The Officially Unofficial Weekly Discussion #63: What do you do for low level content or to get through levels 1-30?

[sbloyd]

First I dash through Galaxy tutorial.  Once I'm out of there, I hit P2W for x2 XP, and some powers like Sands of Mu. Run straight to where the Hellions are, well, raising Hell off to the west end of Atlas Park, and drub them en masse; I don't go back to level up til I hit five or six - the level-up Inspiration bonus just fuels my murder rampage.

 

Then I level up at Back Alley Brawler and street sweep down there while hitting DFB any chance I can.  Level to around 14-15.

 

At that point I can usually tell if a toon is a keeper; if it is, I transfer a billion inf to them for some enhancement pocket money.  If not, I shelf them.  I don't delete them because maybe I'll wanna try again.  Either way, I'm probably not doing any more levelling content - it'll be a combination of alt-account power-levelling and trips to hang out with friends in the MSR murder-bowl.

[Apogee]

Over my 100 or so characters on my primary account I run half Blue side and the other half as Gold side versions.  Blue side I usually do the Arachnos and Skulls arcs, then work through Steel to Faultline, Striga, and Croatoa.  Gold side I do a complete all run (turning off xp at levels 10/15/20 to get all the missions) then make my way to Faultline, Striga, and Croatoa once I go thru the portal.  I run mostly the same content but using different powersets and playstyles keeps it fresh.

[BurtHutt]

I haven't gone into new characters for a while. I have a lot of toons and don't want to start a new one until I do more research and put together a build. Or maybe a new powerset comes along that I like. Honestly, a new AT is beyond due and that would be cool. I really like some of the ideas the other servers have in regards to new AT.

 

Anyway, for the new toons, I usually hit a DFB, maybe do the opening arc. I then usually jump into a Posi 1 then 2 and maybe Synapse. I will also jump in on some red side SFs. I may also dabble in some radios/papers. This easily gets you to 20 and then some more decent TF/SF options open up. I really dislike Citadel and have done it maybe twice since I found HC (late 2019).

 

Anyway, there are also events that help a bit like Rikti invasion and maybe trick or treating and so on. Maybe DiB, Summer Blockbuster etc.

 

I am in no rush and play sessions are more fun this way. It's ideal when you can actual team with some online pals that also like to level up or just enjoy the game and some content. 

 

CoX really does have a ton of options. If I'm feeling rather nutty, I will join a goldside team (when they're around). 

[Cyrickain13]

On 1/18/2024 at 9:20 AM, DougGraves said:

Old contacts, new contacts, blue side, red side, gold side, DFB, story arc zones (Hollows, Faultline, Striga), AE stories, AE farming?

 

And do you do any of the special contacts like Twinshot, University tutorial, Cape and Aura arcs?

 

I have been really bad about this. I will make a concept (hero/villain) that I like as a hero mostly -- skip the tutorial and visit the P2W vendor for the EXP boost. Then I will head to Kings Row and do some AE Farming to get them high enough level to be enjoyable (Not Pocket D for some reason I have always loved the Row) . Once they do the AE farming, they go to Null the Gull to get the correct concept badge and then to Steel Canyon for the costume mission. 

 

I did do some DFB's after I see the P2W Vendor but until recently that has been hit or miss. 

 

By that time they are 20-30 most of them are around 24-26....if I play them again I do some more AE to get them to 30. 

[Ael]

I played from i4 - sunset on live, elsewhere for 6 years, and here since the game returned in 2019. Unless it's a brand new powerset that I'm using, and, atm, there is not, I get my alt account farmer if the server isn't 3 red dots and I farm the alt to 32. It takes about 40 minutes with a double XP booster. After that, I slot level 35 IOs and play the game. Lower levels, after so many years, and hundreds of alts, just aren't fun for me.

[Yomo Kimyata]

Of course, everything depends, but I've got a system that generally works pretty well for me which involves soloing quickly and I can generally justify it economically and in a role playing fashion as well.

 

Lvl 1:  Do the Breakout tutorial redside, pick up the exploration badge, choose Kalinda as my contact.

Lvl 2:  Level up with Arbiter Richard, kill one enemy (usually a RIP) which will give me enough inf to post the two large inspirations that I got during the tutorial for my initial seed money.  Visit Kalinda, and on the way to the mission visit the P2W agent.  Pick up Inner Inspiration, Athletic Run, 8 hours of double xp booster -- all free.  Pick up Reveal (10k) and a 30minute jetpack (5k).  Finish up Kalinda's arc for your first merits, and this generally dings me to level 5.

Lvl 5:  Visit all exploration badges in Mercy Island for 5 merits and the Long Range Teleporter (the jetpack is useful).  Go to Pocket D, pick up both exploration badges to unlock Pocket D as a location.  Go to Null the Gull and make all adjustments I want, and switch to hero alignment.  Go to Atlas and visit all exploration badges for 5 more merits.  Go to Kings Row, get a radio from a detective, pick up one exploration badge to unlock Kings Row (usually Wentworth History buff).  I'll also generally start trading salvage at this point to try to build up inf for SOs and such.  Run three radio missions, run Atlas Safeguard mission.  This will generally get me to level 7 or 8, and I'll usually have enough inf at this point to buy SOs.

