The Classic Hero Challenge

[gourdhead]

So, I've been trying to talk myself out of this, but I finally cracked 🙂  I first logged in to Paragon City 2 days after launch, and I think I'm ready to return to those scary, heady days.  Marcus Wellby MD, Emp/Psi Defender, just joined the chat channel, and I'm currently working my way through the tutorial.  Soon to be available for all your healing, buffing, and brain melting needs.

[gourdhead]

Level 3 like a bullet 🙂  Busting Skuls and breaking hearts.  If only I had some squishies to heal...

 

[cranebump]

Milestone!

Hard to see, but that's lvl 20 right dere, y'all

[ineffablebob]

Well, Classic Hero 2004 will be joining you all in the No Issues SG, 'cause this happened:

 

 

A single +1 Lt, stunned her and then hit with 3 straight big attacks - and he was debuffed with Siphon Speed and Siphon Power, too. From full health to dead with no way to react. Things were very much deadlier in the past! I did have a Break Free, but have been only using them pre-combat as per the old rules, and I didn't think one Lt was worth using one...whoops.

 

The good news is that she's almost L21 and has 5 different 20-25 contacts lined up with phone numbers. Plenty to do for the next few levels!

 

20 minutes ago, cranebump said:

Hard to see, but that's lvl 20 right dere, y'all

Congrats!

 

6 hours ago, gourdhead said:

Marcus Wellby MD, Emp/Psi Defender

Welcome!

 

Hoping to have some time tonight to check in with the global channel and see if we can get some teaming going.

Edited December 16, 2020 by ineffablebob

[Jacke]

30 minutes ago, ineffablebob said:

Well, Classic Hero 2004 will be joining you all in the No Issues SG, 'cause this happened:

...

A single +1 Lt, stunned her and then hit with 3 straight big attacks - and he was debuffed with Siphon Speed and Siphon Power, too. From full health to dead with no way to react. Things were very much deadlier in the past! I did have a Break Free, but have been only using them pre-combat as per the old rules, and I didn't think one Lt was worth using one...whoops.

Sorry you fell in the line of duty, @ineffablebob.

 

Our toons shouldn't be any more fragile.  Without the use of the P2W tools, they may have less attacks and movement choices.  But even in the first 4 levels, I've felt that Lts aren't just a little bag of hit points to chew through but a threat.  I only survived those 5 Hellions and 3 Frostlings because only one was a Lt without melee attacks, my toon was melee, and had the two big Inspirations from the Tutorial.  Could have been only one or two usual hits away from being as facedown as a trigger happy Blaster.  Later I used a number of Lts in Prometheus Park to level, but they've got no melee attacks of their own.  And I've yet to go up against Bosses.

 

Anyhoo, as can be seen from my new signature, I've finally finished the projects I was working on.  So I'll have more time for playing City rather than crawling through the plumbing.  Any idea what time you'll be on tonight?

Edited December 16, 2020 by Jacke

[cranebump]

This is something that formerly wouldn't give me pause. But now:

That's one crowded-arse hallway...

 

And on a semi-related note: Slower pace allows time to consider character development. Having run all these Sky arcs (and still having Engles in my queue), and all that work against the Vahz, and beating up Lost gangs, I've decided ol' Crane here lives in Sky. I had written a basic  ID description for him, but I'm going to revisit that, working in these early experiences. I had the typical "bored, rich kid." Now I'm thinking, "Maybe not." I'll have to figure out where he got some of his gear, but, as far as his origin/powers are MA/SR, he doesn't have to have a barrel of chemicals on him or anything. Now, as for super jump...hmmm, where did he get dem boots?

Edited December 17, 2020 by cranebump

[Jacke]

1 minute ago, cranebump said:

This is something that formerly wouldn't give me pause. But now:

....

That's one crowded-arse hallway...

...and Classic Melee toons don't have any ranged powers to pull....

 

There's always kiting, depending on how much map is cleared behind you.  I did that so much in my AR/Dev Blaster when street sweeping.  Also fondly remember from a more recent year dealing with a brutal Skulls ambush in Kings Row on a Dark/EnM Tanker like a scene out of Benny Hill, running to find any contacts I'd unlocked to reload on Inspirations. 🙂

[cranebump]

12 hours ago, Jacke said:

...and Classic Melee toons don't have any ranged powers to pull....

