Looking for a list of the quality hero-side contacts.

[carroto]

I used to play mostly villain-side.  The forays I've made blue-side at low levels have made me swear off of wasting time with any of those contacts.  It seems like the devs learned from their mistakes making heroes and applied them to villains.  I much prefer the red content.  I'd like to gain more exposure to the blue content, but I just don't have the patience to go through all the endless patrols and deliveries and defeat alls.

 

I'm pretty sure that back in the day I had a thread bookmarked in which people listed the contacts in various level ranges with enjoyable content on blue side.  Is there anything like that out there now?

 

Failing that I wonder if I could get a close enough approximation by just going through paragonwiki and finding what contacts were added later in the game's life, and simply presuming that those would probably be worth my time.  I already know that this wouldn't be perfectly reliable, because Twinshot is new and has way too many "go talk to this person on the other side of the zone for no good reason" missions.

 

Any suggestions are welcome, even if anyone just wants to share a few contacts whose missions they enjoy and tend to make time for.

 

Edit: Trying to keep an up-to-date summary of everyone's suggestions below.

 

Regular Contacts

Level 1-7 (AP): Mathew Habashy, Sondra Costel

Level 7-20 (KR): Shauna Stockwell

Level 5-15 (Hollows): Everything?

Level 15-24 (SC): Graham Easton

Level 15-24 (SC): Laura Lockhart

Level 15-25 (Faultline): All contacts

Level 20-29 (Talos): Field Agent Keith Nance

Level 20-29 (Talos): Roy Cooling

Level 25-34 (Croatoa): All contacts

Level 30-50 (?): Provost Marchand

Level 40-44 (FF): Indigo

Level 45-50 (PI): Crimson

 

Task Forces and Trials

Level 10-15 (SC): Posi 1

Level 11-16 (SC): Posi 2

Level 20-25 (IP): Penelope Yin

Level 24-33 (IP): Respec

Level 25-30 (Striga): Ernesto Hess

Level 30-34 (Croatoa): Katie Hannon

Level 34-43 (FF): Respec

Level 38-40 (AP): Abandoned Sewers Trial

Level 39-41 (Eden): Eden

Level 44-50 (PI): Respec

Level 45-50 (FF): Dr. Khan

 

Other content not exclusive to heroes:

Level 15-50: Drowning in Blood trial

Level 35-50: ITF

Level 35-50: Lady Grey TF

 

Edited May 1, 2020 by carroto
Updating contacts.

[Techwright]

So are you defining "quality" as a lack of "endless patrols and deliveries and defeat alls"?  Or is there another defining element?

 

 

[gameboy1234]

I like the newer content that was added.  For Atlas Park:

 

Mathew Habashy

Mathew introduces Sondra Costel

after that I usually do Twinshot's arc.

And by the time that finishes it's time for Shauna Stockwell in Kings Row.

[boggo2300]

1 hour ago, gameboy1234 said:

I like the newer content that was added.  For Atlas Park:

 

Mathew Habashy

Mathew introduces Sondra Costel

after that I usually do Twinshot's arc.

And by the time that finishes it's time for Shauna Stockwell in Kings Row.

Twitshot's arc is not quality by any stretch of any imagination

 

I always do Habashy, Costel, then off to KR to do the new Skulls content, get's you to level 10 nice and neat

[Sakai]

People seem to ignore the quality of Indigo and Crimson. Guessing this is because of the sappers but once you learn to deal with them in the same way you immediately take care of the healers in ITF it is not so bad. 

 

Great stories with long arcs to entertain you. 

 

I'm also partial to anything involving the Crey. What is the Countess actually up to?  Is she as benevolent as she seems?

 

At a lower level the Hollows is also fun. Frostbite for sure, with the ice slides, but the Atta mission is pure awesome. 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2019 by Sakai

[EmmySky]

When you are 20+ be sure to hit up Field Agent Keith Nance in Talos.  He starts you chasing your mirror self and its a really fun arc.  I dont like how it ends abruptly with a mission from Jenni Adair that seems to indicate future action that doesn't exist but it is still a nice bit of story telling.

[DougGraves]

9 hours ago, boggo2300 said:

Twitshot's arc is not quality by any stretch of any imagination

Twinshot's arc is an extended tutorial.  It is good for that, not good if you know the game.

