Ember Tipped Carapace
+15% All Damage
+10% DNA when Ecdysis
No Maximum Level.
- Increases Damage granted by mutations to EVERY colour by 15% per level.
- The very first level when you unlock gives you a double bonus, so you start with 30%
- Mutation damage adds up into one big bonus, so adding this 15% to an existing bonus of 500% would total 515%.
- The genes Mutation Infusion multiply this coloured damage by 10% per gene, to a maximum of 110%.
- The Gene Lab's Mutation Specialization further add to this multiplication by 5% per level, with no maximum,
- Increases the amount of DNA you get when you Ecdysis by 10% per level.
- This is based off the sum of "Queen Level" DNA and "Distance" DNA.
- This bonus is added in to the other mutation bonuses for DNA into one big bonus.
- See this article for more information on DNA math.
Commentary
Arguably everyone's favorite mutation - this is the one that increases the amount of DNA you receive by a large amount every time you perform an Ecdysis. A common misconception is that this bonus is somehow multiplied and if you buy 5 levels of it, you should see your final Ecdysis DNA amount shoot up by 50%. Unfortunately that's not the case - it is added in to the sum of bonuses granted by unlocked mutations and mutation sets. It's still a very nice mutation to have though. You can sacrifice other mutations and break up sets, using 3 levels of this to make up the difference lost by breaking up the set.
How Much ETC Should I Buy?
This is probably the most often-asked question. There is no answer, as it is something you have to decide for yourself because it all depends on how long you plan to play the game. Each level gives you a 10% bonus which is 10% of the sum of your Queen Level DNA and Distance DNA. At the current "end game" that is around 18000 - 26000 DNA, so each level gives around 1800 - 2600 DNA increase. If that level costs you 260000 DNA to purchase, then it will take you around 100 runs to "pay off" the purchase and start profiting from it. If you don't play the 100 runs, then you've wasted DNA making the purchase. For many, level 300-400 is enough but if you plan to play a while and can break the Blood Guardian wall to do runs over 32000m, you may consider going to 500 or beyond.
