Starting today, tips?

[Druscaelan]

Hello there, I decided to start today, and I was wondering if you guys could give me some tips

 

First of all, im not a veteran, I played CoH decades ago, and never got to max level, and I basically remember nothing, so I'm basically a noob.

 

There are a few points I would like more info about, like powers choice, a good one for starters that can do good on their own (I mostly like DPS, the higher the better)

 

I am from Europe, but the recommended EU server seems a tad unpopulated, should I pick Everlasting and be done with it? High pop is important for me.

 

And finally, a big hello to all you guys over here! ^^

[Spaghetti Betty]

Hi, welcome back to CoH!

 

I think my first and most important tip to you would be to not get overwhelmed by the info being thrown at you. As I'm sure you've probably surmised, the game has grown a lot during its time as a Live game and even here on Homecoming. There are a lot of helpful guides here on the forums, and plenty of people that are more than welcome to give you more focused advice on specific things should you ask. You can even send me a PM here or in game @Spaghetti Betty should you ever need help. I don't mind.

 

The most populated servers here are Excelsior (general gameplay) and Everlasting (RP-focused), but there are still seasoned players that call other servers their home.

 

You said you're looking for a solid DPS class that can perform fairly well on its own with no prior investment. For that, I'd recommend a Brute! Their gimmick (Fury) ramps up their damage as you fight, so you can focus your enhancement goals on things like Endurance Reduction and Accuracy so that you aren't getting tired quickly or missing a bunch. Brutes also have the amenity of higher defensive caps than their Scrapper cousins, meaning they get a lot more growth potential from buffs if you find yourself on a team.

 

Once you get to level 10, I'd recommend hopping over to a University (located in Steel Canyon or Cap Au Diable) so you can learn about Invention Origin Enhancements. While they do have a somewhat steep learning curve to use, they will push your character to new heights that you won't be able reach on Training/Dual/Single Origin Enhancements alone.

 

And remember to have fun! The game is tuned to a variety of classes running bare bones enhancements. Anything that poses a significant threat to you can be easily overcome with either Inspirations, tactics, or a couple of friends at your side.

Edited May 1, 2023 by Spaghetti Betty

[MoonSheep]

in my opinion a scrapper would be a better solo character than a brute. the data dump from december showed tanks performing quite highly too

 

as betty says, there’s a lot of info available and most things come down to personal preference - e.g. i wouldn’t trade my dom for the world

 

i’d say build whatever looks like the most fun and post on here if you have any queries as you go along

 

welcome back

[MrAxe]

1 hour ago, MoonSheep said:

in my opinion a scrapper would be a better solo character than a brute. the data dump from december showed tanks performing quite highly too

Sorry to derail for just a moment but where does one go for this dump?

[twozerofoxtrot]

I agree with Betty, a Brute is a great first try character that will feel strong without advanced knowledge of how the game performs.

 

Don't worry about getting over-invested in the "wrong" choice early on. It is trivially easy to get max level or make a lot of money in-game. 

 

I would not recommend starting with a Scrapper or Tanker, though both are great. The reason why is Scrappers need access to certain power enhancements (ATOs) to really unlock their potential and Tankers start with frustratingly few damage attacks at low levels. Leave these choices for later, when you understand the game better.

 

 

As for powers, there's a ton. A good secondary that won't let you down is Willpower. Not a lot to manage, allowing you to focus on your attacks and learn the flow of combat. 

 

And by chance a relatively recent melee powerset comparison used Willpower as the control group secondary so you can get a good read on what powers should pair best with WP (when fully built, at max level, of course). Bonus if you fall in love with the character, the player who did the study linked all their builds in the Excel sheet.

 

On which Shard to play:

 

I can't speak for Excel but if population is key, I would imagine more European players and US night owls would be present there than Everlasting. 

 

That said, I play on Everlasting myself and there are a fair few there as well. 

Edited May 1, 2023 by twozerofoxtrot
Errors, additional info

[Blastit]

Brutes, Scrappers, Stalkers are decent starting points. Brutes have the more immediately engaging playstyle as you run around trying to keep your Fury bar high. It's fun! If you want glass cannon DPS, pick a Blaster. Peacebringers and Warshades are more esoteric DPS and could be worth having a look at. You never know what you click with. They need more work than the others, though.

 

 

Don't worry too much about minmaxing, IO sets, power pools and such. You'll grow into it and be able to get plenty of respecs. Also, changing your costume is free up until level 10 so if you want to fill those slots make sure to do it. Make sure to check out the vendor for the prestige bonus powers and enhancements. They can smooth out your early levels very nicely.

