Chequers

After about a year away I'm picking up where I left off from level 40, which I reached using this excellent guide. I'm also grabbing mission specific accomplishment badges as I go, which took me to Founders Falls, for Maxwell Christopher's missions for his 'Find out why Nemesis is concerned with the weather' mission for the Meteorologist badge. He didn't offer it straight away, but did offer the 'Eternal Nemesis' arc, which.. while very long... was a great dive into the Nemesis faction and all its twisted plots within plots... ending in a fun final encounter. Thought it worth mentioning, as your guide takes me straight to Peregrine Island, but there's some good content in the 40-45 range in Founder's Falls too. For context, the entire 16 part 'Eternal Nemesis' arc didn't even take me from level 40 to 41... so I'm not worried about outlevelling Tina in Peregrine.

Totally agree! Faultline was the other storyline that I've enjoyed immensely so far. I'd not played it before (last time I played CoH was Issue 5 or 6, before the revamp) - so I'm glad I've been able to enjoy it! Thanks for the heads up - I play on default difficulty settings, so I think I should be good!

I'm still following this guide - it's so great to go at a nice slow pace through this game. Just finished the First Ward arcs, and I have to say, that's some cracking storytelling. Another poster mentioned Keith Nance and Jenny Adair (both in Talos) as good arcs in the 20-29 range. Keith's arc introduces Jenny's, and I'd completely agree they're well worth doing. I did them between First Ward and Striga (following your guide). They're very short, tell a great little story, and award a couple of badges too.

I used a few approaches already listed here, but one of my favourites is to use a loanword (a word or phrase from another language that has been adopted into your own, and become part of the vocabulary), as they tend to be overlooked a lot of the time. Ricochet Rendezvous Deja Vu etc. If you can find a multi-word adjective and use it as a noun, then ever better. I recently picked up 'Tour de Force', and was so happy it wasn't taken. Describes my WP/SS Tanker perfectly!

I just picked up 'Tour de Force' - I know it's multiple words... but it's a pretty common phrase I thought!

Thanks @Grouchybeast - that's a perfect spoiler-free explanation, thank you! I didn't know that you could start as a Praetorian, which would explain how there seems to be a lot of background story going on with some of these factions and groups that has been a bit of a mystery. But I'm glad I can 'join the story' in First Ward. Having finished the arcs here now, they were sublime, and I'm sure I'll meet some of these NPCs later. When I roll a toon that starts in Praetoria, some of the earlier gaps will no doubt be filled in in the back story. For now, I'm happy for it to be a bit of mystery.

Hi all - me again. Thanks for your above advice, I've been progressing nicely, following story arcs that you've suggested, freezing XP to make sure I don't outlevel content, and having an absolute blast juggling 'old' content, and the stuff they added since last time I played. There's some incredibly well written stories here! My favourite so far is definitely the Faultline arcs, but I've had loads of fun with some of the one off arcs too - particularly Laura Lockhart's (..both times..). But I've hit a bit of a progression snag. I was reading a Good Missions Guide that has helped me coordinate where I should be aiming to go next. It took me to Striga Isle, and suggested I do the first arcs there, and then head over to First Ward to play through that content. But something feels a bit... off. I'm trying not to spoil anything for myself by reading up on the wiki... but this content feels so far removed from simply 'new content' - it's like a whole different game. I've heard various mentions about Praetoria throughout my adventure, and fought 'mirrored' versions of enemy mobs. I've now learned from playing through some of First Ward that praetorian Earth is like an alternate version of the world where Paragon City exists... that's fine... but... Should I be here? Something I've noticed on Homecoming (and perhaps it was this way when the live servers closed), is that all content is available to everyone. It looks like I can change alignment, go to any location, etc - so I'm not locked out of any area or content. But I don't want to stumble into content that, as a hero, I shouldn't. I'll roll a Villain when I want to go through 'redside' stuff etc. I guess Praetoria was added as one of the expansions after I stopped playing... and while I've really enjoyed playing through the first few arcs in First Ward that are excellent - I can't help but feel like there was meant to be a lot of backstory that I've missed out on - perhaps because it was designed for characters created in Villains or Going Rogue. It just feels like there's a bigger story happening, and I've jumped in halfway through. Can someone give me a bit of clarity around when/what Praetoria is and when it was added. I'm happy to continue going through this content, freezing my XP so I don't outlevel Blueside content... but I'm on something like my 5th story arc in First Ward... so it feels like I'm being directed further and further away from Paragon. Thanks for accommodating a newbie!

