Tahliah

I've been having a marvelous time redside working down the list of villain Accomplishment badges. Everything was going wonderfully well . . . until I got to the Soul Taker badge. The mission for it, Offer soul of Akarist mission from Archmage Tarixus is not available. It's there, just not available. When I click on it via the Pillar (from both my sg base and Ouro), the mission text is there, but there is no way to select the mission (at the bottom). There is no bottom part for mission selection. The same goes for the other Tarixus mission ("Capture soul of Akarist"). Quite apart from being unable to get this badge, I also will have two missions that I can't complete and that will stay uncompleted. This is going to drive me crazy (my OCD requires all missions to be "marked" as completed). Heh. Am I doing something wrong? Did I miss something new that has removed the mission availability but for some reason kept the mission without a way to select it (that seems weird)? As I said, I've been chugging along merrily until this point, so I'm not sure what is going on. I definitely haz a sad.

All the stuff! I love just flying around with my demons now that they can keep up, or going swimming on any map or in my sg base, gliding along on my hoverboard, or sliding around on ice via Null (if that's still there, haven't done it lately . . . so want to log on right this minute to see since that sounds fun!). I also enjoy running favorite missions (Frostfire, Faultline arcs, even the Midnighter's arc I used to hate grinding for every toon on live but now do for fun and nostalgia) and TFs (especially enjoy the ITF, but they are all-mostly-great fun). I love badging (just cracked 1000 on my badger and was so chuffed). And I enjoy base-building (made easy with the help of @Dacy's awesome base-building videos). There is SO much to do that I have a long list of things to get to this time around (for example, I had a few story arcs in AE on live and intend to some day get around to doing some more here on HC), and I still want to get a water blaster to 50 (not a big fan of farming toons to 50, so have very few at all, but a water blaster 50 was a goal on live that I never made and want to this time), ditto my beasts/nature. I also want to do all the Ouro arcs, for every "side" this time (I only did blueside on live because switching was such a pain that I just did the villain badge mishes and some of the SFs, but now that we can switch via Null, I don't mind switching over on my main (who is also my badger) to do a few redside mishes (already finished Gold, and still working on Blue) then switch back to blue to run with my sg or whatever without having to wait seven days and do all those tips (though I must say I thoroughly enjoy the tip mishes on both sides). I love events, especially the Halloween and Winter ones. SO so fun! I enjoy creating costumes for the events, too, at least on my main (not really too costumey on alts, though I spend time on their initial look so I don't change them up except to have, for example, a wingless version of a winged toon for mishes in tight spaces). I enjoy seeing my favorites in chat, too, as they always make me smile (thinking of seeing @Oklahoman advertising his trials yesterday, so funny and awesome, even though I was badging via Ouro and couldn't join, I get such a kick out of his hilarious LFGs). Even after being back for a couple years now, I still get that thrill of returning when I get the log-in screen or head to AP for whatever reason (the music!). I could go on. And on. This game is so awesome in every way that makes me one happy camper.

I always send a tell to someone I really love their costume. It takes two seconds to spread a little joy and appreciation. I'm not a fan of a "liking" costumes option and would not use it if it were adopted (unless it was tied to a badge, and then I would stand in AP and "like" everything I saw. Twice.).

Interesting question. I tend to run either blasters or support (trolls, defenders, etc.), and support is definitely an all hands on deck set that requires constant attention to every aspect of game play and to every teammate's health/end/held/slept/etc. status. It's work to play support. I have to be "on" at all times, and sometimes, that is exactly what I want. What is not work is blasting on my main. So I'd pick my ice/ice/cold blaster as the toon I am most likely to hop on if I want to just autopilot through some stuff to be ingame and have some fun. Interestingly, she is also one that I can thoroughly enjoy playing strategically (super-involved, as you say). She's so fun to play just button mashing her attack chain on muscle memory OR working her powers to their most efficient and helpful to the team peak (or to solo--oddly (or not?), it's easier to solo a well-built troll than a blaster. Slower, often, but easier.).

Seriously good costumes here! Congrats to all. I must admit that I love Father Thames and Battle Panda. So fun and creative.

I'm into the polar bear myself, love ice/ice/cold.

And steering clear of set bonuses for movement as well. Wow, that's amazing! Do you regularly take the exact quotes of people and then twist them to mean what you think they should/want them to mean? Because color me crazy, but the exact quote is: "And steering clear of set bonuses for movement as well." Not only in this circumstance or the "ifs" you generously (and disingenuously) add, but exactly the words that one should not take sets that include movement bonuses.