[Eva Destruction]

Generally the newer blueside arcs are much like the newer redside arcs, and much better put-together than the original flavor redside arcs; there are no "defeat all Longbow in giant base at the ass end of Nerva" missions, no "stop this AV with quickness and immobilize resistance from escaping," and way fewer escort missions.  Also, you don't have to fight Longbow.  Twinshot is hot garbage but so is Graves on redside. 

 

Crimson's arc is some of the best writing in the game.  Yes, it's long, yes there are defeat alls, but you get to foil a global conspiracy and also there is a giant robot.

 

And don't forget Task Forces; The original Freedom Phalanx TFs are too long and too repetitive and the Shadow Shard TFs are just ugh, why, but Posi 1 and 2, Penelope Yin, Ernesto Hess, Katie Hannon, and Khan are fun and can all be done in  under an hour without even trying to speed.  The Abandoned Sewer Trial, Eden Trial, and respec trials are also worth doing.

[boggo2300]

5 hours ago, DougGraves said:

Twinshot's arc is an extended tutorial.  It is good for that, not good if you know the game.

It's actually a terrible tutorial, it "teaches" you how to level up with Ms Liberty, when odds are you would already have levelled up at least 4 times, it teaches you all sorts of in mission behaviour that just ISN'T in the game apart from the annoying Twitshot arc,  no I am 100% behind my early statement, it is the opposite of quality in EVERY way

[Techwright]

8 hours ago, boggo2300 said:

It's actually a terrible tutorial, it "teaches" you how to level up with Ms Liberty, when odds are you would already have levelled up at least 4 times, it teaches you all sorts of in mission behaviour that just ISN'T in the game apart from the annoying Twitshot arc,  no I am 100% behind my early statement, it is the opposite of quality in EVERY way

Yeah, I was really puzzled why it was sending me for instruction to Ms Liberty when I was a level 6 already.  A couple of other things I hate about that arc are the pointless dialogs, and the really annoying habit of the characters running up to you and then buzzing around you like pesky bees.  The only reason I do the missions is to get the badge for doing all Atlas park story missions.

 

[boggo2300]

1 minute ago, Techwright said:

Yeah, I was really puzzled why it was sending me for instruction to Ms Liberty when I was a level 6 already.  A couple of other things I hate about that arc are the pointless dialogs, and the really annoying habit of the characters running up to you and then buzzing around you like pesky bees.  The only reason I do the missions is to get the badge for doing all Atlas park story missions.

 

understandable, whats wose though are the times they are buzzing around you like a fly around a slab of meat when you have to click on them to talk to them, so very very annoying!!

[Eva Destruction]

Pointless dialogues with annoying NPCs, and horribly overdesigned missions that cram in as many fancy mechanics as they possibly can so you spend most of your time running around an empty map looking for the next objective.  Whoever wrote those arcs isn't nearly as clever as they think they are.

[carroto]

Thanks for the replies so far, everyone.  So here's what I've got:

 

Regular Contacts

Level 1-7 (AP): Mathew Habashy, Sondra Costel

Level 7-20 (AP): Shauna Stockwell

??-?? (KR): New Skulls content?

Level 5-15 (Hollows): Everything?

Level 20-29 (Talos): Field Agent Keith Nance

Level 40-44 (FF): Indigo

Level 45-50 (PI): Crimson

 

Task Forces and Trials

Level 10-15 (SC): Posi 1

Level 11-16 (SC): Posi 2

Level 20-25 (IP): Penelope Yin

Level 24-33 (IP): Respec

Level 25-30 (Striga): Ernesto Hess

Level 30-34 (Croatoa): Katie Hannon

Level 34-43 (FF): Respec

Level 38-40 (AP): Abandoned Sewers Trial

Level 39-41 (Eden): Eden

Level 44-50 (PI): Respec

Level 45-50 (FF): Dr. Khan

 

Edit: Maybe if we can get enough ideas there can be a guide to quality blue-side content.  Might be nice for new players.  Give them a better experience and impression of the game.

Edited December 15, 2019 by carroto

[Lines]

Shauna Stockwell lives in KR, and she starts the new skulls arcs

Here's a couple more worth a mention:

Level 15-24 (SC): Graham Easton

Level 15-24 (SC): Laura Lockhart

 

Faultline and Croatoa are both enjoyable zone arcs as well. Striga... is a thing too.

[EmmySky]

Laura Lockhart is delightful on a PB because the 5th Column predates quants so none appear in that arc.  

 

Graham Easton is a nice short little arc that nets you a snazzy temp power (that I have never actually used).  If you detest Tsoo you may wanna skip him though.