As a returning player, I wanted to try and recreate the experience I had when I played CoH last, which was 2004 to just after CoV was released. It's taken me a while to set up a list of rules that I have to adhere to, but it really helps me capture that 'first time' nostalgic feeling, and explore as much of the content as I can. Initially, I was finding myself flying through content so quickly, missing out on entire zones, arcs, and levelling up extremely quickly. So now: For each level range (0-5, 6-10 etc) I have to complete mission arc accomplishment badges naturally (Negotiator, Spelunker, etc), as well as the new story arcs that didn't exist when I last played (Shining Star, Savior of Atlas Park). I must complete these arcs before progressing, freezing XP if necessary. Before moving out of the level range, I have to complete its associated Task Force and Trials at the level they were originally designed for. For the zones that I have visited on the story arcs, I have to collect all of the exploration badges, and read all history plaques. I have to take a prerequisite Power Pool power, before choosing a travel power, which I can only do from level 14 onwards. I can only play original Hero/Villain ATs on their associated side. I can't have a cape before level 20. Or an aura before 30. I cannot use P2W. I cannot use AE until level 50. I also have to complete the tutorial, and get the Isolator badge. I have to use the monorail as it was originally designed, with two lines. I also can't use any shortcut macros etc to access SG bases for transport. A few other limitations that I will no doubt add to as I continue my journey through the game. I've just finished the Positron task force, so am ready to now move on into the level 15-20 range. It slows everything right down, but really helps me enjoy the content; I'm loving exploring all of the areas, stories and discoveries all over again.

Absolutely spot on, thanks everyone for helping me formulate my thoughts. There's nothing stopping me from making my own fun, and setting my own goals. I've also realised there are very defined level-bands, with arcs, accomplishment badges, and a task force at each level. So what I'm doing is freezing my XP until I've done the arcs that give me the accomplishment badges (Negotiator, Spelunker etc), and some of the new ones (like Shining Star etc), and the finishing the Task Force and any Trials before moving on. I also am making sure I read all the history plaques and grab the exploration badges in the zones that I'm taken to. Using the above framework, I've just finished the Positron task force, done the Trial of Transcendence, and feel like I've enjoyed a lot of the content on offer, and I'm ready for 15-20 range now. I'm happy to miss some general contact story arcs in pursuit of those above goals, and I can sweep back through Flashback to play through those. Any other content you'd recommend I not miss?

Alas, I'm also a sucker for badges! And in fairness, some of these new arcs are genuinely pretty well written, and feel like a move away from some of the more grindier arcs of the past, so I'm happy to give them a go. It just feels like so much of the achievement milestones have been done away with. Such as taking a while to level up. Obtaining a travel power at level 14 after a prerequisite power. Getting a cape, or an aura at higher levels after doing a story mission. It feels like everything is served up straight away. Even little things like not having to cross Steel Canyon to switch monorail lines. I completely get why that's the case - and I'm not complaining about it. These things are great when you're a new player on your first toon like I effectively am, experiencing zones and missions for the first time. But when you're on your 10th character, it's tedious to have to go through all that faff when you just want to make costumes and try out power sets at higher levels. And spending ages having to switch between monorail lines or rely on Sprint until level 14 probably becomes a bore. But still... there's just a little bit of charm lost in the process of adding these quality of life additions - including making it really easy to fly through content - for me.

Thanks all for the welcome! It's good to be back. And really great responses guys, thanks - I have to remember that there was nearly a decade of content added since I stopped playing, and a lot of that content was to make the grind for veterans easier to navigate, and provide new and exciting missions for their new characters. The new content is all wonderful, and I appreciate you explaining some of the additions and paths, what happened with Galaxy City, etc. It does make sense that there should be multiple levelling paths to take. I was just a bit bamboozled when I finished an arc and had raced through multiple levels, knowing that there was heaps of juicy content that I was missing out on. I absolutely remembering levelling far far more slowly. Being able to do lots of contact missions, getting together with friends for a Task Force, and still not missing out on areas at the end. Power creep is definitely a big thing I'm noticing, which I'm sure will be helpful on my next character, but does sap some of the excitement from new powers and milestones. Getting a travel power at level 14 was an exciting moment that opened up so much more of the world. Seems like you can get it straight away now, without a prerequisite power... but I get that these are quality of life changes, designed for a player base that isn't discovering things for the first time. There's nothing stopping me from picking Air Superiority at 4, and then Fly at level 14 like the old days. I'll definitely follow some of these unfamiliar arcs, safe in the knowledge that it's just an alternative path to take. And I'll go back over the original content through Flashback. My main issue with Ouroboros is that I remember a lot of the story arcs set up later story arcs, introducing characters and allies and plots etc. What I'm concerned about, is completing a story arc, and then having to 'going back in time' to play through the arc that introduced some of the characters, almost like a prequel. I'd rather do it linearly, but appreciate that's a niche reason - and I'll live with it. Ultimately, I think it comes down to entirely selfish nostalgia and wanting to recreate that original experience as I remember it way-back-when. I'm essentially a new player again, presented with more choices than I know what to do with, and not wanting to miss anything. Most of all, I'm just glad I get the opportunity to fly around Paragon and be a hero again; this game is timeless, and wonderful.

