Efficient Leveling: The Operative Way

[Zeus]

Hey guys, Apollo here, so at my brief time in SL, I wanted to share one of the most efficient ways to level as an operative.

First off, you start a new character, operative, I highly recommend you buy that premium character. It will help give you the boost you need when you’re initially weak and unable to fend for yourself. Also, that 10 auction slot package is a boon from the STS gods. You will need it later on in your career!

Experience/Difficulty Indicators: These babies are little circles located at the end left hand side of your bad guy’s health bar. The red indicated high difficulty, but experience points are doubled for you should you eradicate your enemies. The yellow circle indicates moderate difficulty and provides 1.5xp per kill. White circle means the map is your level and you will receive 1xp per kill.

*NOTE: The gray circle indicates that you are too high for that campaign; you will not receive any experience points or kills. It’s time for you to move on!

*NOTE: If you are going to elixir your way through, I HIGHLY recommend using the 3x experience enhancer and having a guild that provides you a discount on enhancers. If you feel like wasting A LOT of platinum, by all means feel free to purchase the combo 3x enhancer or the 4x experience enhancer, but if you want to have platinum left over and still level at a very efficient rate, purchase the 12 platinum enhancer, through guild advanced enhancer discount vendor.

Now, before leveling in a specific map, I highly suggest that you first play through the entire campaign at least three times. Why? The human mind remembers and retains information best when it is repeated thrice. If you play through the campaigns thrice when you level up, not only will you knock off a significant chunk of your experience points, but also remember the boss strategies needed and familiarize yourself with them!

Skills:

• Up to L30, it doesn't really matter which skills you have, but when you get the following skills, max them out ASAP. Precision, Mind Wrack, Psychic Lash, Sympathetic Anguish, and Flames of Insanity.


L1-6: Level the easy way! Dynaster Labs!

• If you bought the premium character I recommended, you will have sufficient gear all the way until L15! So gear will not be on your list of top priorities just yet.

• At this point of your SL career, there should be plenty of maps available for L1-6 campaign. Why? Many other fellow new players are playing as well! So, use the join feature, which can be accessed in the main menu, then narrow down your selection of maps you want to see by typing in your preferred campaign name. My preferred maps are maps 1-2 of the Dynastar campaign.

Once you get to L6, get out of there! You are free to level in the next campaign. I highly recommend that you DO NOT leave Dynaster until you are level 6, as Red Sun is considerably harder.


Red Sun: Run Map 3 L6-9

• You should be in for a shock, as the bosses and mobs are quite escalated on difficulty when compared to Dynastar Labs. You want to run to the bilge storage and kill the enemies until the mobs stop teleporting at 12 enemies. Once you hit 12 enemies, remake the game!

• When you are L9 you should be pretty much sick of running that same dreadful map over and over (Map 3). Well, good news, you should be free to continue onto the next campaign without much difficulties.

Cycorp Industries: Run Map 2 L9-14

• What you want to do in Cycorp Industries is run map 2 over and over in the following process. First, get to ingredients storage, then head up the corridor and blow up the turret and then get the 4 mobs behind the door, turn right and remake. DO NOT GO THROUGH THE DOOR!

• You should be free to go at L14. Also, remember, if you bought the premium character, please keep updating the gear with the gear they have provided you with. It is essential and VERY helpful.

Astroid Mining Facility: Delta 7 (Run Map 2) L14-19

• For this campaign, I suggest you run map two. When you start, run up the left branch first, clear all the mobs, then run back to the center and go on a killing spree- kill all the mobs that spawn on the way.
When you are finished with that, run up the right branch, turn right around halfway about the main corridor, clear the mobs until the dead end and remake.
Repeat this process until you are L19, then you are free to go onto Numa!

Planet Numa Prime: Run Map #1 L19-25

• Numa Prime is where you will make your dough if you are lucky. If you want to have future credits to buy those cool sets at higher levels, I recommend you stay here UNTIL you are 25 even though you are free to go at 24.
• The mobs have a rare chance to drop the following vanities: Squid buddy, mechanical engineer helm, or x-ray visors. These following items are priced at 400k+, thus if you loot one, you can easily buy your gear for the following campaigns.
• You want to clear the mobs in the first left room as they spawn, then go back to the main path, turn left, and then right at the intersection. Then continue to the dead end and remake the game!
• Once you hit 25, I HIGHLY suggest that you buy the following gear from the platinum store. It is pretty cheap and you can afford it on a TapJoy budget. The critical boost on this gear is unbelievable, which will speed up killing mobs and bosses EXPONENTIALLY!.
• Buy the OUTLAW gear for L25 Operative in the platinum section. You have the option to choose between which gun you want. I recommend a double pistol.

Slouch-O Productions: Run Maps 2+3 consecutively L24-29

• If you’re like me or any other sane person, you will DESPISE Slouch-O with a passion. Thus, you’re going to want to get out of there ASAP. My advice? Do NOT kill the bosses, as you can always learn the strategies later. The director will waste your time and enhancers.
• You’re going to want to run maps 2+3 consecutively and remake at 3 left on map 3.
If you can afford it, try to get the custom set for the operative class. It greatly boosts your critical hit, hit percentage, armor, and damage, which will prepare you for the endless Biosphere shipyard runs you will have to face.

UC Shipyard: Run Map #2 Biosphere L29-36

• For this, if you want the most efficient runs, make sure you grab a full party before running for that XP bonus (25%).
You’re going to want your party to consist of the following: 1 Commando, 1-2 Operatives, 1-2 Engineers.
• Run through the map until you meet the broken door. Make sure when you first start the map that you notify the Commando of his role: break the door and lure the bad guys to the first gate.
• Assign the engineer the task of continuing running down the hallway gathering enemies.
• Your task is interchangeable with the engineer; Your task is to open the gate, walk a few steps into the gate room to trigger the spawns of the bad guys. Then lure them into the intersection where the hallway, broken wall, and the gate meet.
Wait for your allies to catch up, then kill away and remake when you’re done. You can do this all the way from 29-36
• I highly recommend the following build for leveling in the Biosphere. This will maximize efficiency in your runs as it is AOE based. This is assuming you're L35 and grinding to 36. If you're not, just deduct points from Flames and Mind Wrack to help suit your level.

• 6 Precision, 6 Amplify Pain, 6 Sympathetic Anguish, 6 Psychic Lash, 6 Mind Wrack, 4 Flames of Insanity, and 1 Lurch.

Planet Voleria: Run Map - Planetary Mantle

• For efficiency, make sure you have plenty of Operatives, and at least 1 commando and 1 engineer in the party.
• When running, just follow the path, but do NOT head near the room on the right. Why? The bugs in that room are heavily armored and are too slow to kill, thus reducing the potential XP gained per hour.
• As you kill, target the snipers first. They are red/yellow guys with a two handed weapon that looks like a cannon. If you don't, they will eventually have a red target on you, leading to instant death. All you need to do is disrupt them from combat. I personally find that psychic lash and flames of insanity are EXTREMELY effective on them.
• Keep following the path without hitting going through the first door. When you reach that door/barrier, remake.

AT LEVEL 40!!!!!!!

• Your skill build should look something like this (Not as effective as some builds for bosses but VERY effective for leveling):







• Your character should look something like this: