3. For my weaker clears I've been bringing out Thanos/Strange so I can get those early nodes out of the way really fast.

Stick

Okay yeah, started using IM40 in Weapon Tex Mex. It's been so long since I've used him, he was at 5/5/3. I think that means I haven't used him since champing. Anyways, I see the light lol. I'm tempted to pop some tokens to get Riri champed, because the synergy is strong.

Stick

Well, got 8th in the last event to use old scaling, we'll see how I fare in the next event since I already screwed up my start with the current one. I'm sad that RnG4 aren't boosted for this one. I found a team I really like...

Unknown

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Dml72502

When I do this I still barely finish under 50.  When I do this I am 1 or 2 after clearing the nodes 4 times but 30-60 minutes before the end time I'm back hundreds to thousands back. Not sure what I'm doing wrong?

Bowgentle

Dml72502 said:

When I do this I still barely finish under 50.  When I do this I am 1 or 2 after clearing the nodes 4 times but 30-60 minutes before the end time I'm back hundreds to thousands back. Not sure what I'm doing wrong?

Assuming you're doing 3 clears in the end instead of just getting to green checks...
You're taking too much time.
Or you miss the 5* essential.
I'm doing 30 minute end grinds in CL8 and finish t3 in the subs.

Blindman13

Dml72502 said:

When I do this I still barely finish under 50.  When I do this I am 1 or 2 after clearing the nodes 4 times but 30-60 minutes before the end time I'm back hundreds to thousands back. Not sure what I'm doing wrong?

Once you are done with your initial 4 clears look at the leader board - there will always be a large group of people with the same score. If you are passing this group, you are probably over grinding - Maybe you hit some nodes 5 times?
Toward the end, you will likely get passed by people starting their final clears before you (like me). I know I can't grind on a schedule, so I will start my final grind with 3-4 hours remaining, and be done with 2+ hours left. I go to bed in the top ten, and wake up to results telling me I finished top 50. That's the price I pay for prioritizing life over grinding MPQ.