Hi all, First off, I'm so happy to be revisiting CoH after about 15 years. I mainly played in some of the early days, around the Christmas of 2004, up until a little after CoV was released. I did duck back in and out over the years, specifically when some new power sets were released, and very briefly when the AE update landed. It's wonderful to be exploring Paragon again: there's so much more content than I remember... which is fantastic, but also a bit of head-scratcher, as I'm not too sure the best way to approach it. Originally, I remember doing missions in Atlas, before spending time in Kings Row, with a diversion to The Hollows and Perez Park, before being sent on my way to Steel Canyon and Skyway. But I've noticed that because there are far more contacts and missions to engage with, I'm completely missing huge swathes of the game. I did a few missions in Atlas - including a lengthy arc from a new contact called Aaron Thiery, before getting caught up in an excellent couple of arcs from Twinshot, which took me to Kings Row, and led to another arc from Eagle Eye. By the time I'd finished, I was way past the level to begin the Hollows, but wanting to relive that experience, I paused XP gain at level 14 to go through the arcs there. But now I've gotten the next arc from Twinshot to go through - and I feel like it's going to bypass a lot more content. I've barely done any of the standard missions arcs (except for ensuring I do the ones that grab the Negotiator and Spelunker Badges). And leaving some of those beloved zones behind. I've not even been to Perez Park or Galaxy City (which doesn't seem to exist anymore?). Was this an intentional design choice? To pick either doing the longer Twinshot / Eagle Eye / new contact arcs, or just the standard progression? Don't get me wrong, the content is fantastic - the writing is top notch; it looks like they've upgraded missions to have cutscenes etc... but I just feel like I'm bypassing a lot of the zones and regular contacts. I appreciate that you can't do everything in one play through, and I'm happy to freeze XP gain. I also know there's Oroborous to do something called 'Flashback' to go back over outlevelled content... but that just doesn't appeal to me from a character development and roleplay perspective. I just wondered if anyone else had been overwhelmed by the amount of content, or had any insight into some of the design decisions for players. None of it's bad - I just want to make sure I'm not missing out. It never felt like so much of an 'either/or' before, and while obviously certain contacts would be missed, it felt like there was more of a definitive progression across the city zones before, whereas now it feels like I'm barely seeing some of them.

This is a fantastic guide - instant bookmark! Thank you for taking the time to do it. I've just gotten back to CoH after well over a decade away. I've never been a power-leveler in CoH, and always tried to follow the progression of the various stories and zones. Going back through early missions through Ouro doesn't appeal to me - I'd rather take it all in as part of my hero's journey. I'm also an avid badge collector, and enjoy making sure I try and get the accomplishment badges as I progress. I remember back in the day, this started with the 'Negotiator' badge, but now includes more in the same level range, such as Savior of Atlas Park, You Should See the Other Guy, Skull Buster, and Shining Star, that I was quite surprised and happy to snag. They'd not been added by the time I stopped playing. But it did make me wonder what badges, rewards or goodies I might miss in my journey though. Fortunately, it looks like I've been diligent enough so far (I've just paused my XP gain at level 14 to complete the Hollows after the Atlas/Kings Row arcs, and cross referencing with the wiki, I think I've not missed any). It'd be really helpful if you included story arcs and missions that reward badges for completing them. Most of the missions you've suggested we do probably include them anyway, but it'd be nice to have the reassurance I'm not moving on to the next level range before having snagged them all! Thanks again, you absolute legend.

Ah - thanks guys! I had a sneaky feeling it might be something like that - but wasn't sure if it was some new graphical settings that wasn't playing ball with my system. Thanks heaps for your help!

Atlas Park... it's the same in Kings Row. Interestingly, it was day time in the Outbreak Tutorial.