Introducing Someone to the Game

[TygerDarkstorm]

I hope this is the right area for this, but my boyfriend is normally a console, CoD player who has decided that when he returns home from deployment he wants to learn how to play CoH with me.

 

So I'm wondering what would be an ideal archetype for someone who basically has to learn how to game on a computer from the ground up, with me to be on a second character to help him out. Going to level the "long" way with no double xp boosters and such and no sitting in fire farms so he gets a chance to actually experience what the game is like.

 

Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

[The_Warpact]

14 minutes ago, TygerDarkstorm said:

I hope this is the right area for this, but my boyfriend is normally a console, CoD player who has decided that when he returns home from deployment he wants to learn how to play CoH with me.

 

So I'm wondering what would be an ideal archetype for someone who basically has to learn how to game on a computer from the ground up, with me to be on a second character to help him out. Going to level the "long" way with no double xp boosters and such and no sitting in fire farms so he gets a chance to actually experience what the game is like.

 

Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

Brute...was my first 50 after trying many ATs solo on Live. 

[TygerDarkstorm]

Just now, The_Warpact said:

Brute...was my first 50 after trying many ATs solo on Live. 

Yeah, I was thinking brute or tank, but wanted to see what y'all here would say as well. 🙂

[Doomguide2005]

I think pretty much anything will do well paired.  CoX is really pretty straightforward at its heart.  If it was a solo new player then I'd lean more towards a melee, mez protected character but paired with an experienced player they all should work well for leveling through story arcs and content especially if you pick and play a complementary character leveling together.

Edited April 23, 2022 by Doomguide2005
Fun with autocorrect

[fancy ketchup]

I agree with the above.. I imagine whatever he decides you can choose an archtype that helps make his mistakes less face planty. Melee or blaster IMO.

[Apparition]

Brute is good for a first character.  If he likes the game after that, then I'd recommend Mastermind to ease him into learning a support role as well, to see the other side of the game.

[Luminara]

43 minutes ago, TygerDarkstorm said:

So I'm wondering what would be an ideal archetype for someone who basically has to learn how to game on a computer from the ground up, with me to be on a second character to help him out. Going to level the "long" way with no double xp boosters and such and no sitting in fire farms so he gets a chance to actually experience what the game is like.

 

*/Willpower brute or scrapper, or Willpower/* tank.  /Willpower won't overwhelm him with distractions.  Select a simple primary or secondary, nothing with combos or anything like Follow Up.  He doesn't need three trays of powers to figure out what to do with, just an easy way to survive and deal damage.  Once he has a handle on that, he can expand to more complex builds.  For a beginner, KISS.

[TygerDarkstorm]

Thanks y'all! @Luminara, that's great advice, thank you. I appreciate everyone's opinions on this; this community is great!

[Without_Pause]

41 minutes ago, Luminara said:

 

Select a simple primary or secondary, nothing with combos or anything like Follow Up. 

FU is easy to explain. Claws also blooms early enough and can have a tolerable end game attack chain by 18. Even by level 8, Claws can feel like you have something fairly complete at that point.

[Glacier Peak]

I'd give a shout out to a Peacebringer, mainly because it can fill any role and its a fun experience the whole way through. 

[TygerDarkstorm]

20 minutes ago, Glacier Peak said:

I'd give a shout out to a Peacebringer, mainly because it can fill any role and its a fun experience the whole way through. 

Yeah... I think he would have a hard time with a kheld, lol. And I barely understand the ATs well enough to try and explain them. I have a human form WS, but I still think I'm pretty much a noob when I play her lol, even if she is a lot of fun. xD

[Doomguide2005]

25 minutes ago, TygerDarkstorm said:

Yeah... I think he would have a hard time with a kheld, lol. And I barely understand the ATs well enough to try and explain them. I have a human form WS, but I still think I'm pretty much a noob when I play her lol, even if she is a lot of fun. xD

I would tend to encourage them to play an AT and sets I felt relatively comfortable with and hence could give advice about from knowing both the character and my SO.   I know pretty much nothing about CoD or console play but guessing he has preferences there that might reflect on what he likes in a game in general ... big hard hitting weapon vs smaller faster weapon, stealth/ambush vs straight up firefights vs medic or combat  engineer i.e support role.  And don't be afraid to swap around.  Don't necessarily mean give up early on a character some sets do take a while to mature, but likewise one of the games strengths is the tendency to induce altitis so while 20 3rd level characters might be a bit much having 2 or 3 to choose even relatively early in terms of playing CoX probably isn't a bad thing either.  I'd guess a fair number of us had several characters before that first one hit 50 or even 30th way back in the day.

