Worthwhile arcs/missions on Blueside

[The_Warpact]

Ok ole @Snarky brought up something I had not considered in my other thread.

What are the best arcs/missions in your opinion and why? I heard Frostfire in the Hollows was one. I figure if I play blue side once I might as well take the best tour and your insight will provide it.

Now if multiple people say the same missions over and over then that will be the ones I shoot for.

So let this ole villain see whats blueside best.

[Jiro Ito]

I thought this post laid it out nicely:

 

 

[The_Warpact]

@Jiro Ito

 

That is fantastic exactly what I needed. Thank you.

[drdread]

I like the Roy Coolidge mission arc (20-29). The story adds to the lore, and features different factions. You get to fight an arch-villain at the end. It also introduces a faction that you'll see a lot of at 40+.

 

I also never miss doing the Shauna Braun vigilante mission.

[Spaghetti Betty]

All of Faultline, Striga Isle, and Croatoa are some of my faves.

 

Tip missions contain some decent content as well. You'd probably like Vig tips over the Hero ones. (Under a more grey category, I'd add Vig to Vil tips into that.)

 

Angus McQueen.

 

The Major gives a pretty cool Vig-only arc.

[drdread]

10 minutes ago, Jiro Ito said:

I thought this post laid it out nicely:

 

 

I like Gulbasaur's mission guide, but I usually swap out the King's Row missions for the Hollows missions.

Edited May 9, 2022 by drdread

[Intermipants]

Agree with everything posted before and would also add that I think the Laura Lockhart short arc in Steel Canyon is really well written and fun to play.

 I also like First Ward stories but that’s gold side and so I’m not sure if that’s what you’re looking for. Actually, I think all the gold side stuff is great. 

[Mezmera]

I hear DFB is something you don't wanna skip blueside.  Something played that much has gotta be good amirite?!  

[ChzBoi]

Twinshot's arc...........................................................(or is that being too villainous to Warpact?)

[Black Talon]

One arc that stuck out Back In The Day - and which I sent congrats to the Devs for - was the Countess Crey origin arc (levels 42-45 or thereabouts).  This one came out as a genuine story-telling tragedy, and the gaining the piece-by-piece knowledge that one of the city's (if not the nation's) premier corporate overlords was a couldn't-make-it-big-otherwise murderer, hiding under a victim's pseudonym, fit the villains' narrative so perfectly.  The only thing that would have put a bit extra "oomph" into the You're-now-a-defaced-hero-running-from-the-law bit - getting attacked by various villain groups between missions - would have been if they had managed to get actual PCPD special forces to do the attacking.  That one bit aside, I really felt that this one started off with a beautifully faux ho-hum pedestrian opening, leading into a a trip down the Crey rabbit-hole.  Every time one of my boys gets the chance to do this one, it's a special remembrance point in the memorabilia book, and one I always enjoy looking over.  Give this one a shot if you get a chance, but beware: Countess Crey is a total first-rate Arch-Villain, and you will need a full team to pull this one down if you go the full AV route.  Hope this helps.

[Apparition]

As someone who also much prefers red side to blue side, I recommend the Faultline story arc.  It has a lot of Arachnos in it to make yourself feel at home, but also not.  It also ties in heavily into the Rikti War Zone story arc later.  I also strongly recommend Laura Lockhart, level 15+ in Steel Canyon.  Once you're level 30 or so, go to Ouroboros and re-do it via Flashback.  Trust me.

[TheZag]

A theme im seeing here is mostly the newer blueside missions are being suggested.  The writers got alot better as time went on and a good chunk of the older missions are very cut/paste feeling.  There are good old missions and bad new missions but for the most part,  the new missions are better written with more engaging objectives.

[Sakai]

Croatoa, the Countess Crey story and all of Faultline are indeed top notch.  My personal favorite otherwise is Envoy of Shadows. Yes it is a Circle of Thorns storyline with all the unfortunate things that go along with them but I find it to be a captivating nonetheless.  