Edited May 1, 2023 by Blastit

[Nyghtmaire]

There is lots of good advice here. Jumping on the brute bandwagon. Another solid, self-sufficient starting AT is the sentinel. A little less damage, but mainly a ranged focus (if that is your kind of thing). That said, there are many, many, MANY character slots - much more than were available on Live. I recommend staying 3-4 characters of different play styles and begin leveling them slowly so you can compare and contrast the experience.

All the ATs have changed a fair amount since Live. However, the core of each is mostly the same. For example, blasters still blast; they tend to be more survivable now with far better endurance management (and the nukes don’t drain all of your end).
 

Hero vs. Villain - not sure when you last played, but there are 3 starting choices now: 1) hero (blue side), 2) villain (red side), and 3) Praetoria (gold). Generally, blue is more populated than red, and gold is nearly always an exclusively solo experience. Gold side is also considered a bit more challenging to start, but the writing is improved, and the missions take you through a story where your choices have an impact on the narrative you play through. 
 

For starters, here is a link to the Homecoming Wiki. Lots of foundational information here if you need a quick resource: 

 

https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Main_Page

Good luck and welcome back to the game!

 

[MoonSheep]

2 hours ago, MrAxe said:

Sorry to derail for just a moment but where does one go for this dump?

 

it still blows my mind and defies the laws of science

 

 

[EmperorSteele]

So, real basic stuff.

 

As you level up, you will get enhancement slots for your powers. HOWEVER, you only get about... 55ish total? Nowhere near enough to put max slots in all powers. You'll probably want 5 or 6 slots in your attacks, and 2 or 3 in your armor and utility powers.

 

Also, you can't just put 6 damage enhancements in all your attacks. There's a system in place that puts diminishing returns on enhancement value as you approach 100%. So you won't get full value out of a 3rd damage enhancement, and the 4th will only give like, 1%. It's generally better to enhance with a mix of damage, accuracy, and endurance/recharge/status (you'll have to choose between making a power cheaper to cast, decreasing recharge time, or boosting secondary effects... or maybe just a bit more damage, your call!)

 

The IOs mentioned in a other post above are an advanced sytem, but will help you get more out of your limited slots. Many IOs (and other Special enhancements) increase more than one stat, so one slot will have Damage/Accuracy, another will have Damage/Recharge, another will have Damage/Acc/Rech, etc, giving you a bit more economy for your slots. But worry about that later once you have the basics down =)

[Grouchybeast]

Welcome home!

 

In addition to all the other great advice, I'd say not to worry too much about choosing your character.  You have 1000 character slots per server, and even without considering deliberate power levelling it's much faster to level up a character these days.  Try out some different archetypes and power sets, see what takes your fancy.  Especially if you're planning to do a lot of teaming you might find that you really enjoy something like a blaster, which can really let loose in a team.

[High_Beam]

Also, ask for help in these forums or in the HELP channel in game.  There are lots of great players who like to help. 

 

Also, have fun, it is just a game that isn't even supposed to be around anymore so enjoy the fun and live like it will be taken away again tomorrow.

 

But have a sense of humor with some of the responses as they can get . . . Snorky?  Snakey?  Stymie?  Something like that . . . looks like Count Orlok.  Nice guy actually except for the blood sucking and . . . well snarkiness 🙂

[Hedgefund2]

The HC wiki is a great resource and a good spot to go for details and a first place to find answers.

 

https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Main_Page (also linked to at the top of this very page with the "Wikis" link, choose the first one, the second one is a legacy Wiki).

[SeraphimKensai]

I skimmed through this so I may have missed it. But you can typically build out a toon on the test server max it's level, give yourself IOs and plug and play to see if a build and playstyle work for you.

 

Then you can start building that character on the actual production servers. The value of the test server is often overlooked quite a bit by newer players, or players that don't engage on the forums.

 

 

[ZemX]

5 hours ago, MoonSheep said:

in my opinion a scrapper would be a better solo character than a brute. the data dump from december showed tanks performing quite highly too

 

It showed heavily procced, Incarnate tanks doing well on a solo max difficulty challenge, to be precise.  Tanker vs Brute vs Scrapper isn't going to resemble those results much while leveling up in normal content.

 

But you can't go wrong with Brute or Scrapper for someone who wants DPS.  Tanker will feel a bit lacking on normal enhancements, I think, compared to those.  The best you'll notice with a Tanker is the ability to ramp up the number of enemies you face earlier and that will bring up their XP earning to better compare vs. the other two while soloing.  But it's not going to knock anyone's socks off on damage until it really is an endgame Incarnate proc-tweaked monstrosity.

[cranebump]

Brute will give you a good balance of damage/defense. If you want to wade in and smack stuff, that's a good way to go. That said, nothing beats a blaster for taking down stuff from afar. You can get a good mix of ranged/Defense with a Sentinel, but you'd have to run some toggles likely. I've enjoyed (insert primary ranged damage set here)/Regen Sentinels a lot, since they mitigate endurance problems. If you intend to solo, might want to consider an Energy/Regen blaster. The knockback will keep foes off you. 