Edited April 23, 2022 by Doomguide2005
Afterthoughts and typos

[Here be Dragons]

The aspect of CoX which I enjoy most is the wide variety of tactical options that are available through many controller(y) sets.

 

Controllers or Dominators might be a bit much for a first timer. But, perhaps something with high damage output AND some controller-like abilities? I recently created a Fire/Devices Blaster that is a real blast(!) to play. Lots of damage from fire blast, and lots of tactical options are available from Devices. For a very similar effect, consider a Fire Blast/Traps Corruptor. Also, another blaster that can be really kickass in a John Wick, take no hostages style, is Dual Pistols/Martial Combat.

 

Looking from a newcomer's perspective, high damage output is, initially, one of the most obvious signs that your character is making a difference. (Although for some people playing a "healer" can achieve that feeling. But "healers" seem somewhat deprecated in the end game, and it would be a shame to level a toon and then get disappointed in end game.)

 

Whatever character he chooses, gift him a Panacea +Heal/+End IO to put in Health, which can be slotted at level 7.
I find this contributes massively to helping a character play smoothly.

 

 

Edited April 24, 2022 by Here be Dragons

[TygerDarkstorm]

You guys are great; you both gave some really wonderful advice, thank you. 🙂

[LiquidBandage]

8 hours ago, TygerDarkstorm said:

So I'm wondering what would be an ideal archetype for someone who basically has to learn how to game on a computer from the ground up, with me to be on a second character to help him out.

 

It might be a judgement call, but a character with Assault Rifle or Beam Rifle (Corruptor or Blaster) might be a soft intro into the genre. While you're leveling up, he will get to see a lot of other people's builds/costumes and that might inspire him to make something more adventurous. 

 

This might be a suggestion for further down the road, but consider a Mastermind (Mercenary/Thug/Robot/Demon). This choice can either be micromanaged to the n-th degree or it can be a fire & forget thing. Either way, pets can act like ablative armor and make play a little more forgiving. This is definitely not a first character choice though (can be too complex). 

 

There is so much that a player brings to their own concept that it is really important that they make the choice themselves. Even having a little back story (even if it is just in your head) really helps. And when a duo can feed off each other like that it can really lift/carry a team experience. I hope you both get to experience that kind of fun together. 

[Nemu]

Blaster.

 

Avoid ATs with Mez protection. They teach newcomers nothing about the game. If you want to teach him the various nuances of the game and establish good fundamentals, go blaster.

 

If they are supported/built/played well they can wreck shop and they are exhilarating to play, if they are supported/built/played poorly they die with a look. Experiencing that dichotomy and learning that not everything in this game is derp lol melee ROFLSTOMP with incarnates will make him a better player overall. And he can take those fundamentals and be a better teammate when he playes support ATs as well.

[BastionWalls]

 

14 hours ago, TygerDarkstorm said:

So I'm wondering what would be an ideal archetype for someone who basically has to learn how to game on a computer from the ground up, with me to be on a second character to help him out.

I may be offering some unpopular opinions here, but based on him being new to keyboard gaming, I would lean towards a ranged character that he can just "tab, fire" between mobs and not need to worry as much about chasing down runners. A Blaster would let him do tons of damage, with you backing him up as a Controller/Defender in case things get too hairy. I would also suggest Energy as a primary as it gets its snipe early at 8 and regardless of KB hate, it is going to feel like a super hero and give him a bit of soft control that he doesn't have to think about. Also, with color customization, it is gives a lot of options for what that energy could be so it can fit pretty much any concept.

[Snarky]

I started on Brutes.  Brutes with mostly SOs and no inherent fitness.  Still had a ball.  Oh, well SOs after 22 lol

 

Even if slow leveling I recommend a Brute.  Learn the game behind armor. 
 