 

Indigo and Crimson also have wonderful Malta stories. They are both LONG though if you end up running them through Ouro. 

 

Striga is fun as well..I am always slightly disappointed with the conclusion of Hess but what can you do. 

 

Flipping through the Wiki I see lots that I truly enjoy but I will stop there. After mentioning Twisted Reflections...this one is a must. 

 

That is all though. 

 

Anyone mention the Hollows and the fun that is the Atta mission?

[Black Talon]

Should have done a bit more thinking before I opened my virtual mouth here, but a number of the posters subsequent to my first comment are, in my opinion, dead-on.  Any Hero I'm working through the numbers (literally), I make it a point to do both the Faultline quadrology of contacts, as well as the matching fantastic four of Striga Isle.  The Ernesto Hess TF is my favourite (really the only one I ever do on a repeated basis) TF in the game, especially with the James Bond The-Bad-Guy's-Base-Blows-Up-After-The-Big-Final-Scrap ending.  I make it a point to warn all the TPers, at the start of the final mission, to get ready to mass-teleport everyone to the exit so that we can avoid finishing the TF burdened with stupid debt.  Otherwise, has a great, metal-heavy, industrial-themed dramatic setting for the climax, with the only thing missing being the TF members coming into Archon Burkholder's stronghold with him sitting on an oversized, overplush throne-chair, stroking a white cat and explaining how all of our actions have been in vain and have, in fact, helped him move his plans forward.  Never get tired of that one, or the Faultline arcs - and all congratulations to the writers and Devs on those.  Will probably think of a few more to put in here over the next couple of days.

[Lancek]

5 hours ago, ChzBoi said:

Twinshot's arc...........................................................(or is that being too villainous to Warpact?)

It's worth it just for Dillo

[Pyriold]

Stefanie Peebles arc in striga. It's tedious (3 kill all missions) and old style, but the reward is one of the best if not THE best temp power available for melees. 2 hours of +30 resistance to all! And you can activate and deactivate as you like. This is usually better than any armor's T9 power and 2 hours means that you basically always have it when things get tough.

 

 

[ZorkNemesis]

I always make sure to hit up Field Agent Keith Nance in Talos at 20.  One of the more fun arcs in the game where you chase your evil self across the city in a non-stop train of action.  The whole thing is one single long mission and you keep getting directed to check with other NPCs to keep tabs on where the other you is going instead of simply giving Keith a phone call.  Plus good writing; all the Freakshow calling you crazier than they are since "you" paid them to beat you up, along with the early joke about how difficult it is for Freakshow to arm bombs.

 

Jenni Adair is a decent followup but her missions aren't nearly as good.  Outside of the fights with Protean and Burkholder they're pretty bland.

[fancy ketchup]

2 hours ago, The_Warpact said:

 I heard Frostfire in the Hollows was one. 

 

I think the appeal (for me at least) with frostfire is the nostalgia. This was the mish everyone was doing on live as it was a longish mish where on a full team everyone would lvl several times often getting to 14 to get their travel power.. add in the ice half pipes an elite boss and it hit a lot of  marks..

 

Croatoa is my favorite blue side zone. I try to do all the mishes there for all my toons and the katie hannon task force. At that point you are just a few location badges away from getting the Geas the Kind One accolade.

[Metatheory]

The Dr. Vahzilok arc "The Vahzilok Plague" (15-19, available from mutation origin contacts) has pretty much all you want from a low level story on blue side:

• badge mission
• easy street hunt
• one delivery mission (with a twist)
• couple of instanced missions
• one of the earliest AV battles you can find in the final mission (I guess it was the earliest before the Faultline revamp?) with a nice custom boss room

You can easily enough solo the early missions, then put together a team for the last one or two if you prefer working alone.  The last mission is very often in Boomtown which makes it one of a pretty small pool which sends you to that zone and gives a nice sense of traveling off the beaten path for the final showdown. It's pretty dark content by early blueside standards, too.

Edited May 10, 2022 by Metatheory