Few questions from newbie

[Azaneal]

Heya.

 

I'm a total newb when it comes to CoH.

I've heard about it years ago but didn't pay it much attention because of my love for WoW :)

Now, after all this drama surrounding CoH revival I gave this game a go and so far I'm having a blast because it's so much different than WoW.

 

But I would like to ask few questions before I decide to invest my time into another MMO.

 

1. Are there any simple guides that could help new players decide which power set for which class would be optimum? Or at least simple spreadsheet that could clarify all cons and pros of each weapon for each class?

 

I like simple min/maxing and I'd like to know for example how useful are Claws for Scrapper in endgame or why other weapon I selected for my alt was awesome on low levels but suddenly is nearly unviable in end-game group play.

I just don't want to gimp myself by choosing a bad build.

Or there are no bad builds at all in this game and I can play whatever I want however I want? :)

 

2. Is this game catered mainly to roleplayers or every type of player will find his niche?

I follow Homecoming discord and I like to lurk around it.

But after a while I got an impression that this community consists mainly of roleplayers.

 

And I'm not a good roleplayer.

 

Frankly I've never seriously roleplayed in any game because my english just isn't perfect.

I plan to find myself a guild soon but I'm afraid all I will find will be roleplaying groups with strict rules that will look down upon me just because my character bio isn't immersive enough or that my costume is a rip-off from movie etc.

And I can get a bit touchy about costumes because I love recreating character models from other games :)

 

Thing is I had my adventures with rude roleplayers in other old game, Freelancer, on Discovery server where you could get banned for something so simple like flying a wrong ship in wrong sector because it ruined immersion of other players.

I wouldn't want to be reported in CoH because my hero looks too much like Adam Jensen and I have an audacity to stay to close to other players. I know it's silly but I witnessed first-hand situations like this in other online games.

 

I know I sound a bit paranoid right now and don't get me wrong - I have nothing against good roleplayers, I truly believe what they are doing is incredibly fun to watch or read about.

I just would like to know a little more about mindset of CoH community and what I'm getting myself into.

 

That's all I can think of right now.

I know I'm being a little noobish especially with second question but like I said - I just would like to know in advance if as a casual player not really into hardcore RP I will have a chance for fun in this game.

[n00baka]

I hope I'm the first to welcome you, but knowing the community I'm not! But just in case, Welcome to City of Heroes!

 

I'm going to be a bit vague for your first question, though I know opinions will differ as much as possible between people. There really isn't any power set, or combination of power sets, that are unplayable in the late game. Granted, you might be able to min / max in a bad way accidentally, but with the ability to preform a respec every 10 levels, think of it as more of a learning experience. Using respecs can allow you to play a little looser with your picks early on and live with some trial and error. You certainly won't be able to gimp yourself without intentionally trying to.

 

As for your second question, roleplaying is not required, or really catered too more then any other style of play (with the exception of PvP which was kind of tacked on). It might seem like RP has a pretty high standing here, but keep in mind this is a community of enfranchised players who have, for the most part, loved this game and the interactions within it for a long time. So really, don't worry about being judged by the RPers, they really are nice people, and every single one of them understands that not everyone does it.

 

Honestly, you'll never get banned for not RPing (even on the unofficial RP server), and making your Hero look however you like is a blessing you can enjoy (especially since I don't think Trademarks are being enforced. Right? Maybe?) no matter what group you're playing with. The best thing about this game has always been the community, and that is true of the RP community. I've never had anything but positive experiences with them, and hope you get to experience similar interactions!

 

And once again, Welcome!

[brian9824]

1.  Roleplaying is not required in any fashion and can completely ignore it.

 

2.  As for powers there really arent bad ones.  Some are more situational and some powers excel more in certain cases.  Aka some melee weapon's like spines are more suited for aoe damage and are less ideal then others at single target, but all are viable end game and will excel in different parts of the map. 

[Radionuclide]

I’ll answer the easy one first. No, you do not need to be a role player let alone a good one to play this game. There has always been a strong RP community on COH particularly on the shard called Virtue but even there it was never an expectation or requirement.