Someone recently posted to the forums that they were discouraged because so few people create bios for their toons. I responded that some of us are not creative or inclined to do so because we aren't "into" the fantasy angle in our gameplay or because we have altitis and simply can't deliver a bio when all we are clinging to is a pun. But I do create bios ever so occasionally, so this got me thinking about why I create the bios I do and why I don't create one for the vast majority of my toons. Why do I feel that my beasts/nature MM needs a backstory/bio but not my main? Why do I want to "justify" and explain Trapper Jayne (my plant/emp troll) with a bio but don't bother with other toons . . . . ones I even prefer to play? Weird, right? I have no answer here since it makes no sense to write a bio for one toon and not for 40+ others. Why do YOU, personally, create an elaborate backstory for your COX heroes, villains, or gold sides? Do you always do so? or just for certain toons? And if you are like me, and only bio one or two, why do some toons get the full back story /bio treatment, while others languish unsung in their bios?

Heh at the last part, too funny. As to this part, Gratz! (or Conga Rats, as we used to say) on your first 50 MM! So exciting! My beasts/nature will be my first HC MM to hit 50 . . . one day. I love beasts! Mine is called Peace Pack and is one of the two toons I have that actually has a backstory/bio. I love the idea of Red Riding Hood and wish I'd thought of it! :P

Having hot dogs and margaritas after I finish work. Hope to be on Excelsior for whatever's going . . . and something fun and amazing will be going If not, I'll make my own fun. :P

I love this idea! I would so run an MM with female thugs or ninjas! (so far I only like to run demons and beasts)

With all due respect, this is horrible advice. Why would you steer clear of amazing IO sets that happen to have some movement bonus as their first tier bonus when the next three are fabulous (plus acc, recharge, resistance/defense, and etc.)? I love Ghost Widow's Embrace and Performance Shifter, both of which have "incidental" movement speed bonuses that lead to very useful other bonuses to health, endurance, and damage/accuracy. I wouldn't slot for movement bonuses, of course, but there are some good sets for non-mains/non-high cost toons that are very useful despite having a first tier movement bonus.

I use the tram, too. I even used it when we could click to our bases because sometimes it was more convenient and sometimes it was nostalgia. I do use it more when I am soloing, though, simply because I don't like to keep teams waiting while I lounge around on the tram.

@thdsvtlycovered it nicely. When you turn off the speed effects, you'll still get the benefit of the endurance boost. I tend to turn it off on many toons because I am a horrible navigator and tend to run into walls pretty regularly even without SB. Heh. You can always ask questions in Help chat; I can't speak for every server, but Excelsior Help chat is exceptional (particularly if @Bionic_Flea is on). Everyone is very willing to help everyone else on every server, so don't be shy!

I'm a huge fan of the ice blaster's Blizzard, particularly now that it doesn't cause an end-crash. Since my toon does so much damage, I have Dark Watcher's in my Blizzard. Unconventional maybe, but super good. I get all the fabulous set bonuses plus ensure that the floppy baddies hit by high-damage Blizzard can't hit me. So fun! I have to say, though, that Group Fly is my new favorite power since I can fly my demons, they don't drop out of the sky no matter how far ahead I get, and they are just adorable blasting baddies on the ground.

So agree, he's awesome! His LFG posts keep me laughing, and his runs are amazing (got most of my trial badges on his runs). @Oklahomanis awesome sauce.

Seriously good idea! I love love love @EmmySky, she's the kindest, best person in COH and will do anything to help anyone. And then there is @Dacywithout whom my sg base would be four walls and a bunch of porters/storage units. Her base building videos are stellar and a true labor of love for our entire COH/V community. I want to give a shout-out to @Marine X whose annual holiday giveaways inspire me every single year (give away at least a million in influence to any lowbies in AP). While I haven't personally interacted with @Bionic_Flea, I want to second (or third or fourth) the nomination due to the detailed and truly wonderful help they provide in Help on Excelsior. This is one truly committed community member who shines their light on all who are lucky enough to be on and have a question when the Flea is on. There are so many awesome people that it's hard to just select a few, but I will say that I love love love @Apparition for his RWZ work and wonderful forum posts, and @Snarky for his fabulous insights and snark, heh, and @Infinitumfor being the most open and welcoming and truly heroic COH'er I've encountered. The man will drop what he is doing to help you out and won't think twice about it. He's helped me out of more jams than I care to admit. Although I don't know her, I also love @America's Angelpositivity and endless generosity with time and knowledge and kindness. I could go on for ages, seriously. We have so many awesome people that I can't even begin to do them all justice!

This thread is crazy town. If devs say the suggested/suspected level 99 recipe choke can't happen, it can't happen. The end.

