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So, time to dive into getting some builds for Merc Research. Below is what I and others on the board and in chat come up with so far:
# Production Builds
## R75-76 Good aligned Merc Build, [courtesy of artcrow](http://www.kongregate.com/forums/8945-realm-grinder/topics/783256-merc-research-production-builds?page=1#posts-11298899)
Autocast tax collections for a time before buying Share Benefits to buff D525 and DB:Green. Increase buildup time in later runs as gem walls require. note: Don't use Buy All once you can afford the Round Table upgrade that upgrades Tax Collection to Share Benefits. Better with Dragon Lineage 20.
Requires: 11 target Grand Balance before the start of the run. The production is needed to afford the Unique Building. Dragon Lineage spell challenge completed. Minimum gems not known, but may have difficulties starting around e87-e88 gems. edit: Might need ~e90 starting gems for a fairly quick start.
Alignment: Good
Bloodline: Dragon
Merc 13: FR7 if it adds another Share Benefits tier. Otherwise DN8 or AN2. AKA Fairy (3,1), Dwarf (3,2), Angel (1,2). Dwarf (3,1) may be higher than Dwarf (3,2) in this build. I didn't compare. Note: FR7 gives about twice its listed Max Mana value with Spell Cataclysm and Helden Sterben Nicht.
EL3,EL7,AN3,AN5,TT6,DD6,DD7,FC7,DN2,DG3,DG4,DG9,SP:Grand Balance,SP:God's Hand
S215,S305,S330,S1275,S1450,S1500,
C300,C340,C400,C590,C1300,C1500,
D25,D245,D525,D1275,D1375,D2775,
E135,E350,E460,E590,E1225,E1325,
A105,A120,A175,A250,A305,A1500,
W150,W180,W275,W290,W400,W1375
Buffed upgrades: C1500 replaces C1300. W175 or W590 replaces W290. edit: Changed C3000 to C1500 based on assumed Neutral GB 11 run and the non existence of C3000 in R76.
Untested longer run version (Druid Challenge 4 off for buildup, on for income):
EL3,EL7,AN3,AN5,TT6,DD6,FC7,DN2,DW9,DG3,DG4,DG9,SP:Grand Balance,SP:Combo Strike
## "Pagan Lizards" - R77-R78
This becomes viable around ~1e88-1e89. You should do the [GB11 Unlock](https://www.kongregate.com/forums/8945-realm-grinder/topics/785317-mercenary-gb11-unlock-build) first. During the first buildup, you might need to use contingency autocasting at 50% in order to unlock the research upgrade. A2950 is not optional here, as it is required for the mana regen from the Druid bloodline. The final merc upgrade won't be available until Dragon Lineage is unlocked (after research). Be prepared to load the research multiple times to get the last few upgrades.
Neutral Merc, Dragon Bloodline, Druid A2950
Merc:
EL1,EL3,EL7,AN5,GB4,GB7,TT6,FC7,DN2,DG3,DG4,DG9,SP:Grand Balance,SP:God's Hand
Research:
S215,S305,S330,S460,S1450,S1500,
C340,C400,C590,C1325,C1500,C3000,
D25,D245,D590,D1275,D1375,D2775,
E135,E145,E350,E590,E1325,E1425,
A105,A120,A250,A305,A1500,A2950,
W25,W180,W275,W400,W590,W1375
## "Pagan Lizards" - R79-80
This becomes viable around ~1e88-1e89. You should do the GB11 Unlock build from below first. During the first buildup, you might need to use contingency autocasting at 50% in order to unlock the research upgrade. The final merc upgrade won't be available until Dragon Lineage is unlocked (after research). Be prepared to load the research multiple times to get the last few upgrades.
Neutral Merc, Dragon Lineage, Druid A2950
Mercs:
EL1,EL3,EL7,AN5,GB4,GB7,TT6,FC7,DN2,DG3,DG4,DG9,SP:Grand Balance,SP:God's Hand
Research:
S215,S305,S330,S460,S1450,S1500,
C340,C400,C590,C1325,C1500,C3000,
D25,D245,D590,D1275,D1375,D2775,
E135,E145,E350,E590,E1325,E1425,
A105,A120,A250,A305,A1500,A2950,
W25,W180,W275,W400,W1375,W3150
## "Pagan Lizards" R81
Let's not bother with this. Apparently people in Chat 2 were quite upset about it. Just adding E3250 and W3050 to the previous builds should be more than sufficient.