Lvl 8:  Use the Find Contact button to teleport to David Wincott in the Hollows.  Run his arc and Flux's arc for merits and punk Frostfire usually at level 12 or so.

Lvl 12:  Use Find Contact to teleport to Montague in Steel Canyon, do one mission for him, run three radio missions and then Kings Row Safeguard pre-15.  Then finish up Montague's Steel missions, go to Atlas and unlock the Cure Lost power.  This generally gets me to 17.

Lvl 17:  Use find contact to teleport to Angry Young Man and start up the Faultline arcs.

[Clave Dark 5]

Trying to live by my credo of no farming these days and really meaning it, so the last few new toons have just gone around doing an occasional low level arc, a DFB or three (tops), while trying to avoid Council farming on PI "any level accepted" because that did feel too lazy.  Not that I haven't done them once or twice, but definitely less.  Now that the population is up, it's common enough to see someone advertise for a team that's at least nearish my level (I'll go below too), so I do those.

[BunnyHop]

Here's my plan that people seem to gravitate towards and I rarely have any issues filling teams.

 

1-6 - Street sweep, you just run around atlas, pref heading towards Brawler to level while slowly killing things.

 

6-15 Hollows > Frostifre. Everyone loves a good frostfire with trolls mixed in, these groups fill up super fast and higher levels often come to assist meaning you blast your way through with some speed.

 

15-25 - Faultline - Head over to Faultline through trainline to Skyway city south, once there follow the steps up and go on the highway to Faultline. Jim Tremblor is your man, into Doc Deliah's missions give AV's and good missions.

 

25 - Open up your contacts and look for Roy Cooling (great name) - All his missions are good fun even if a little bit of a challenge at times! watch out for Ambushes

 

After Roy you hit 30 or so, I enjoy Brickstown (Praetor arcs from contacts, he tells you to contact him when you hit 30 on the pop up) as they have a lot of AV's and people rarely see the missions, although the finale with Calvin scott can be real difficult for teams, I spent 30 mins today just wiping and running back.

[JasperStone]

Currently working through alts...yes mostly at 50.

but...

I do all the Atlas Arcs for Badge

Shining Stars ... badges

Posi 1 and 2 ... all the TF in the 8-30 range

DFB and DiB, badges 🙂

Frostfire ...because ICE ROOMS!!!

[High_Beam]

Regardless of AT, they all start Blue (except the one all the way Red and one as far as possible without grinding Gold).  I do not farm or use XP boosters (you do you mate, no worries)

 

1. Tutorial

2. Visit P2W for goodies (unless I actually got them in the Tutorial, I always seem to forget you can).

2. Hashaby Arc while also talking to the respective Origin contact in City Hall.  Work their missions usually gets me to 6 maybe 7.

3. While doing those, get al Atlas Badges and go to Ouroboros so my transport options are improved.

4. Kings Row Scanner and Safeguard to get Jet Pack

5. A single DFB run for Badges and buff most needed by the AT playing.  This usually puts me at or over 10, if not I try to trick Tony Kord into giving me Negotiator.

6. Off to Steel Canyon.  Do Montague's Arc to open the Midnight Club.  Do the Crafting Tutorial (even if the crafted item is essentially useless).  Also doing radios to get KR Safeguard.  When done, almost always at 15.

 

From here its catching Task Forces, doing Spelunker and the Requisite Plaque for Atlas.  Posi 1 and two plus Synapse while doing radio for Skyway Safeguard and soon I am 20 at a minimum.  Form there is when individual flavor and action begin; no pattern.  But to 20, almost always the same.

[Oubliette_Red]

For the most part it really depends on the character, half the time I don't even pick up contacts since I'm playing with friends and get drug along dinging away merrily. Only exception currently is Goldside, as I mentioned in a previous post.

 

[tidge]

Very rarely I will have a character that I want to get to 17-20(*1) PDQ... it will be a specific AT or using powersets I am very familiar with, and to get there I will usually just DFB or team with 2XP. Doesn't matter what it is, but I don't play in AE. Otherwise...

 

...I shift my attitudes a LOT. I usually will try to alternate between which arcs characters do. For example: Blue Side I may go KR or I may go Hollows. Many times I turn off XP just to do newspaper/radio missions. At some point I am doing SF/TF, which by themselves can be a LOT of XP.

 

So I guess the answer is: "anything but a dedicated farm".

 

(*1) I mention this level range, because this is pretty much when all ATs (except maybe VEATs) will "feel" like the final character. It's also when most of the enhancment sets are available for slotting. It has become very rare that I feel like I need Epic/Patron or Incarnate powers to enjoy a character.

[Xalon]

For low level content and under 30 I do the following:

 

Atlas (all contacts)

Kings Park (all contacts)

Spend time in between contacts doing shorter missions in Perez, Hollows and Boomtown. 

Steel Canyon

Skyway City

And so on.

 

I grab every contact I can and do all the missions I can. Stick to the city maps, but also mix in hazard zone missions to help out.