CONCLUSION
Attacking Invaders for Equipment Material
◉Unless you are just starting the game and haven't got access to more advanced knowledge, trying to get legendary material from level 1 and 2 Invaders is a great way to make sure you're spending more than ten times the amount of energy necessary to get the same rewards from a level 5 or 6 when employing a substantial SusATK.
◉ Building up a sustained attack on an Invader level 4, 5 or 6 will save you time and energy when your first priority is crafting the best gear.
-No matter what your exact invader stats are, as long as you can keep building your sustained attack until you are at least halfway through an invader's health, (Upper level invaders) you WILL receive some rare items + usually AT LEAST one epic, and occasionally even a legendary item. On the other hand, it could be considered lucky to get even unusual grade items from levels 3 and under. There is an exception... If you have a significantly low offense and can actually assemble a good SusATK bonus on a level 3 before killing it, then you may luck into rare items in low quantity.
◉Energy cost is dependent on your hero's skills, equipment, knowledge and bonuses. (Obviously)
*** "efficiency" is a relative term describing the relationship between the energy cost involved with using a specific method to reach your end goal.
These factors control efficiency: Whether event points or gear materials is your priority, how much time (patience) you have to accomplish your goal, availability of energy, availability of invaders, some stats vs Invaders
◉Getting the best materials is a matter of probability, but not chance, and there is no one size fits all formula. However, when in doubt, using single hits, building up a SusATK bonus one hit at a time until the invader is beat will reliably preserve more energy while offering a higher probability of receiving blue, purple and gold items than diving in headfirst against any invader with an enhanced attack.
-As your sustained attack goes up, so will the AVERAGE quality of the materials you receive. Don't mistake this with simply causing more damage=better loot, it's not that simple. That said, avoid using a Hero's Offense boost when your hunting priority is gaining materials. Save those for crunch time in events and taking on the occasional Uber.
The bottom line is.. a high level invader provides the amount of 'workspace' that is essential for demonstrating your overall effectiveness against invaders. It's a necessary platform that the 3 low levels just don't have to offer. When choosing between levels 4,5, or 6, go for this strongest one that will die or nearly die before you reach your current maximum sustained attack. Delivering hits at peak performance, which includes employing a high SusATK and avoiding boosts, is what will shake out the best loot.
MY FINAL NOTE
Standard Equipment Materials
By now everyone will have figured out that standard materials can be gained from tasks, Invaders, and resource tiles. That said, consider this...
I 100% recommend purchasing legendary equipment coffers. Keep in mind that if you wait to buy them until you only need one last item, then that item will suddenly become more difficult than ever to find. Purchase these coffers frequently and build up a stock so that you don't end up waiting for one standard material after you've gotten all you need from invaders. The ability to purchase standard crafting items with gold is a gift that often goes unappreciated and degraded because people don't plan ahead and end up buying thirty coffers in order to find that one last elusive piece.
Please don't take that the wrong way. To my knowledge, it has NEVER been confirmed by any developers that they actually have instilled a growing rarity based on players' needs and intentionally set us up for disappointment and frustration. They just wouldn't do that to us. It's not like they would prioritize money-making over their devoted members. You're way off base if you thought Plarium would stoop so low, knowing that fair play means RANDOM item drops. Shameful, that would be.
However, there IS an entity to blame that every seasoned player has become familiar with and fallen victim to at least once... MURPHY governs this game without mercy or appeal. Murphy's Law is THE law of the land and shouldn't be regarded lightly. When your game crashes, it will crash at the worst possible time. When unscheduled maintenance is needed, it will happen during or directly after making a large purchase as to increase the likelihood of errors occurring. The most relevant of Murphy's Laws for Vikings is of course, the more you need something, the harder it is to get. Plan ahead.
Now... Go buy legendary material coffers BEFORE you need them.
THE END