## R82+ Neutral Merc Build by [Rastan9](http://www.kongregate.com/forums/8945-realm-grinder/topics/783256-merc-research-production-builds?page=3#posts-11304016)
e90 or so is necessary for this to really go off, so you can use an earlier Pagan Lizards build to get there from e88. The beauty of this build is it performs quite well with just the T6s from Faceless Dragon/Undeadline.
Neutral Merc, Undead Bloodline, Dragon A2950
Mercs:
EL3,EL7,AN5,TT3,TT6,DD4,DD7,FC7,DN2,DG3,DG4,DG9,SP:Grand Balance,SP:Dragon's Breath
Research
S215,S305,S330,S460,S1450,S1500,
C300,C340,C400,C590,C1300,C3000,
D25,D245,D590,D1275,D1375,D2775,
E135,E145,E260,E350,E1425,E3250,
A105,A120,A1200,A1500,A2950,A3400,
W180,W260,W400,W1375,W3050,W3150
## FUDG "Florian's Ultimate Diamond Grinder" - R87+ Good merc build courtesy of Curunur
This one works up into the e110s and beyond, but REQUIRES T6 of all the spells. You'll also want at least a 1e7% W275. After Rastan9's neutral build above loses steam, this will take you beyond.
Note: **DO NOT BUY SHARED BENEFITS UNTIL STAGE 4! **This means that you CANNOT use Buy All for the majority of the run.
Stage 1: Lasts until you get the 400 REs for the lineage, about 5-45 minutes depending on W275.
Stage 2: Use all Spells and Tiers to be able to buy all Researches, then let them run for ~10 minutes to get maximum buildings
Stage 3: Spell building for 1-8 hours. Only cast FC1, DB6 and TC to build up DB:Green, D525, etc.
Stage 4: Buy the Shared Benefits upgrade, then go full spells until abdication.
Good Mercenaries, Dragon Lineage, Demon A2950.
Mercs:
FR1,FR3,EL7,AN5,DD6,DD7,FC7,TT6,DN2,DG3,DG4,DG9,SP:Fairy Chanting,SP:Grand Balance
M13:EL3
Research:
S215,S305,S330,S1275,S1450,S1500,
C300,C340,C400,C590,C1300,C3000,
D25,D200,D245,D525,D1275,D2775,
E50,E135,E350,E460,E1225,E3250,
A30,A175,A120,A1500,A2950,A3400,
W180,W275,W400,W1375,W3050,W3150
# Utility Builds
## Secrets of the Warriors unlock (Merc Unique Building)
I haven't tested any specific builds for this, but reports are that either of the Merc Research Unlock builds below will work for the 150k buildings requirement if you substitute in Goblin Bloodline.
## Low-gem Merc Research unlock - courtesy of [artcrow](http://www.kongregate.com/forums/8945/topics/783256?page=5#posts-11311717)
This build is for the *Secrets of the Warriors* quest that unlocks the research itself. For the *Mercenary Encampments* quest that unlocks the unique buildings, you could try to substitute in Goblin Bloodline.
Requires: e85 gems with Grand Balance tier 6 unlocked. Can still be done with GB5 at e85, but final income phase will take a few hours depending on buildup. 11 target Grand Balance. Max Assistants buff run with the W275 buff build, although assistant totals from Undead Faceless runs may be enough. Buildup period during run if near minimum gems.
Templates vary based on the Sun Force time period you're in.
Neutral Mercenaries, Druid Bloodline
Sun Force Faction Coins - FR9,EL1,EL3,AN5,GB7,DD4,DD6,DD7,FC7,DN2,DG3,DG4,SP:Grand Balance,SP:Dragon's Breath
Sun Force Production or Offline. - FR9,EL1,EL3,AN5,GB7,DD4,DD6,DD7,FC2,FC7,DG3,DG4,SP:Grand Balance,SP:Dragon's Breath
Sun Force Assistants and high DB:White DG9 can replace FR9 for more income. - FR9,EL1,EL3,AN5,GB7,DD4,DD6,DD7,FC7,DW2,DG3,DG4,SP:Grand Balance,SP:Dragon's Breath
## "We Shall Rise Again" by Necrodoom - Merc Research unlock
You need to be at least e88 for this, but higher is better/faster. This build is for the *Secrets of the Warriors* quest that unlocks the research itself. For the *Mercenary Encampments* quest that unlocks the unique buildings, you could try to substitute in Goblin Bloodline.
Neutral Merc, Undead Lineage
Mercs:
FR9,EL1,EL3,EL4,AN5,AN8,GB7,FC7,DW2,DW6,DG4,DG3,SP:Fairy Chanting,SP:Dragon's Breath
## "Flower Ghoul" - R77+ GB11 unlock build
It seems that offline mana production is counted at full tilt when unlocking GB11. This means the fastest way to get to 10e9 mana is to get as much mana regen as possible then go offline. Unfortunately the regen is based off of your regeneration with no spells active, so that cuts the upper limit down a bit.
Neutral Mercs, Undead Lineage, Druid A2950.
Mercs:
FR9,EL1,AN3,AN6,DD4,DD6,DD9,FC7,DN2,DG3,DG4,DG7,SP:Dragon's Breath,SP:Fairy Chanting
Research:
S180,S215,S305,S460,S1450,S1500,
C250,C340,C400,C590,C1300,C1325,
D25,D200,D245,D1275,D1375,D2775,
E135,E145,E330,E350,E1325,E1425,
A55,A120,A250,A305,A1500,A2950,
W150,W180,W250,W275,W400,W1375
## "Flower Ghoul" - R81+ GB11 unlock build version by [Myainsel](https://www.kongregate.com/forums/8945-realm-grinder/topics/785317-mercenary-gb11-unlock-build#posts-11303151)
Same deal, get rolling then go offline.
Neutral, Undead Lineage, Druid A2950.
Mercenaries:
FR9,EL3,AN3,AN6,DD4,DD6,FC7,DN2,DN8,DG3,DG4,DG7,SP:Dragon's Breath,SP:Fairy Chanting
Research:
S180,S215,S305,S330,S1450,S1500,
C250,C340,C400,C590,C1325,C3000,
D25,D245,D250,D1275,D1375,D2775,
E135,E350,E460,E590,E1425,E3250,
A120,A250,A305,A1200,A1500,A2950,
W180,W275,W400,W1375,W3050,W3150
## "Blood Transfusion" - Lineage 20 Unlock - R75+
Editied with help from Lapare. Use this to get Lineage 20, starting with the Undead Lineage. Replace A1375 for A2950 (Druid or Undead) after R77 if you would like, though it's usually not necessary for this to work quickly.
Neutral Mercs, bloodline determined by unlock.
Merc:
EL1,EL3,EL7,AN3,AN5,AN6,GB7,DD6,FC7,DN2,DG4,DG7,SP:Fairy Chanting,SP:Dragon's Breath
Research:
S215,S305,S400,S500,S1450,S1500,
C250,C340,C400,C590,C1300,C1325,
D25,D200,D245,D250,D1275,D2775,
E135,E145,E590,E1225,E1325,E1425,
A105,A120,A305,A375,A1325,A1500,
W150,W180,W250,W275,W400,W1375
## Undead Lineage 25 unlock - R82+ courtesy of [toimil](http://www.kongregate.com/forums/8945-realm-grinder/topics/783256-merc-research-builds-r75?page=5#posts-11313208)
This one seems to be able to get UL25 in about 2-3 hours. Tested at R87 with e113 gems and R84 with e105 gems (during the event with Seraphim 2). Use this one first to get UL25, then go to the below one for the other lineages.