I also recommend taking free influence. I do not know if Yomo is still handing out influence but plenty of people are

 

Consider joining an SG.  (Necessary plug). I belong to Cosmic Council on Excelsior.  Big SG with daily planned events. Discord.  Welcoming to players of every level.  This can make all the difference 

 

To join: go to Discord ( https://discord,gg/DVksJ4N  )  Scroll down slightly to Public Channels and look in  "Welcome and Rules" Read those and post in "Gateway." Read 

 

Edited April 24, 2022 by Snarky

[Nemeroff]

Too easy (i.e. God Mode) fun at first but can make things boring and predictable.

That's what I always say, "Be boring if it was easy."

 

I'd say Blaster and/or Corruptor.

 

 

[TygerDarkstorm]

Thanks you guys! This community is so great, and I love seeing what everyone has to offer. 😄 

[Bill Z Bubba]

20 hours ago, Without_Pause said:

FU is easy to explain. Claws also blooms early enough and can have a tolerable end game attack chain by 18. Even by level 8, Claws can feel like you have something fairly complete at that point.

 

I do NOT recommend a claws/willpower brute as one's first character in CoH.

 

After that, everything's a complete slug slogging away through sludge. 🙂

[Snarky]

5 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

I do NOT recommend a claws/willpower brute as one's first character in CoH.

 

After that, everything's a complete slug slogging away through sludge. 🙂

I personally love Willpower Brutes.  I ran SS/Will Brutes on Live and had a hoot (when I/O builds were not easy to put together.  Again, lot of SOs.  While not able to "Tank" easily and needing to learn the odds before absorbing the Alpha strike, a Willpower Brute, (in my opinion) is a great intro to the game.

 

I run Invul Brutes because with a high end I/O build at incarnate levels Willpower loses out (on a lot) comparatively.  This is real end game stuff though.  At low levels to 49 the ease of Willpower is fairly balanced to the greater durability of Invulnerability

 

Claws.... I do not know claws.  However Super Strength is just hilarious.  Willpower also has the End to power any crazy thing including Titan Weapons etc.

Edited April 24, 2022 by Snarky

[Bill Z Bubba]

30 minutes ago, Snarky said:

Claws.... I do not know claws. 

 

A claws/wp brute is a non-stop blender. You've got the most balanced attack set (on the ST vs AoE front) coupled with The gogoneverstopnothingtoclick armor. I've run a couple to 50 and then deleted them so I could do it again. Yea, Claws isn't the best at ST or AoE damage and WP isn't all that tough at the bleeding edge but the fun they bring together on the way there makes up for it.

[Without_Pause]

My main here and the one I use for my avatar is a Claws/wp Brute. I have switched over to Claws/ea Scrapper as a badger. Agreed that WP isn't what you want if you want to push it as hard as you might want, but Claws is just flat out fun to me. If a boss can't counter KD, Focus alone can put them on their butt to the point zero or near zero damage is coming your way and that's with the added bonus of being from range.

 

I still yearn for the day we get a Def based Willpower set in that it doesn't have clicks. I don't need a heal. DDR doesn't need to be top notch. Just want to toggle and go.

[Ironblade]

First, let me suggest what not to play - any set with a gun.  If he's used to relatively realistic gunplay from Call of Duty, adjusting to comic book guns could be annoying.  If he really wants to go with a gun, beam rifle is probably the best choice.

 

I would suggest he make two characters so he can get a feel for two extremes - a blaster and a tank.  That would give him good context for discussions of damage vs survivability. 

For a blaster, my recommendation would depend on whether you expect to mostly duo or play on larger teams.  For larger teams, fire blaster.  Throwing non-stop AoE is a ton of fun.  For a duo . . .  maybe ice (or beam rifle if he wants a gun).

 

Having said that, I think the first step would be a five minute monologue from you highlighting the characteristics of each AT.  Since he lives on this planet, I assume he's familiar with superheroes and he might have a particular concept he's dying to play.  Maybe after all that running and gunning he'd want to play some kind of defender.  Who knows?