 

The tougher question is what to play.  All builds are viable some are easier then others and there is of course a meta game around that. In general, every powerset will have a different play style then another in a given AT because the focus of the set will be different. Even if the focus is the same, two sets will approach it differently. Here is the big secret about the endgame compared to other MMOs. The trinity is not needed here. Any combination will work and your first power will benefit the team as much as your last. Yes, it is easier if you have a tank to hold argo. But a Brute or Scrapper can hold their own. But if you have a group full on Controllers everything except the really big foes will be held for the whole fight.

 

In your example, claws do a bit less damage per hit but, recharge quicker so hit more often. And it is there where it makes it up.

 

TL;DR Play want you want to play.

 

As for guides, check out the builds forum and https://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Beginner%27s_guide_to_Paragon

[Korbian]

Paragon Wiki has tons of info you might find useful.

 

Radionuclide beat me to it.  *shrug* :)

[Frakk]

this message board has a archtypes section often you can find builds there.  It's also a good spot to ask for character advice.

[Adeon Hawkwood]

Regarding power set choice. There are definitely power sets that are better or worse than others but for the most part people don't really care that much. Due to the way the game was built team composition tends to be incredibly casual, support characters are incredibly strong in a team environment so once you stack a couple of them up the rest of the team composition is pretty much irrelevant, just need some warm bodies (in fact the strongest teams in the game are composed entirely of support characters).

 

Power set choice matters a bit more for soloing, but even there you can solo content with pretty much any character it's just that certain sets will let you do it faster and/or push the difficulty higher. If you want to solo AVs (for example) then you'll probably want to consult the Scrapper or Controller forums on a good build but for general purpose play you're better off just finding a powerset that feels good to you.

 

Roleplaying isn't mandatory, engage with it at a level that works for you. For example, I tend to write bios for my characters but rarely actually roleplay in game. Making characters that are knockoffs of other media was banned in the original game (since the developers were concerned about getting in legal trouble) but since this server is technically illegal in the first place the organizers aren't as concerned about it.

 

Also as a side note, since you're coming from WoW. Please do not refer to Defenders (or other support characters) as healers. Unlike WoW healing is the weakest form of damage mitigation and support characters bring a LOT more to the table than that so calling them healers tends to irritate people.

[WanderingAries]

I'll let the others give more specific direction, but I'll leave it to this.

 

Don't worry about the endgame, it's less about the character's specific traits (granted some powers may pack more punch) and more about the player (and the team they find themselves on eventually). As for building a character, pick a concept. Do you like a particular character from some favorite show/movie? Then make a tribute. Have YOU always wanted to be a hero/vill/etc? The what would YOU want to be? It's not like the other games or the single player games many of us are putting aside more often now. It's more about being part of a community of friends/heroes/vills and get this....HAVING FUN!!!

 

All that and You get to choose whether you pay to play or not. ;)

[Azaneal]

Thank you very much for all the answers, I know I'm probably being too cautious and trying to find imaginary problems but well... that happens if you play WoW for 15 years in highly competetive PvE environment ;)

 

Especially about min/maxing in WoW community is incredibly bloodthirsty when it comes to cookie-cutter builds and FotM classes. And it warms my heart that it's not a thing in CoH, finally some peace.

[_NOPE_]

Yeah, while there's a small subset of Min/maxers in this game, as in all games, it's by far a minority of players.

 

Welcome, to Paragon City, your new digital home, Zvierzu

[Nightmarer]

Thank you very much for all the answers, I know I'm probably being too cautious and trying to find imaginary problems but well... that happens if you play WoW for 15 years in highly competetive PvE environment ;)

 

Especially about min/maxing in WoW community is incredibly bloodthirsty when it comes to cookie-cutter builds and FotM classes. And it warms my heart that it's not a thing in CoH, finally some peace.

 

To be honest, you can also min/max as much as you want here, the main difference is that there are hundreds of valid ways to min/max same character with same powersets instead of the WoW way (mentioning it because you did) that ties you to choose especific talents or powers, otherwise you are not welcome in pretty much any endgame raiding team.

 

Raids here are mainly cooperative and pretty much all Incarnate Raids can be done under 45 min. The one that requires a tad more preparation is the Hamidon raid which, again, is a huge cooperative effort.

 

Also, I'd say this game caters mainly to the fabled "casual gamer" which other MMO's, especially SWTOR, so desperately seek. I can't think of any other game in which you log for, let's say 45 min and you can do real progress on your character. As you well now, in WoW you probably spend most of that time riding to ques contact or in fly route, transmogrifier, etc...