Neutral, Undead Bloodline, Elf A2950
Mercs:
EL1,EL7,AN5,GB7,TT6,DD4,FC7,DN2,DW2,DG3,DG6,DG7,SP:Dragon's Breath,SP:Fairy Chanting
Research:
S215,S305,S330,S400,S1450,S1500,
C250,C340,C400,C590,C3000,C3100,
D25,D200,D245,D1275,D1375,D2775,
E135,E145,E400,E460,E1425,E3250,
A120,A305,A1200,A1500,A2950,A3400,
W275,W400,W1375,W1400,W3050,W3150
## Other Lineage 25 unlock - R82+ [courtesy of FutureSin](http://www.kongregate.com/forums/8945-realm-grinder/topics/783256-merc-research-builds-r75?page=4#posts-11305595)
This build can then be used to get the rest of the lineages to 25 with short runs. Switch our GB for FC for all other lineages. When you do Dragon switch DB with GB. S400 and W275 boosts are highly recommended first.
NOTE: Druid for A2950 seemed to work a bit better for me.
Neutral Mercs, Fairy bloodline (to start), Dragon A2950
Mercs:
EL1,EL7,AN5,GB7,TT3,TT6,DD4,FC7,DN2,DW2,DG4,DG7,SP:Dragon's Breath,SP:Grand Balance
Research:
S305,S330,S400,S1450,S1500,S3200,
C105,C250,C340,C400,C590,C3000,
D25,D200,D590,D1275,D1375,D2775,
E135,E145,E260,E350,E1425,E3250,
A105,A120,A305,A2950,A1500,A3400,
W180,W275,W400,W1375,W3050,W3150
## R82+ S400/TC buff build courtesy of [toimil](https://www.kongregate.com/forums/8945-realm-grinder/topics/783256-merc-research-builds-r75?page=7#posts-11318760)
Evil Mercenaries, Dragon Bloodline, Elf A2950
Mercs:
EL3,EL7,AN3,AN5,AN6,UD7,DD6,FC7,DN2,DG3,DG6,DG9,SP:Fairy Chanting,SP:Grand Balance
13: DM4
Research:
S50,S305,S400,S1450,S1500,S3200,
C105,C340,C400,C590,C3000,C3100,
D25,D200,D245,D275,D1275,D2775,
E10,E135,E145,E350,E495,E3250,
A10,A120,A410,A1500,A2950,A3400,
W205,W400,W525,W560,W1400,W3050
Notes from Lapare:
"The only suggestions i would like to make would be to Swap DM4 => DD7 (use UD7 as the M13 upgrade instead of DM4). C105 could also be swapped into C300 for somewhat higher production (more Banks) which i believe outweighs the FC loss from losing C105"
## W275 Buff build, courtesy of Curunur
This is for buffing W275 when necessary. Requires a decently high (125k+) S400 for full effectiveness, which can be provided by the above. It seems to require a high gem count (e115+) to afford the lineage/research upgrades.
Neutral Mercs, Undead Lineage, Elf A2950
Mercs:
FR1,FR9,GB7,TT3,DD4,DD6,FC5,FC7,DN2,DG3,DG6,DG7,SP:Combo Strike,SP:Dragon's Breath
Research:
S305,S330,S400,S1450,S1500,S3200,
C340,C590,C1300,C1325,C3000,C3100,
D25,D245,D350,D250,D1275,D2775,
E25,E135,E590,E1425,E3250,E3300,
A120,A375,A1200,A1500,A2950,A3400,
W175,W250,W400,W520,W1400,W3050
Lower gem count research alternative (e104+):
S305,S330,S400,S1450,S1500,S3200,
C340,C590,C1300,C1325,C3000,C3100,
D25,D245,D350,D250,D1275,D2775,
E25,E135,E590,E1425,E3250,E3300,
A120,A375,A1200,A1500,A2950,A3400,
W175,W250,W275,W400,W1400,W3050
## "50 Shades of Taxes" S3200 Unlock build - R81
Evil Mercenaries, Dragon bloodline, Druid A2950
Mercs:
EL1,EL3,EL7,AN5,TT6,DD6,DD7,DD9,DN2,DG3,DG4,DG7,SP:Fairy Chanting,SP:Grand Balance
13: UD7
Research:
S50,S305,S330,S400,S1450,S1500,
C300,C340,C400,C590,C1300,C3000,
D25,D200,D245,D1275,D1375,D2775,
E10,E135,E145,E350,E1325,E3250,
A10,A120,A305,A410,A1500,A2950,
W180,W275,W400,W525,W3050,W3150
** Changelog **
* Added R77 build
* Swapped in S330 for S400. Where we're heading, we don't need piddly max mana
* Added R79 build
* Swapped in D25 for D320. No idea how I missed that.
* Removed the crappy "good" build I had up
* Added links to GB11 unlocks and estimated gem needs.
* Swapped in W25 for W150 in all builds - it's slightly higher past the 10-15 minute mark, and not much lower to begin with
* Added Artcrow's R75-76 build and R81+ Build
* Added Rastan9's R82+ Build and GB11 Unlock builds
* Added Lineage 20/25 unlock builds , S400 buff build, and Merc Unlock build.
* We have names!
* New S400/TC buff build by Lapare
* New Lineage 25 unlock for Undead by toimil
* Added artcrow's Merc Research Unlock build, updated We Will Rise Again
* Added Curunur's Good Merc build and W275 Boost Build
* Various build updates for 2.7.2, overhauled Blood Transfusion
* Replaced Lapare's S400 buff build with one by toimil. Converted Lapare's to S3200 unlock.
* Updated FUDG, added low-gem W275 boost alternative
what sort of build did you use to unlock merc research? Specifically the "Secrets of the Warriors" part (e140 coins, e16 faction coins)
I'm R78, e96 gems, and cant manage to find a build that works. closest i could get was a good max mana build trying to use Share Benefits' FC increase to get the e16 FC, but it stalls out around e11.
Also tried a Good Assistant type build as well as a few different neutral builds. Havent tried Evil builds but i cant see or think of anything that would make that big of a difference there
I definitely seem to be missing something...
> *Originally posted by **[Hyppy](/forums/8945/topics/783256?page=1#11297360)**:*
> Edit: it appears that he deleted his comment. It was regarding unlocking UL20 and other lineages.
>
> I used something very similar to that. Unlocked Undead Lineage 20 in about 15 minutes, then was able to get 20 on all other factions within a couple minutes. The A2950 didn't even become a factor in most of the unlocks, I was really just limited by how fast I could click:
>
> Faction: Neutral Mercenaries with whatever Bloodline/Lineage you need to unlock.
> EL1,EL3,EL7,AN3,AN5,AN6,GB7,DD6,FC7,DN2,DG4,DG7,SP:Fairy Chanting,SP:Dragon's Breath
> S215,S305,S330,S400,S460,S500,
> C105,C250,C330,C340,C400,C1325,
> D150,D200,D245,D250,D1275,D1375,
> E135,E150,E200,E330,E1325,E1425,
> A55,A120,A250,A305,A1500,A2950,
> W150,W180,W250,W275,W400,W1375
Yeah, after looking at my build with a little more time to analyze, I realized that it was complete trash and didn't want my name attached to that. Looks like yours is better anyhow. Cheers! For sake of argument, it's below. Don't judge though. I took a short break from work to assign research points, and put all of 5 minutes into it.
Neutral Undeadline
FR9,EL1,EL3,AN5,AN6,GB7,DD6,FC2,FC7,DW2,DG4,DG9,SP:Fairy Chanting,SP:Dragon's Breath
Research:
S105,S180,S305,S330,S1450,S1500,
C105,C250,C340,C400,C1325,C1500,
D25,D150,D200,D250,D290,D1275,
E25,E135,E145,E250,E590,E1425,
A30,A120,A300,A305,A375,A1325,
W175,W180,W250,W275,W590,W1375
> *Originally posted by **[ForgottenAtDawn](/forums/8945/topics/783256?page=1#11297372)**:*
> what sort of build did you use to unlock merc research? Specifically the "Secrets of the Warriors" part (e140 coins, e16 faction coins)
>
> I'm R78, e96 gems, and cant manage to find a build that works. closest i could get was a good max mana build trying to use Share Benefits' FC increase to get the e16 FC, but it stalls out around e11.
