The Good Missions Guide: A Heroic Levelling Journey through Story Arcs

[Gulbasaur]

If I'm honest, I might not realistically have time. I've just started a new job and life is pretty hectic besides.

 

[Gulbasaur]

Added recommended task forces. Running Redside content nearly ruined the me due to the awful, grindy broker system.

[Six-Six]

I agree.

1) The story IS good.
2) This is an AWESOME guide.

While you have my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation, may I be so bold as to ask if you could do a Red side guide. I have a lot of red side toons and the story is also good, dare I say better, than blue side. I just have a sinking feeling that I've missed a lot of content. (I don't power level the toons that I really like).

 

[Gulbasaur]

2 hours ago, Six Six said:

While you have my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation, may I be so bold as to ask if you could do a Red side guide.

Thank you! I'm working on it off and on at the moment after a break from the game.

 

Redside has a bit of a problem in that most at-launch story arcs are locked behind brokers, which means you have to to three to five throwaway missions before you get a new contact. The broker system is, in my opinion, a load of poo, although I get it from a narrative perspective of working your way up and showing your worth.

 

 

Later ones don't have that limitation, but they don't tie in so much to the (pretty decent) story progression leading up to the patrons.

 

My current plan is to divide it up by patron so you'd pick one or two near the start and focus on their lore for a bit, but it'll be a while.

[RogerWilco]

Very nice guide.

I never got to level much on the Hero side, because I had a friend who always wanted to play villains.

We have just found the game again last week.

I think this will be our run of missions, as we love the good story arcs.

[Chequers]

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. 

Edited July 22, 2020 by Chequers

[DougReyn]

Thank you for this. I´ve run some of the listed stories during the leveling of different toons, but there lots that I´ve never heard of before.
Time to build a new solo toon to run them 😄

[Gulbasaur]

4 hours ago, DougReyn said:

Thank you for this. I´ve run some of the listed stories during the leveling of different toons, but there lots that I´ve never heard of before.
Time to build a new solo toon to run them 😄

Have fun!

 

For those quivering in anticipation: I'm really struggling to do the redside version of this guide... so many contacts are locked behind so many things! It was frustrating on Live, it's frustrating now.

[Crater Kate]

13 hours ago, Gulbasaur said:

Have fun!

 

For those quivering in anticipation: I'm really struggling to do the redside version of this guide... so many contacts are locked behind so many things! It was frustrating on Live, it's frustrating now.

If it's any help, any time I'm on, I'm happy to lend a hand with the grind! There's no point beating your head against a wall if it's causing you that much frustration. Hit me up if you want to 😊

Edited July 24, 2020 by Crater Kate

[Gulbasaur]

3 hours ago, Crater Kate said:

If it's any help, any time I'm on, I'm happy to lend a hand with the grind! There's no point beating your head against a wall if it's causing you that much frustration. Hit me up if you want to 😊

That's nice of you! I'm taking a bit of a break from the game at the moment, though. From 35 onwards, I'm pretty sure I know what to recommend.

 

I'm hammering through them in Ouro to some extent and then I'll work out the details later. I play on Everlasting so do say hi if you're on!

[Soyuz]

Thanks for what looks like an excellent guide. CoH always did have a good storyline, which was one of the things that caused me to miss it so much. As a returning player this is going to be very useful to me.

 

Maybe not as useful as the XP toggle though! This is something I always wanted in CoH and might just be the best QoL enhancement I've seen in the game. Thank you for that, I had no idea it was possible.

[Nationalguard]

Just hit 50 and finished the missions here. This guide helped me fall in love with leveling again. Thanks so much for it.

 

Can't wait for Redside content guide!

 

If you get a chance (because it sounds like you have soooo much time 😉 ) Any recommendations for 50+ content would be appreciated too.

[Alphatar]

I have a version of this of my own that I was focusing on a leveling guide using the Heroic Merit Missions as the focus (cut-scenes), not general Story missions. There is a path moving Merit to Merit where you don't miss Elite bosses/Archvillains.  I was also trying to build a path so that you don't out-level being able to do them and have to go back and do a Flashback later.  What you have here is awesome because I have not the concept of the bigger picture and umbrella world story. My path is only complete up to Level 30 if it helps anyone. Someday, maybe I will complete it and post it as a guide like this one. You can also look up the lists of Heroic and Merit missions. 

COH Path to 30 with Heroic Missions.docx

[Chequers]

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.

Edited August 15, 2020 by Chequers

[Gulbasaur]

7 hours ago, Chequers said:

Just finished the First Ward arcs, and I have to say, that's some cracking storytelling.

Definitely. Faultline and First Ward are the two best arcs in the game, in my opinion. Night Ward doesn't feel quite as good because it doesn't seem to reach a real conclusion (though it's picked up later in the New Praetorians arc) but it's still good. Glad you're enjoying it! 

 

Just a warning when you get to Ward - make sure your difficulty is fairly low for the final mission. Due to where the 'hospital' point is it's possible to respawn with full aggro and die immediately, trapping you in a cycle. It's either fairly easy or legitimately impossible to complete because if you get overwhelmed once you might as well give up. 

[Chequers]

14 hours ago, Gulbasaur said:

Definitely. Faultline and First Ward are the two best arcs in the game, in my opinion. Night Ward doesn't feel quite as good because it doesn't seem to reach a real conclusion (though it's picked up later in the New Praetorians arc) but it's still good. Glad you're enjoying it! 

 

Just a warning when you get to Ward - make sure your difficulty is fairly low for the final mission. Due to where the 'hospital' point is it's possible to respawn with full aggro and die immediately, trapping you in a cycle. It's either fairly easy or legitimately impossible to complete because if you get overwhelmed once you might as well give up. 

 

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!

[BasherBot]

Hey, I've been trying out this leveling path for a bit, but I've run into a slight issue... I'm not hitting level 12 by the end of Julius's story line and, thus, can't grab the next contact... any advice on how to fix this issue?

[drdread]

3 hours ago, BasherBot said:

I'm not hitting level 12 by the end of Julius's story line and, thus, can't grab the next contact... any advice on how to fix this issue?

You can do Twinshot's storyline; start the missions in Kings Row; participate in Death From Below; or if all else fails, you can do some radio missions.

 

If you don't want to leave the Hollows, you can get missions from Meg Mason.

Edited August 17, 2020 by drdread

[Gulbasaur]

On 8/16/2020 at 10:55 PM, BasherBot said:

Hey, I've been trying out this leveling path for a bit, but I've run into a slight issue... I'm not hitting level 12 by the end of Julius's story line and, thus, can't grab the next contact... any advice on how to fix this issue?

Try one of the trials, like DFB or DiB. Meg Mason has timed missions in the hollows. The Kings Row missions can slot in anywhere. I think Positron 1 starts at level eleven.

[Gulbasaur]

Aaaaaand I did it!

 

 

 

[Yomo Kimyata]

Great job!  I’ve streamlined my own personal version blueside at double xp (or +1/x3 which seems to work out about the same.)  A few things/tips:

 

It’s Doc Delilah whose arc gives you Entrusted With the Secret so you don’t need Agent G.  She opens up at lvl 20.

 

I like to do most of the Montague arc in the early/mid teens since the Cure Lost power makes some of the Faultline missions much easier.  Do NOT use that power on the group that is guarding Mr. Yin, since it doesn’t count as defeating them.  Presumably the same holds for Muxley but I’ve never tried it.

 

Using the new contact finder as a teleport is a great way to shave time pre travel power.

 

You get bonus merits for completing all missions in Hollows,etc., so even if you don’t run an entire zone arc at once, make sure you go back eventually and run the remainder through Ouro.

 

EDIT:  35 is kind of a magic level, and a whole lot of things unlock.  At 35 I first join Vanguard, which will give you access to Vanguard merits every time you defeat Rikti, even in non Vanguard missions.  This takes just a few minutes.  Next I check back in with Montague and travel to Cimerora and run the basic missions there.  If you unlock the dude who gives you repeatable timed missions, you can teleport there quickly for an ITF by phoning him and starting a mission, use mission teleport to get to the zone,then joining the ITF and letting the timer expire.  Finally, I usually unlock the patron epics if I feel there is any chance I will use them.

Edited August 27, 2020 by Yomo Kimyata

[Runebound]

Newcomer here, really enjoying following this for Story Arcs - thanks!

 

I'll actually do it again on another toon, but I wonder if I can skip Twinshots first tutorial chain yet still pick up her missions that follow this guide after the Hollows. Would that work?

[Gulbasaur]

On 9/23/2020 at 2:07 AM, Graedyn said:

I'll actually do it again on another toon, but I wonder if I can skip Twinshots first tutorial chain yet still pick up her missions that follow this guide after the Hollows. Would that work?

I think you can skip the first ones but I might be wrong. 

[mudpuppy630511]

I did the hero arc in Atlas Park, but I hated doing it, with its heavy population right around the statue of Atlas and the venders there and Ms. Liberty. So I created a gold-side toon. People said that the Gold side was tedious and hard, but I did not have a problem at all and enjoyed the arcs there. I especially like the way your toon enters Paragon in Talos and you get that "track your double" arc. I like how some of the mid-level content is somewhat tailored to your Praetorian (if you have one).

 

There was not a red-side (track down your double) equivalent when I had a Praetorian cross over to Rogue Isles, though and was quite lost. 

[Zhym]

On 1/8/2020 at 2:00 PM, Grouchybeast said:

ETA: In the bizarrely crowded 20-29 range, Keith Nance, Jenny Adair and Roy Cooling in Talos all give fun, fairly short arcs.  

I'll second this.  The story line is a classic of the genre and features a couple of challenging missions that use mechanics not seen a lot elsewhere in the game.  It's a "must-do" IMO and well worth inclusion in the guide. 

 

Spoiler tags for the arc, in case anyone wants to be surprised when they do it:

Spoiler

It's an evil twin storyline!  This one is maybe a little more serious than the similar arc red side (Dean MacArthur and Leonard, IIRC), and maybe not quite as fun, but it still adds a twist or two to the expected trope.   

 

Roy Cooling's arc has a mission where you need to find someone in a burning building and escape, while optionally saving 12 people along the way—all on a short timer.  It's one of the tougher missions if you want to hit all the goals.  IIRC, the corresponding red-side mission was also one of the tougher in the game; interesting how they're both in "duplicate you" arcs.

 

Roy Cooling's arc doesn't have to be done after the other two, but his last mission gives you an additional option if you did the other ones first.  So I'd do them in this order:

Keith Nance (20-29) > Jenni Adair (20-29) > Roy Cooling (20-29)

 

I'd also suggest doing Mercedes Sheldon's (20-25) arcs.  They're fairly short, have a good story, and are mostly stealthable.  Christine Lansdale (25-29) has another strong arc that I think is the player's first introduction to a major villain faction:

Spoiler

It's all a Nemesis plot!

 

One final note: some of these are old-school arcs that will send you hopping all over Paragon City, so I'd recommend having some fast cross-zone travel powers set up to make that less painful.

Edited January 22, 2021 by Zhym
Noticed that Freaklympics is already in the OP