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I realize that the folks that lurk here probably skew older than even the current player base. I'm assuming that I'll get different answers on Discord or on /r/cityofheroes. According to this thread, we skew to around 50 years old and are mostly males. I'm curious if the NCSoft licensing agreement and/or the updates in Issue 7 lured in any new players, players who are experiencing City of Heroes for the first time in 2024 (or late 2023). If you're new, I'd love to know what drew you in.

So you just don't want to avail yourself of the mechanisms in the game that allows you to have plenty of influence? Even if you don't want to play the market, how difficult is it to get merits (which you do for just doing story arcs / TFs), converting them to Enhancement Converters, listing the batch for 10 inf each and selling them for 65-70k a pop? 100 merits = 300 enhancement converter = 18M influence (assuming the bottom price of 60k per each enhancement). Just running through the full Hollows arcs can net you 85 merits. 18M is more than enough to fund a character on SOs for the rest of your hero career.

No boosters, no PL either. I find the leveling process in Homecoming really fast, even with me running 95% solo, and mostly doing missions. It probably has to do with early access to SOs, inherent fitness and the converter economy which eliminates early level scarcity. I can get to level 20 or so within 4-5 hours of play. 50 takes me about a month playing part-time. I just don't die as much and athletic run + jump jet pretty much cuts down travel time a lot.

I just delete the characters I don't like or don't play anymore. *shrugs* I've deleted a level 33 just recently. And also, I'm clearly a filthy casual. I have five level 50s in total.

I've been looking for a new favorite scrapper, and somehow it's been a bit elusive. Back during Live service, I had four or five that I really enjoyed: Spines/Regen, Fire/Shield, Kat/SR, Dual Blades/WP and others. Back then, brutes were considered inferior tanks; I built up an Electric/Shield brute which was okay. I've dabbled with just about all the power sets that were available prior to issue 20. The stuff I wasn't familiar with I've started to play around with. On Homecoming, I've played: Staff/SR - stopped playing at level 40 due to feeling staff was inadequate. I still like the character but it took too long to kill ("arrest") stuff. This is even after a sizeable investment in IOs (about 200+M worth) Savage Melee/Rad - just couldn't get into the Savage Melee mechanics. Radiation armor feels better on tanks and brutes in my opinion owing to higher resistance caps. I have three other radiation armor characters. MA/Invuln - still playing. Both MA and Invulnerability were two sets I didn't play much on Live. The character is "okay". Not great, not bad. I'll still probably keep playing because I like the character concept. Another combination that I think may be better on a brute or tank due to lower resistance caps. Still the scrapper crit ATO on Cobra Strike is pretty nice. I've also played a lot of brute combinations, and they all feel pretty nice. Battle Axe/Frozen Armor in particular is a bit of a standout on a brute but actually may be better as a scrapper. I also have an Energy Aura brute, and again it feels like it may have been better as a scrapper. What scrapper combination do you recommend that you think works better as a scrapper than either a brute or tank? What combination feels "crunchy"? One of the things I enjoyed about scrappers are the large damage numbers that can be inflicted on hard targets like bosses, elite bosses. Among my current characters, staff has almost no ability to do that while MA can generate some nice numbers. I'm trying to recapture my earlier love this AT.

I'm making a small plug for a Guide I published recently on leveling from 1 to 20. It's up-to-date with the Page 7 changes that dropped yesterday. As you're a returnee, you're probably familiar with many of these steps already, but I think it will be helpful to you to see how someone else plays, sets up their characters, earn influence and generally progress through the game. You do not have to play this way at all. Farming is still well and alive, and many players skip through parts of the content they don't like either through trials like DFB or joining radio mission teams. I think the others covered your questions about incarnates, SGs, etc.

I have updated the above guide to reflect the changes to the new character experience that dropped in Issue 27, Page 7. The biggest effect may be in how to quickly earn influence via the Atlas Park exploration badge collection method. The method still works but you will need to collect the badge Rookie (near Ms Liberty) and Silent Sentinel (which is now in Echo: Atlas Park) is no longer needed. The collection of 8 exploration badges also no longer award the Passport accolade and the Long Distance Teleporter. You will have to collect any additional two exploration badges to unlock these (easily obtainable). The list of badges required for Atlas Park Tourist and 5 Reward Merits: Hero Corps Insider Undefeated Patriot Top Dog Freedom Edge of Chaos Observant Rookie

Go talk to Ms. Liberty. You might have to get to level 2, but I got the Rookie badge when I went up to train. I don't think you have that one.

Here's what I got so you can compare. Full exploration badge list: Edit: This was done on a fresh level 2 character on Excelsior. Edit 2: You don't have the Rookie badge. I got that running up to Ms Liberty to train.

Passport Accolade + Long Distant Teleporter was unlocked after my 10th exploration badge. Snagged two in King's Row, including the one in AE. It's a little more difficult to get, but not by much.

Just tested it. You don't get Passport but you still get Atlas Tour Guide. 5 merits. I have 8 badges, no Silent Sentinel, but I have Rookie.

Who can resist having a hero with Buttstroke?

Just logged onto Everlasting and Apprentice Charm has an 80' range. Edit: Sure looks like it

I think too many teams don't do this. I applaud the team for doing something reasonably challenging instead of just settling for the default difficulty. I feel a lot of the reckless behavior that gets told here comes from situations where the content is just too easy.

I actually never knew! I’ll correct it right away. Thank you!

I don't think it's a far stretch to say that a veteran player who picks up a freshly PL'ed 50 won't be at least reasonably competent with it. Most folks have been playing for years, so I'm assuming a lot of muscle memory and transference of experience. With that said, I think many of us have encountered players who have never ventured outside much from fire farms. I organized a Position 2 recently and someone brought in their farmer tank (Fire/Rad). Haha, that was the worst character I've ever seen in a TF. Exempted down to level 15, with level 20 powers available, the tank had one attack plus build up. Also, no travel powers (nor temp travel powers). He did have Blazing Aura, but no taunt. Basically, his role became wading in and soaking up damage and hitting Healing Flames. I think the player was shocked how bad his character was in actual content. Kept telling us "I'm not usually this bad." We finished the TF successfully. There was some helpful advice from other TF members about how the order you take powers may matter and if he considered a secondary build. No one was overtly mean or condescending, but I think there were some smirks had behind the screen.

I've never met Snarky in game though I saw him on General chat once, but I assume his bio would read like this.

Forgot Snarky's latest was ice/dark (?) Here's the output for that version:

Here's one that a bit forum specific. <_< Output: Heads up @Snarky

Here's the prompt I used: Here's the description it wrote up: Obviously, you don't have to be a literary genius to write character backgrounds, but I was pretty impressed with the output by ChatGPT. It even came up with a name and a civilian identity.

Part 9: Positron Task Force The first part of the Positron Task Force can be soloed by a wide variety of ATs. While there is one elite boss, there is no Archvillain and all the encounters can easily be overcome by a little planning and/or judicious use of inspirations. Dagmar was actually defeated for the first time in her career by overestimating Epidural, a Vahzilok boss you have to defeat for the first mission. What I forgot was that as he dies, you are mobbed a large number of Embalmed Abominations, which unfortunately can explode. Dagmar defeated Epidural quite handily but was defeated by an exploding Embalmed. Stuff like this happens and the only annoying thing about it was how easily it could have been avoided. Oh well. The Task Force is mostly in Steel Canyon, and is a mixture of finding an object and defeating bosses. While they are slightly more difficult than normal missions, they're nothing to write home about. Eventually, you'll run into Doc Buzzsaw, a Vahzilok elite boss. She is pretty intimidating looking but honestly not difficult. I don't think I used anything inspiration wise except for one Luck and one Catch a Breath. She went down before I took any damage. Meanwhile some of converters I got from the Jim Tremblor and Penny Yin arcs I put to good use, and influence started rolling in. The only tricky part of Positron 1 may be the infamous Circle of Thorns ambush at the top of the City Hall stairs. Solo, this is very manageable and Dagmar only had to use a single Catch a Breath to win the fight. The last two obstacles is fighting your double (which was easy) and then defeating the Circle of Thorns boss mage guarding Azuria. I've noticed that the doubles are harder if you are in a group, particularly if there are buffers and debuff characters on the team. However, solo, Dagmar had no difficulty in dispatching her clone or in saving Azuria. One thing you'll notice is that the Task Force completion took over 3 hours. I played the Task Force off and on during the day, playing one mission, logging off and then returning to it. All told, the Taskforce probably consumed about 40 minutes of actual play time. Having reached level 20, this guide is complete. At the end, Dagmar earned 48,596,550 influence with the potential to earn more in the future. What I hope to relay to you is how to, without much difficulty, play the content and get enough influence to pay for everything you want without the need to farm or do anything complicated with the auction house. If you've made it to this point, thank you for reading this walkthrough / guide.