> Also tried a Good Assistant type build as well as a few different neutral builds. Havent tried Evil builds but i cant see or think of anything that would make that big of a difference there
>
> I definitely seem to be missing something...
Just pick one that OP made, but pick the Elven Bloodline. You'll get enough faction coins in like 10 minutes. Then just save mana for a full combo. Or if you skipped over R75 a lot, then probably just spamming spells until they're high enough and you should be golden.
It's all about neutral builds, thanks to the MASSIVE boost to FC the neutral TC upgrade gives.
neutral UL FR9,EL1,EL3,EL4,AN5,AN8,GB7,FC7,DW2,DW6,DG4,DG3,SP:Fairy Chanting,SP:God's Hand
^here's what i got.
> *Originally posted by **[ForgottenAtDawn](/forums/8945/topics/783256?page=1#11297372)**:*
> what sort of build did you use to unlock merc research? Specifically the "Secrets of the Warriors" part (e140 coins, e16 faction coins)
>
> I'm R78, e96 gems, and cant manage to find a build that works. closest i could get was a good max mana build trying to use Share Benefits' FC increase to get the e16 FC, but it stalls out around e11.
> Also tried a Good Assistant type build as well as a few different neutral builds. Havent tried Evil builds but i cant see or think of anything that would make that big of a difference there
>
> I definitely seem to be missing something...
As above, I used:
Neutral Undeadline
FR9,EL1,EL3,AN5,AN6,GB7,DD6,FC2,FC7,DW2,DG4,DG9,SP:Fairy Chanting,SP:Dragon's Breath
It's not nearly ideal, and it took an hour or two to unlock Secrets of the Warriors for me.
Elves Bloodline seems to way to go for unlocking merc research, I picked the build from the 2nd post (still on it):
> *Originally posted by **[Hyppy](/forums/8945/topics/783256?page=1#11297360)**:*
> EL1,EL3,EL7,AN3,AN5,AN6,GB7,DD6,FC7,DN2,DG4,DG7,SP:Fairy Chanting,SP:Dragon's Breath
Neutral faction has gem grinder, which is huge for production already. UD line might have trouble getting to even activate the lineage with 400 RE, and Elven Bloodline gives you ~50K % FC almost from the start. With FC you can buy higher levels of gem grinder and so on...
Ow, and it probably helps immensely to have high DB White. I reincarnated recently, so it's only at ~700. But for me that's still a slightly better boost than DB:blue
Edit: I scrapped the build again, here's a new try - elven bloodline is cool for FC, but production is quite crappy. I'll let this one run overnight with sunforce:
Neutral, Bloodline Undead 15
EL1,EL3,EL4,AN5,GB7,DD6,FC7,DN8,DW2,DG3,DG4,DG9,SP:Fairy Chanting,SP:Dragon's Breath
(R76, 4.585 e89 coins)
As far as these merc builds go can someone please put them in this kind of format (dragon 1.3)(fairy 3.2) and so forth because the (EL1,EL3 and EL4) parts seem extremely confusing to me right now? I'm not sure if that format was the one I was hoping to come across but it's the format used for the original merc builds way back when.
> *Originally posted by **[richardlycn013](/forums/8945/topics/783256?page=1#11298548)**:*
> As far as these merc builds go can someone please put them in this kind of format (dragon 1.3)(fairy 3.2) and so forth because the (EL1,EL3 and EL4) parts seem extremely confusing to me right now? I'm not sure if that format was the one I was hoping to come across but it's the format used for the original merc builds way back when.
You are supposed to import the string, not select it manually.
how are you guys getting the 150k building requirements for the Mercenary Encampment Quest?
I have the coin requirement but not even at 110k buildings. R76, e86 gems, UL15. using this merc build: EL1,EL4,AN5,GB7,DD1,DD6,DD9,FC2,FC7,DN8,DW2,DW6,SP:Fairy Chanting,SP:Dragon's Breath from eatnsleep
> *Originally posted by **[Lotr99](/forums/8945/topics/783256?page=1#11298599)**:*
> how are you guys getting the 150k building requirements for the Mercenary Encampment Quest?