 

Once in game, I suggest playing the Outbreak Tutorial, since it will walk you through power uses, inspirations, and basic mission mechanics. Then play the story contacts, either Habashy, and/or the origin contacts. These missions will feature straightforward objectives and small maps. You might want to do Twinshot in Atlas, since this is a tutorial arc that has some interesting (if not obnoxious) characters.

[0th Power]

Blaster - live on the edge!  

[Luminara]

Build planner:  https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn/releases/download/3.5.3.6/MRB_Setup.exe

 

Up to date power information:  https://cod.uberguy.net/html/index.html

 

Better maps:  

 

 

Mod installer:  

 

Mods and other tools:  https://forums.homecomingservers.com/forum/60-tools-utilities-amp-downloads/

 

Free money:  

 

 

Silencing annoying powers, or changing the sounds:  

 

 

Make your own money:  

 

What to do when you hit 50:  

 

 

And remember to have fun.

[ZemX]

50 minutes ago, 0th Power said:

Blaster - live on the edge!  

 

...and sometimes... the floor. 🤪

[Techwright]

4 hours ago, Grouchybeast said:

Welcome home!

 

In addition to all the other great advice, I'd say not to worry too much about choosing your character.  You have 1000 character slots per server, and even without considering deliberate power levelling it's much faster to level up a character these days.  Try out some different archetypes and power sets, see what takes your fancy.  Especially if you're planning to do a lot of teaming you might find that you really enjoy something like a blaster, which can really let loose in a team.

 

I'd second this.  As a seasoned player of both the original game and the homecoming variant, I'd recommend running such a trial using DFB teams (Death From Below) which are pretty constantly being recruited in Atlas Park, at least on Excelsior.  I recently couldn't decide on a weapons character (which weapon, which archetype), built the 3 likeliest and ran them each through DFB a couple of times to get them to 15 (it's remarkably quick these days using DFB).  By the end of it, I had a good understanding of each and could make my choice.

 

1 hour ago, 0th Power said:

Blaster - live on the edge!  

 

As a blaster fan, I approve! 😁 Who cares what the Brute Squad thinks? 😜  That said, if you go that route for a first character, consider Energy/Energy as a training possibility.  As I'm about to get a lot of grief for that comment, I'll note that the very thing people hate about Energy is the thing that can aid a solo player: a built-in knockback on all powers.  Keep your opponents at bay. The Secondary power set is more melee in nature, and that also aids in dealing with those who get too close during soloing.  You can always get the conversion enhancements (knockback changed to knockdown) if you choose to do a lot of team work, and you do have a second build available to your character (see it at the trainers) which would allow you to swap between a solo build and a team-oriented build of your design.

 

I'd also suggest checking out the sentinel archetype.  Ranged attack somewhat less than blaster, but with survivability approaching some of the melee classes.  Sentinel is a polarizing archetype, I'll note that up front.  Some hate them, but many show up in teams, so there's definitely an interest there.

Edited May 1, 2023 by Techwright

[Snarky]

You want high damage.  You said other stuff, but pretty sure you said the higher the better.   Most crap after that is irrelevant 

 

The highest damage here us a Fire/something Blaster.  With FireFire prob top

 

Only thing is it is prob a nightmare for a new player.   If you can stomach range (less damage but tons more safety) I would suggest a Beam aRifle or Assault Rifle.   
 

One of the main problems with Fire is it has no secondary effect to mitigate incoming damage. No stun, no to hit debuff, no knockdown, oh it does get one thing. More damage as the secondary effect.   It just obliterates rooms.  But if you do not know the missions, the mobs, the maps you will end up in the floor.   Like, a lot of floor.  You will learn the ground texture of every map we got.  
 

Still, I suggest you try a Blaster.   Find a theme.  We have many power sets.  A Blaster is straightforward and does the highest damage in the game.  It can be challenging.  So maybe do not jump into the deepest end of the pool.  At first

 

If you want to take a tourist look at it jump on a Beam Rifle Willpower Sentinel.  Middle of the road damage and just easy fun.  Great way to learn the maps and the game.  You need both knowledge and damage to get things done fast.   If you have the best DPS and little knowledge it will be a rough road.  

 

 

[TheOtherTed]

I'm going to sidestep your initial request, @Druscaelan, as people have pretty much already covered the bases.

 

My tip for you is that once you feel comfortable with one archetype (and power set combo), branch out a bit.  Play a completely different AT that you would otherwise have ignored (e.g., if you're drawn to DPS, consider trying a Controller or Defender).  Related to this, if you start out as a solo player (as many of us do), make yourself join a team by the time you hit level 20.