 

As others have said, welcome to COH. The best way of knowing about the game / AT's is playing and asking here in the forums so, feel free to do both as much as you want

[mousestalker]

Yeah, while there's a small subset of Min/maxers in this game, as in all games, it's by far a minority of players.

 

Welcome, to Paragon City, your new digital home, Zvierzu

 

One thing about hardcore min/maxers is how often they are wrong in CoX.

 

For example, Defenders look under powered compared to other classes. But an all Defender team can out perform almost any other team. And if you get all kin/ defenders then insanity ensues.

 

That being said, scrappers and brutes are probably the best soloing classes. And I will now go hide so I don't get beaten up for making such a gross generalization.

[srmalloy]

Especially about min/maxing in WoW community is incredibly bloodthirsty when it comes to cookie-cutter builds and FotM classes. And it warms my heart that it's not a thing in CoH, finally some peace.

 

If you pick two characters with the same archetype and the same primary and secondary powersets, and if by some freak chance their enhancement slots are allocated identically, you're still going to be looking at a very small chance that they're slotted the same way. There might be some aspects that people try to reach on their characters -- Def cap or Res cap are examples for melee ATs -- but there are enough ways to get there that the rest of the build is generally unique to each character. There is no 'one meta build' for any given combination of AT, primary, secondary, power pools, and Incarnate boosts.

[Oubliette_Red]

Regarding duplicating copyrighted characters from movies/comics/etc. Back during in the first era of CoX, players were pretty incredible about self-policing and reporting. No one knows what happens now in the second era of CoX. You may just get grief regarding lack of originality. ;)

Edit: Oh, and it's good to see you using the proper term of "newb" since as a new player that is what you are. "noob" on the other hand is considered derogatory and generally refers to someone who thinks they know everything about the game, but really doesn't and will attempt to beat you over the head with their dizzying intellect.

 

 

[SirCowdog]

I think it might be useful to understand why you might think a build is not viable after a few levels. 

 

What you need to know is that City of Heroes/Villains is a bit of an older style MMO that doesn't hold your hand. Builds can be very complex, especially if you want to fully Min/Max.

 

A lot depends on which powers you take at each level, and which powers you improve with additional enhancement slots. All combined with what enhancements at what enhancement level. 

 

It's quite a bit more complex than it first appears.

[Nostromo21]

As an original beta player I can honestly say I have never attempted to min/max a single hero I've ever created. And i have 10 already here on Excelsior, none over level 20 yet lol, all about theme, internal self-roleplay and fun, fun, FUN! Alt-o-holism I think it's called :).

And I mostly solo, yet to team up once in the past couple weeks, but I'll get there...Most other mmos I have definitely tried min/maxing at some point, looking for cookie-cutter builds to make life easier or feel stronger, more 'heroic', etc.

 

Having said all that, there certainly is a way to 'soft-min/max' in CoX and that is basically which class you pick for the task at hand. If you mainly solo like myself, I would recommend a Minion Master as an easier starter, newb-friendly archetype, if a little more fiddly with pet management.

 

Given Kheldians & Arachnos are unlocked from level 1 on these servers, those are also quite powerful at low levels. I particularly like my Peacebringer, who has more bang for buck than a blaster, a bit more survivability and with innate flying from level 1 is super-quick to get around. The Arachnos Widow 'Flygirl' I started as a Villain is also great, the theme I made was for fastest flier ASAP.

 

You could also consider a Stalker (just started a rad/rad one myself, a lot of fun even if I usually don't like melee classes), as you can skip most of the mobs in instances & run super-quick to the bosses/mission objectives, possibly leveling quicker as a result in most missions, YMMV.

 

If you intent to mostly group, you can't go wrong with a Tanker or Defender, possibly the new Sentinel class I would suggest.But I am by no means a CoX guru, really more of a long-time casual player. I don't think I ever even got my main ice blaster to 50 back in day, again, too much alt-o-holism + I stopped around Issue 14 & only came back briefly around I21 when it went F2P, but just couldn't stuck to it as I think I had RL commitments and other games distracted me, more's the pity.

 

Even though a lot of the game is dated & clunky by today's mmo standards, there is just something magical with the whole roleplay (again self/internal), cosplay, escapism, feeling super-heroic in the game. Thanks to the SCORE/Homecoming crew we can all relive that magic now, along with thousands of other new players :).