> I have the coin requirement but not even at 110k buildings. R76, e86 gems, UL15. using this merc build: EL1,EL4,AN5,GB7,DD1,DD6,DD9,FC2,FC7,DN8,DW2,DW6,SP:Fairy Chanting,SP:Dragon's Breath from eatnsleep
Goblin bloodline + challenges that drop the requirements to 125k buildings or so.
Then again, I did it at e90 gems, so that helped bridge the gap, since you're not far from the effective requirement of only 125k buildings.
Has anyone found a Merc Research build that is both readily attainable (as in can get research unlocked and T6 spells going in less than forever) and Gem productive for use in R75-R77 range?
So far, it appears that a slightly-modified zombie eldritch build is doing better than my attempts at a merc research build. That might change after a few Rs, but the first couple of reasearches don't seem to be enough to make merc research better than zombie eldritch (modified post-patch).
> *Originally posted by **[SummitSummit](/forums/8945/topics/783256?page=1#11298642)**:*
> Has anyone found a Merc Research build that is both readily attainable (as in can get research unlocked and T6 spells going in less than forever) and Gem productive for use in R75-R77 range?
This was the strongest pre R77 build I've tested so far. As income is an unknown quantity during buildup, I like to export, buy Share Benefits for an income check, then reimport if it's too low.
R75-R76
Autocast tax collections for a time before buying Share Benefits to buff D525 and DB:Green. Increase buildup time in later runs as gem walls require. note: Don't use Buy All once you can afford the Round Table upgrade that upgrades Tax Collection to Share Benefits. Better with Dragon Lineage 20.
Requires: 11 target Grand Balance before the start of the run. The production is needed to afford the Unique Building. Dragon Lineage spell challenge completed. Minimum gems not known, but may have difficulties starting around e87-e88 gems. edit: Might need ~e90 starting gems for a fairly quick start.
Alignment: Good
Bloodline: Dragon
Merc 13: FR7 if it adds another Share Benefits tier. Otherwise DN8 or AN2. AKA Fairy (3,1), Dwarf (3,2), Angel (1,2). Dwarf (3,1) may be higher than Dwarf (3,2) in this build. I didn't compare. Note: FR7 gives about twice its listed Max Mana value with Spell Cataclysm and Helden Sterben Nicht.
EL3,EL7,AN3,AN5,TT6,DD6,DD7,FC7,DN2,DG3,DG4,DG9,SP:Grand Balance,SP:God's Hand
*edit* Changed D200 to D1375.
S215,S305,S330,S1275,S1450,S1500,
C300,C340,C400,C590,C1300,C1500,
D25,D245,D525,D1275,D1375,D2775,
E135,E350,E460,E590,E1225,E1325,
A105,A120,A175,A250,A305,A1500,
W150,W180,W275,W290,W400,W1375
S400 will be better than S215 if it adds 2 tiers of Share Benefits. One tier and other production increases can also exceed S215. I don't know the cutoffs, but S400 needs to be higher to beat S215 with Dragon level 20 than it does with Dragon 15.
Buffed upgrades: ~~C1500 replaces C1300~~. W175 or W590 replaces W290. *edit: Changed C3000 to C1500 based on assumed Neutral GB 11 run and the non existence of C3000 in R76.*
Lower gem requirement for entry, less production *edit: This didn't really work at lowering gem requirement when Fonzoland tested it. Changed AN3 to DW2, but I'm not overly optimistic about this variant. Neutral entry is easier and it can produce gems in the e85 range.*:
EL3,EL7,AN5,TT6,DD6,DD7,FC7,DN2,DW2,DG3,DG4,DG9,SP:Grand Balance,SP:Fairy Chanting
Untested longer run version (Druid Challenge 4 off for buildup, on for income):
EL3,EL7,AN3,AN5,TT6,DD6,FC7,DN2,DW9,DG3,DG4,DG9,SP:Grand Balance,SP:Combo Strike
> *Originally posted by **[Lotr99](/forums/8945/topics/783256?page=1#11299290)**:*
> Is it easier to attain Dragon Lineage 15 than it was pre-update? It took me 16 days just to get to DL13
It took me little under 5 minutes to unlock it using a thrown-together FC build at R80. So yeah, I'd say it's easier.