 

My reason for this is that you can learn a lot about your preferred AT by choosing something else and critically watching other players of that AT.  In my case, I learned a surprising amount about Scrappers (my first AT) by playing a Controller, and I learned the basics of tanking by keeping Tankers alive as a Defender (or at least trying to).

 

Another tip, which will go against all popular opinion, is to avoid DFB.  Completely.  Sure, you'll get some shinies and an easy ride to 20, but you won't learn (or re-learn) what you need to know.  If you're not badging, the "TF" isn't worth the capital T or capital F.  It's a cake-walk.  If you are badging, it's like herding cats.  Hyper, spastic, over-caffeinated cats with massive backpacks full of "oh, gee, sorry about that" but lacking the self-control to mean it.  You'll learn more playing solo and increasing your own difficulty rating bit by bit.

[Luminara]

5 hours ago, TheOtherTed said:

My tip for you is that once you feel comfortable with one archetype (and power set combo), branch out a bit.  Play a completely different AT that you would otherwise have ignored (e.g., if you're drawn to DPS, consider trying a Controller or Defender).

 

And a sidetrack to this sidetrack:

Don't assume "archetype" = "DPS".  Or "control".  Or "tank".  Or anything.  Everything in this game is what you make it.  I don't play my Grav/TA controller as a controller, for example, I play it as a scrapper with Wormhole, and it works.  You can do anything with any archetype, it just takes the will and the knowledge to make it happen.  Archetypes are guidelines, they can be bent to fit any play style.  Find the style that works for you and try it with different archetypes.  It's a lot more fun than playing a "role".

[catsi563]

Ohai new friend you bring teh donuts?

 

Welcome back to the city. best advice this crazy cat has is just have fun. take your time running through the game as it is avoid the DFBs and such as you can rapd fire out level your zones. take it slow and easy with each mission read the comments and stories the mission giverrs are telling you. Soak in that wonderful music each time you load into a new zone

 

just plain have fun

 

if you ever have any questions or need help call out in gen chat or help channel we have a strong community always willing to lend a hand paw or cybernetic claw to a fellow hero/villain/rogue etc etc

 

have fun and welcome home

[UltraAlt]

On 5/1/2023 at 1:45 AM, Druscaelan said:

Hello there, I decided to start today, and I was wondering if you guys could give me some tips

 

I'm a "character conception" player.

I really think City of Heroes is about creativity and creating things. Of course, once created, the characters are about exploring the world through their mind set and fighting the forces of evil (or being evil ... if for some reason that is you character's "thing").

So my advice is to think of the kind of character you want to play. The kind of powers you want your character to have, what they look like, and an origin story. Then go in and find an archetype and power sets that matches that, a costume that meets at least your base level standards, and write your bio before even going into the game.

Doing that makes playing characters more enjoyable to me even when I really have to work to get the character to succeed in some instances.

 

On 5/1/2023 at 1:45 AM, Druscaelan said:

First of all, im not a veteran, I played CoH decades ago, and never got to max level, and I basically remember nothing, so I'm basically a noob.

 

Welcome home.

 

On 5/1/2023 at 1:45 AM, Druscaelan said:

There are a few points I would like more info about, like powers choice, a good one for starters that can do good on their own (I mostly like DPS, the higher the better)

 

Then a blaster is probably your go-to.

 

On 5/1/2023 at 1:45 AM, Druscaelan said:

I am from Europe, but the recommended EU server seems a tad unpopulated, should I pick Everlasting and be done with it? High pop is important for me.

 

If high pop is important but you are playing from Europe I would go with Everlasting over Excelsior.

Excelsior has a higher population, but that might also increase lag.

I really feel sad about Reunion's numbers these days though. I have had some good times on that server (I have characters on all servers, but mainly play on Torchbearer and Everlasting at this point ... because, I too, enjoy teaming... Torchbearer is usually okay for population during America primetime [one side of the coast to the other] but after that it drops off pretty quickly.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Oubliette_Red]

4 hours ago, Luminara said:

 

And a sidetrack to this sidetrack:

Don't assume "archetype" = "DPS".  Or "control".  Or "tank".  Or anything.  Everything in this game is what you make it.  I don't play my Grav/TA controller as a controller, for example, I play it as a scrapper with Wormhole, and it works.  You can do anything with any archetype, it just takes the will and the knowledge to make it happen.  Archetypes are guidelines, they can be bent to fit any play style.  Find the style that works for you and try it with different archetypes.  It's a lot more fun than playing a "role".

 

And to side-track even further, if you've been playing other MMO's since, CoH is unbound and unimpeded by the "Holy Trinity" of most MMO's. The choice of what you play won't be dictated by what the team "needs".