You've set a tough challenge, Techwright! The vids I love best are the ones about the end of it (the tributes were amazing!) and I also enjoy vids that show teams running this or that TF (I especially liked the ones about Parks and Wreck's all-plant troll teams, heh), but I don't think they would draw anyone into the game (the first is reliant on nostalgia and thus extensive knowledge of the game and the second on mastering a TF or simply going along for the ride). I wonder if vids are the best hook? Just get them in game, then show them around and set them free. That's how I got into COH back in the day. A work colleague mentioned it, and then talked me into downloading it with the promise of showing me the ropes. He was wonderful and did just that, so I had a guide to show me around at first, give me tips (and influence!), and introduce me to his COH buds. It was very very nice of him, and of course, I fell in love with the game and quickly found my own COH friends and developed my own COH interests (he wasn't into badging, but I was quickly a fan, he didn't like TFs, but I did, and so on). This was way before COV and everything that came later, but I was hooked from the first moment in game. It's a free download, and if they don't like it after you show them around, they can delete it. When I joined, it was sub-only, so I was taking a leap of faith of sorts (I think I just subbed that first month before subbing for the year at the next month). The game itself is the hook, get them to log on and the rest is history!

I feel ya! I was late to finding out about HC (didn't hear about it until May 9th, '19), so my main's name (Ice Ice Baby) was taken. I've yet to see this toon anywhere, no matter what time of day or night, and I occasionally try for it since names are freed up regularly depending on the level of the toon. My guess is that the player got their Ice Ice Baby to 50 before I got here, but who knows. They have the name, so that's that. At first, I did what I had done on live with the name and used a lower case "L" for the second "Ice," but on HC, it's clearly an "L" so I opted to add a period at the end. It's all good. I have my toon and name and am happy. I've seen people use spaces creatively: I c e Ice Baby (and etc.), so there are ways to get your name even if it's taken. But yeah, I'd love to have "my" name (even though I didn't even have it on live, so it's not "mine" at all! Heh). Honestly, I am just so happy to be able to run her in the game that I don't spend much time thinking about it. Heck, even if I had to call her Ice Ice Ice Baby, I would (and she is ice3, so that would even work). Heck, after being gone for seven years, I'd be happy to run her if she was named Ice Blaster 265414687. 😛

Not sure if you're into this, but when I really love a name/concept combo and the name I truly want is already taken, I just add a period to the end or change something (like R3D Scourge). It's not perfect, but you still get the name you truly want. Maybe play around with alternative spellings, punctuation, caps, etc.?

Okay, so some additional tips for HC: hit the P2W vendor in the tutorial or in AP to get all the accolade powers we used to get through our subs/vet rewards (and lots of new and fabulous ones, too!). You can pick up the Black Wand, etc. for use at early levels, some nifty travel powers, and a whole lot more for free. Everything is better on HC, so be sure to take some time to explore the new options for powers (lots of changes to many, including travel--fly is finally faster, afterburner faster, and group fly now works with MM pets!!) and IO sets, etc. Definitely take the time to read the patch notes. You can build your own endless, fabulous sg base right away, no need for prestige or any of that, it's all free. If you go the base-building route, you simply must check out @Dacy's videos and base building guides. You can have your own sg/base for an individual toon, if you want and just /altinvite any alts you want. You can have all the zone porters without having to complete the zone's exploration badges, you can just add storage like a madperson to the limit, and you can even put trainers, tailors, and pretty much anything else in your base. So convenient! Lastly, Null the Gull makes switching sides as easy as a click (no need to build up tip missions, etc.), and he does a lot of other new and nifty stuff, so check him out in Pocket D. There is so much goodness to share, but take this time to enjoy being home. Oh, and don't be shy about taking @Yomo Kimyataup on their offer for seed cash, either. Gives it away like candy. 😛 And of course any of us will send you mounds of influence or just answer questions, just let us know (you can reach me in-game @Tahliah).

Welcome home! I can so relate to the tears of happiness and nostalgia; I literally cried when I finally was able to log in to the "real" game again. So glad you found your way home. ❤️

Dunno, never run /time on a blaster.

I haven't gotten into mids this time around, at least not yet, so I don't have a build to post. But I do take a lot of ice/ice/ice powers, so it's easier to say which ones I skip. I don't take Ice Storm, but take everything else in the primary; I take everything except Frozen Fists in the secondary. In Cold mastery, I take only Flash Freeze and Frozen Armor. I would make different choices if I didn't solo her so much (she's not only my main but also my badger). For example, I keep Ice Sword because it's a nice (and so so fun and pretty) 'finisher' when soloing and that refuses-to-die baddie gets within melee range, but if I didn't solo so often, I would probably drop it (and Bitter Freeze Ray, Freezing Touch, and maybe some other ice powers I don't really use on teams). I really enjoy water/ though. I'm thinking my next 50 will be my water/kin corr (she's in her 40s now and super fun to play). I do have a couple of lowbie water blasters, but I haven't really gotten into them quite as I have the corr.