> *Originally posted by **[richardlycn013](/forums/8945/topics/783256?page=1#11298548)**:*
> As far as these merc builds go can someone please put them in this kind of format (dragon 1.3)(fairy 3.2) and so forth because the (EL1,EL3 and EL4) parts seem extremely confusing to me right now? I'm not sure if that format was the one I was hoping to come across but it's the format used for the original merc builds way back when.
1-2-3: 1.1-1.2-1.3
4-5-6: 2.1-2.2-2.3
7-8-9: 3.1-3.2-3.3
nothing too crazy
> *Originally posted by **[artcrow](/forums/8945/topics/783256?page=1#11298899)**:*
> > *Originally posted by **[SummitSummit](/forums/8945/topics/783256?page=1#11298642)**:*
> > Has anyone found a Merc Research build that is both readily attainable (as in can get research unlocked and T6 spells going in less than forever) and Gem productive for use in R75-R77 range?
>
> This was the strongest pre R77 build I've tested so far. As income is an unknown quantity during buildup, I like to export, buy Share Benefits for an income check, then reimport if it's too low.
>
> R75-R76
>
> Autocast tax collections for a time before buying Share Benefits to buff D525 and DB:Green. Increase buildup time in later runs as gem walls require. note: Don't use Buy All once you can afford the Round Table upgrade that upgrades Tax Collection to Share Benefits. Better with Dragon Lineage 20.
> Requires: 11 target Grand Balance before the start of the run. The production is needed to afford the Unique Building. Dragon Lineage spell challenge completed. Minimum gems not known, but may have difficulties starting around e87-e88 gems.
>
> Alignment: Good
> Bloodline: Dragon
> Merc 13: FR7 if it adds another Share Benefits tier. Otherwise DN8 or AN2. AKA Fairy (3,1), Dwarf (3,2), Angel (1,2). Dwarf (3,1) may be higher than Dwarf (3,2) in this build. I didn't compare. Note: FR7 gives about twice its listed Max Mana value with Spell Cataclysm and Helden Sterben Nicht.
>
> EL3,EL7,AN3,AN5,TT6,DD6,DD7,FC7,DN2,DG3,DG4,DG9,SP:Grand Balance,SP:God's Hand
>
> S215,S305,S330,S1275,S1450,S1500,
> C300,C340,C400,C590,C1300,C3000,
> D25,D200,D245,D525,D1275,D2775,
> E135,E350,E460,E590,E1225,E1325,
> A105,A120,A175,A250,A305,A1500,
> W150,W180,W275,W290,W400,W1375
>
> Buffed upgrades: C1500 replaces C1300. W175 or W590 replaces W290.
>
> Lower gem requirement for entry, less production:
> EL3,EL7,AN3,AN5,TT6,DD6,DD7,FC7,DN2,DG3,DG4,DG9,SP:Grand Balance,SP:Fairy Chanting
>
> Untested longer run version (Druid Challenge 4 off for buildup, on for income):
> EL3,EL7,AN3,AN5,TT6,DD6,FC7,DN2,DW9,DG3,DG4,DG9,SP:Grand Balance,SP:Combo Strike
>
>
DG9 not possible with you dont take dragon breath as spell
> *Originally posted by **[Chrisirhc1996](/forums/8945/topics/783256?page=1#11299311)**:*
> > *Originally posted by **[Lotr99](/forums/8945/topics/783256?page=1#11299290)**:*
> > Is it easier to attain Dragon Lineage 15 than it was pre-update? It took me 16 days just to get to DL13
>
> It took me little under 5 minutes to unlock it using a thrown-together FC build at R80. So yeah, I'd say it's easier.
So the research I need to do that unlocks in R77 or R76? Only asking since Artcrow's build is for pre-R77 and you just said you're R80.