Part 8: Jim Tremblor, Penny Yin, and a Mistake I like a Faultline missions a lot. The characters (yes, even Fusionette) are likeable, and the arcs have multiple points of redemption: Jim's father, Fusionette (in learning to be a proper hero), Penny Yin and lastly Jim himself. These are feel-good arcs, and I love taking my characters through them. Like before, just some highlights, as the story should be read and enjoyed if you haven't gone through the content. I like Jim Tremblor as a character. He's initially sullen, but protective of his friends, especially the danger-prone Fusionette. Ah, Arbiter Sands...you'll run into him a lot. You'll also face Kurse, another elite boss, who is nothing special other than having a mez and extra hit points. Put him in his place and progress the story. Lastly, you'll face off against Nocture. Nocture is an elite boss Night Widow and can be annoying to fight. Bring an insight, because she'll try to blind you; also, a mixture of lucks and respites, as she can hit pretty hard. Next up is Penny Yin, future Freedom Phalanx member, and currently the civilian daughter of a store owner. Help her find her missing father and she'll be forever grateful, and allow you into Yin's store. Meanwhile, I've been using the converting the earned merits to converters and putting them to good use. Unfortunately, this is where I made a mistake, which may or may not have been influenced by the enjoyment of an adult beverage or three. In the Merit Reward interface, there are both Enhancement Catalysts and Enhancement Converters. Converters are 3 per every 1 Reward Merit Exchanged, while Catalysts go for 20 Reward Merits each. Before realizing it, I clicked on Enhancement Catalysts twice, wiping out 40 Reward Merits. Ouch. While Enhancement Catalysts can be sold, they don't go nearly what 20 Reward Merits can potentially gain you. Oh well. I sold off the Enhancement Catalysts (won't need them until much later), the one Prismatic Aether and ended up with a bit over 34M. I still had some inventory in the auction house left so reaching 40M in influence before reaching level 20 was realistically in sight. Finishing Penny's mission arc, Dagmar had hit level 19. At level 18, Dagmar opted to take Swoop, rounding out her single target attack chain. Swoop is very endurance expensive, so level 19 came as a relief as I could slot an endurance reduction in the attack. Most veteran players already know this but it is the endurance consumed by using your attacks/primary powers that are the cause of most endurance issues, not defensive toggle powers like armors. The next contact in the Faultline chain, Doc Delilah, won't talk to you until level 20. At this point, and as a capstone mission for this guide, I decided to take Dagmar into the first part of the Positron Task Force solo. This would easily earn her enough experience to move to level 20. Next time: soloing Positron 1.