[Eva Destruction]

The new Skulls content starts with Shauna and continues with Eagle Eye.

 

There's also the Drowning in Blood trial, the ITF, and the Lady Grey TF, but those are available to villains so I didn't mention them.

 

And while I wouldn't count them among the best of the hero content, the Moonfire Task Force, Tina Macintyre's arc and Maria Jenkins' arc all contain enemies that are needed for accolades.

[Sakai]

It should be noted that both the Hess and Katie TFs require running an arc to unlock for whomever is gling tto carry the star. Luckily I find both enjoyable. 

[JasperStone]

If you are new to Blue and have not done the Hollows,

 

Flux - Eventually you will face Frostfire. This mission used to be such a defining moment early on for people new to the game. With a full team at max difficult it could be a daunting task. Also two rooms of ice to play in.

Meg Mason - no story arc, but there is a series of missions in a row where you face a boss. Depending on setting could be exciting.

 

Karsis - Nice story arc. Atta ... depending on setting could spawn as an AV. Fun!

 

[Coyote]

Well, they count as blueside to me since they're available to Heroes, so I count First Ward and Night Ward as blueside content, and I find it excellent. Despite one badly-designed mission that killed me like 100 times (yes, doing it once).

 

Don't forget to add the New Praetorians arc to your list.

 

I don't like doing Shauna Stockwell's arc when I'm given it... it feels like it's better done later in the teens, when you have more powers to face the Skulls AVs.

 

Some people like the Vahzilok Plague arc, some people hate it... I like arresting Dr V, so I like it. Ubelmann the Unknown is also a good story in the 20s, but the mechanics are a bit old-style... just a lot of fighting.

[Heraclea]

When you get to Croatoa at around level 25, the content there is mostly entertaining and everything is in zone.  There are a couple defeat alls and deliveries.  But save your three days grace for 'Stop 30 Fir Bolg." 

[Snarky]

On 12/13/2019 at 11:59 PM, boggo2300 said:

Twitshot's arc is not quality by any stretch of any imagination

 

Yeah. Agree. The NPCs movements are infuriating. Everybody running around like they have to pee.  The dialogue is bland the first time.  The 14th.... oof. Painful.  The peemise had promise. The execution?   Springtime for Hitler it wasnt

[Yomo Kimyata]

I tend to follow a system when I start a new alt:

 

1-2:  Outbreak.  Level to 2, sell enhancements to vendor, sell inspirations on AH, start marketing.  Turn on double xp.  Turn notoriety to as many as I think I can handle, usually +0/x3.

2-5/6:  Initial contact missions.  Two or three missions gets you to KR.

5/6-9/10:  Pick up radio, run three radio missions and bank job for travel power.

9/10-15:  Pick up Hollows contact, teleport there.  Run Hollows arc.  It is really easy to outlevel this, so manage your double xp.  Great merit bonus for finishing entire arc.

15-18:  Pick up Montegue contact, teleport to SC, run Midnighter arc until "Cure Lost".

18-24:  Pick up Jim Temblor, teleport to Faultline.  Run Faultline arcs.  Doc Delilah unlocks at 20, and grants Ouro portal at completion of her arc.  Finish up with Agent G.

 

From here, I tend to branch out.

[Eva Destruction]

6 hours ago, Coyote said:

Don't forget to add the New Praetorians arc to your list.

New Praetorians isn't bad, but I think it might be best saved until the 40s rather than running it when it's first offered.  The difficulty is higher than that of most arcs in the 30s.  Still not as bad as Mr G.

[DougGraves]

Faultline is good.

 

I like the Striga story.  The missions are not very clever - a lot of defeat alls.  But it is a decent story with a cool zone.

[eknudson]

I would include the Freaklympics story arc as a fun one.  The brand-new vigilante/rogue arcs are worth running.  I enjoy Croatoa's arcs, though redcaps are nasty for some builds. 

 

If you haven't run "gold side" in Praetoria much, there are some really good stories there. Best be ready to solo them, because good luck finding a team, though, and they're hard missions-- but well written IMO compared to most of blue side.  I remember one I enjoyed that was SO different from anything else I'd played.

 

I liked the end of one gold side mission which included an ambush by literally several dozen flunkies. They were all fairly easy to kill and I basically one-shot them, but there were SO MANY of them and they did hurt enough when they hit me. It was chaos and more enemies at once than I think I've ever seen!