 

There's always kiting, depending on how much map is cleared behind you.  I did that so much in my AR/Dev Blaster when street sweeping.  Also fondly remember from a more recent year dealing with a brutal Skulls ambush in Kings Row on a Dark/EnM Tanker like a scene out of Benny Hill, running to find any contacts I'd unlocked to reload on Inspirations. 🙂

I ended up trudging slowly forward, avoided KBing targets "north," but instead to sides ("east/west"). Got close enough to grab both barrels, avoiding a big fight with what would've been a pretty big group of blues. Blues, yes, but all that toxic would've been a bear! (NOTE: Vahz minions don't always react to what's happening right next to them).

Edited December 17, 2020 by cranebump

[0th Power]

1 hour ago, ineffablebob said:

Well, Classic Hero 2004 will be joining you all in the No Issues SG, 'cause this happened:

I'm just glad it didn't happen when we were teamed, I didn't want to be the one responsible for it.

 

If I get on tonight, I am a stone's throw away from lv 10 and "swift."

Edited December 16, 2020 by 0th Power

[Jacke]

I just took Jacke Shadowclaw from Level 4 to 6.  Finished Azuria's missions and working with Paco Sanchez.  Who sent me to Kings Row to talk to the Security Chief.  Where near the Pocket D entrance truck when passing by I had to dodge Level 10 Skulls ?!?  But it was some Clockwork that finally defeated me.  So I street swept.  Then talked to the Security Chief.  Who sent me back out to street sweep some more.

 

I'm not getting any Bosses, despite having it set in my Notoriety.  Not even Azuria's last mission to take down Hellion Char.

[Greycat]

Woo. Hit 14 before work. Know what that means?

Finally can stop sprinting everywhere! ... until I run out of END from all that teleporting!

Edited December 16, 2020 by Greycat

[ineffablebob]

53 minutes ago, Jacke said:

I'm not getting any Bosses, despite having it set in my Notoriety.  Not even Azuria's last mission to take down Hellion Char.

Yeah, I forget exactly when, but at some point the missions from the intro contacts were changed to have no bosses, regardless of your settings. But once you get into King's Row, those punches don't get pulled any more!

[0th Power]

How many are in the SG at this point?  Anyone know off the top of their head?

[gourdhead]

just ran in to Knuckles 2004 in City Hall, we're showing the Council who's boss 🙂

 

[gourdhead]

Marcus Wellby, MD just dinged level 5!  Woot!  2 attacks, 2 heals, and heading to Kings Row.  And everything is 2 slotted, so I can at least use enhancement drops.  I'll see everybody tonight.

Edited December 16, 2020 by gourdhead

[Greycat]

59 minutes ago, 0th Power said:

How many are in the SG at this point?  Anyone know off the top of their head?

Actually "in the SG," six. Anyone in it who sees anyone else running, everyone has invite permissions, since I think we have 10-11 people doing this.

[Knock!]

1 hour ago, gourdhead said:

just ran in to Knuckles 2004 in City Hall, we're showing the Council who's boss 🙂

 

That was me! Great teaming with you!

 

Knuckles 2004 is an Invulnerability/Super Strength Tank and a recreation of my first character (originally created on Champion during launch week).

 

At one point, Marcus Wellby and I were hit by a 5-man patrol while fighting another 5-man spawn. Ten Council take a long time to drop at level 5 when you don't have Sands of Mu, the Nemesis Staff, or your origin power. I wouldn't have survived without some great healing.

 

That mission gave me a flashback to my first Task Force: Positron at level 11. It took forever, especially after most of the team logged off for the night, leaving the original Knuckles and 2 Empathy Defenders to try to slog our way to the end, 1 Cadaver at a time. We we're up until 4 am, and I think we did not finish, but I got my first SG invite out of it.

 

Knuckles 2004 is now level 6. I hope to be on more often in the coming days.

[Grindingsucks]

I haven't logged on in a day or so, but am lookin forward to getting a larger group of us together.  The various roles will be much more meaningful and useful in this play style, I think.  Having a tank to draw aggro, control to lock down mobs, and defenders to buff and heal will actually be highly valued- as will caution and teamwork.  At least, I hope so!  It's the kind of team play I've been looking for.

 

I've hit lvl 19, but I turned off experience yesterday b/c I don't want to get too far ahead of everyone else.  I feel it'll be more enjoyable to maintain a rough level parity with everyone, exemplar/sidekicking notwithstanding.

 

Also, welcome @gourdhead and @Knock!  Looking forward to playing with you both!

[ineffablebob]

1 hour ago, Grindingsucks said:

I've hit lvl 19, but I turned off experience yesterday b/c I don't want to get too far ahead of everyone else. 

I was thinking about getting too far ahead, too, but turning off XP? C'mon now, the right answer to playing with lower level toons is to roll another alt! 🙂 Which I have done, Cerulean Knight 2004 is in Atlas Park for whenever people are doing lowbie stuff. He was my first scrapper back in the Live days, Broadsword/Invuln.

[Jacke]

1 hour ago, ineffablebob said:

I was thinking about getting too far ahead, too, but turning off XP? C'mon now, the right answer to playing with lower level toons is to roll another alt! 🙂 Which I have done, Cerulean Knight 2004 is in Atlas Park for whenever people are doing lowbie stuff. He was my first scrapper back in the Live days, Broadsword/Invuln.

Red Tomax used repeated max Debt to slow down levelling while gathering information for all the mission arcs in his old website.

 

Even worse....  In 2006 (Issues 6 and 7), I was so..."focused" on doing the early levels "right" with my main AR/Dev Blaster Jack Dark that I ended up deleting and rerolling him--exactly the same, I kept careful costume notes--so many times that the oldest toon. from information in my old pre-Shutdown spreadsheet, was actually my Rad/Rad Defender Jack Rad.  Even though at least by concept, Jack Dark was older.

 

Prior to Jack Dark (now recreated as Jacke Dark), I'd made some melee toons on a friend's account, the one who introduced me to City of Heroes back in 2005 Summer, but I didn't keep records and my memory's vague.  Those are who some of my toons are homages to, the 5 Dark Melee/Invulnerability Scrapper "Jacke"'s and 1 "Jacke2" who are my Shard and 2nd account anchor toons, the Katana/Regeneration Scrapper Jacke Incessant, and now Claws/Dark Armor Scrapper Jacke Shadowclaw.

[cranebump]

4 hours ago, ineffablebob said:

I was thinking about getting too far ahead, too, but turning off XP? C'mon now, the right answer to playing with lower level toons is to roll another alt! 🙂 Which I have done, Cerulean Knight 2004 is in Atlas Park for whenever people are doing lowbie stuff. He was my first scrapper back in the Live days, Broadsword/Invuln.

Funny. I was thinking the same thing. Might be time to roll out the Assistance/Support/Service Bot, the first Rad/Rad I ever made. Be on the lookout for Azbot! (Because ASS-bot is a bridge too far for me).:-) 

Edited December 17, 2020 by cranebump

[Doomguide2005]

14 hours ago, Jacke said:

...and Classic Melee toons don't have any ranged powers to pull....

 

There's always kiting, depending on how much map is cleared behind you.  I did that so much in my AR/Dev Blaster when street sweeping.  Also fondly remember from a more recent year dealing with a brutal Skulls ambush in Kings Row on a Dark/EnM Tanker like a scene out of Benny Hill, running to find any contacts I'd unlocked to reload on Inspirations. 🙂

Ah but Claws does ... Focus.  Or just slowly approach, then retreat quickly when the nearest reacts.  Granted Vahz do have some weird threat/aggro mechanics.  Or take your Taunt, in this case Confront.

 

Of course this points to another factor in trying to replicate i0 characters.  Knowledge.  Outside of Beta testers, any critter in i0 would be largely unknown to the player base and individual player.  There was no combat attributes or power analyzers or real numbers.  Even the forums would know less specifics.  Nothing is scarier than the unknown.

[gourdhead]

Just finished up teaming with Cerulean Knight 2004, and we made a dent in Kings Row.  Sword strokes and heals were flying fast and furious, and many minds were melted by Marcus Wellby's psychic fury 🙂 Level 7, free to roam about Perez Park at will.  Hopefully, I'll be able to get on early enough Thursday that we can get a bigger team together.  And who's the Stalker in the SG? 

[Greycat]

10 hours ago, gourdhead said:

.  And who's the Stalker in the SG? 

Heh, hadn't noticed. >.< Of course, one of our blasters also has Martial as a secondary, so...

 

Also used my second build as a sort of "what would I do now" for comparison. I've "sort of" got an attack chain on the 2004 version, of course, plus one power to simulate taking swift/hurdle, and the prereq. The current build? Stamina slotted at three, aim and build up, mystic flight, and at least one more attack - if I were actually using it and slotting it, ball lightning would have the chance to stun from one of the end mod sets (zapp might, too,) and everything would have level 15 common IOs at the very least. (Nothing's slotted in it right now, since INF is kind of tight! Those little inf tips from civilians help.)

 

Yes, swapped back to the 2k4 version. I'm kind of curious how far the two builds will diverge by 40.

 

 

[gourdhead]

Was able to get on and solo the good doctor this morning.  Dinged level 8, and took Injection as my burner power.  Stuck a toe into Perez Park and was promptly crushed, so I'm running Kings Row Skull missions.  Tried to do some recruiting and was informed that we are all nuts 🙂  I'll see everyone tonight.