Part 7: Lost Cure and Finishing up with Twinshot I wanted a couple of more levels on me before I headed off to Faultline to do the missions there. I enjoy the Faultline arcs for the late teens to early 20s and then move on to Stirga Island for level 20s content. One feature I enjoy is the Find Contact feature. Open up your contacts, click the Find Contact button and scroll through who's available to talk to you. Then click the button to Teleport right next to them. In a pinch, you could use this as a fast travel method, especially if you need to head to the University for example to use the invention tables. Like the previous arc, I won't do a detailed play-by-play, but show some highlights. The first mission Montague gives you can either be extremely easy or rough. The Oranbega (Circle of Thorns) map is procedurally generated and you can either have a small map or a really large one, which can include the large room with the demon summoning portals. Quick hint, you do not need to destroy the demon summoning portals or the demons that spawn out of them to complete mission. However, the game will inevitably place one named Circle of Thorns mage and one named Igneous in that room. You will have to defeat both of them without triggering the portals. This time around, Dagmar got a simple map. Lady Jane's mission can also be a bit dicey. Depending on how they spawn, Circle of Thorn specters can form in large clumps, mobbing you if you aren't careful. This happened to Dagmar, but fortunately judicious use of inspiration and the fact that the character is really tough pulled her through. At the end, you craft the Lost Cure and learn one of the biggest secrets about the Rikti and their relationship with the Lost. Enter the Midnight Squad building and finish Montague's arc. Now at level 17, Dagmar finished off the final arc of Twinshot's missions. I honestly find the missions a bit dull, and in a lot of playthroughs, I skip Twinshot altogether. However, merits are merits. And the finale has a really cool Justice League vs. the Legion of Doom type face off. The scene is great and I'd love to see it copied in other future missions. Meanwhile I had another sale, and that brings Dagmar to over 27M in influence. Next up is a visit to Jim Tremblor and the first two contacts in Faultline.

Part 6: King's Row Shawna Stockwell and Eagle Eye are my favorite low level mission contacts. While a lot of players don't like seeing endless cut scenes, I think the cut scenes add a comic-book feel to the arcs. The missions are also very diverse: you are infiltrating, busting up crime operations, fighting off ambushes and facing off against some tough end bosses. The level of challenge feels pretty good even at the default difficulty. I like the build up where when you face off against the final boss, the fight feels epic. The first mission is a street sweep, "interrogating", er "arresting" 10 Skulls for information. The second mission is also easy: a relatively straightforward beat down a boss (Toothbreaker Jones). The third mission gets is where it gets interesting, and I like the twist that the bad guys have become aware of you. It's a trap, and you have to fight your way out. At level 14, Dagmar the Loud, seems pretty strong. She sports 23% defense (Frozen Armor and a Steadfast Protection: Resistance/Defense IO). The Steadfast was self-found as a random mission drop and I happily crafted it and slotted it. Her attacks, Beheader, Chop, Gash with Brawl and Apprentice Charm serves a decent continuous attack chain, and I haven't noticed any endurance issues so far. As Dagmar gets heavier hitting attacks and AOEs, this will change. Honestly, Dagmar could probably play at much higher difficulty and add bosses, but for now, I'm purposely keeping difficulty at the default setting. Shauna's mission arc ends with a confrontation with an elite boss, Chernobog. While the build up with the cut scene is great, he's actually quite the pushover. I used one luck and one insight (Chernobog uses dark attacks that debuff attacks), but ultimately they weren't needed. Dagmar and hit level 15 prior to the last mission, and not only leveled up but was active on the market. More exchanges of Reward Merits for converters and the conversion of enhancements to more valuable ones were done. At level 15, Dagmar had already earned 24M influence. With this much, you could theoretically stop and just stick with SOs all the way to 50s. However, I never consider a character finished unless they are optimized with a decent IO build. More funds would be needed. With Shauna's arc done, we turn to Eagle Eye. His missions are also quality with ambushes, a really well-executed infiltration into a den of Skulls, a raid of a Skull-operated rave and a final confrontation with Veles, a fairly tough elite boss. I won't go through a detailed play-by-play, but I'll give you some highlights. Dagmar joins the New Regulators. Dagmar busts up a Skull rave, and plants a homing beacon on a key Skull lieutenant. Dagmar confronts Veles. Veles is a serious threat, but at these levels inspirations can overcome most challenges. Dagmar completed King's Row arc a few bars into level 16. All told, I've probably spent about 4-5 leisurely hours playing. My auction house activities have been done as I play. I bid for recipes and salvage, list anything crafted and then play. This way auction house activities doesn't really interfere with missions. Next up are Montague Castanella (Lost Cure), the conclusion of Twin Shot's missions and then a journey to Faultine.