Could Someone Giv eme Advice Choosing an Archetype for a Casual Solo Player?

[davidcook]

Hello there,

 

I am new to Homecoming and City of Heroes in general; though I have played MMOs casually in the past. I am excited to dive into this game; but I could use some guidance on picking an archetype that suits my playstyle.

 

I mostly enjoy playing solo; though I wouldn’t mind teaming up every now and then. I am looking for something that is fairly beginner friendly, does not require too much micromanagement, and can handle a variety of content without relying too heavily on others. I am not necessarily aiming for the most powerful or optimized build just something fun and versatile to help me explore the game at my own pace.

 

From what I have read so far; it sounds like Brutes, Scrappers, or even Masterminds might be good choices for solo play; but I would love to hear your thoughts. Are there specific powersets within those archetypes that shine for solo players? Or is there another archetype I should be considering that I may have overlooked?

 

Also, I have gone through this post; https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/33941-need-at-suggestions-for-my-devops-style-of-play/ which definitely helped me out a lot.

 

Also; how important is it to plan a build early on? Should I be worried about gimping myself if I just pick what looks fun in the character creator, or is it fairly easy to fix mistakes later down the line?

 

Thanks in advance for your help and assistance.

 

[UltraAlt]

1 hour ago, davidcook said:

From what I have read so far; it sounds like Brutes, Scrappers, or even Masterminds might be good choices for solo play

 

I would agree.

For a starting player.

 

But you are trying to avoid complication, then you have to be careful about the power sets you pick.

Some power sets are much more complicated than others; dual blades and titan weapons are good examples. From the mastermind side, I would say traps falls into the same category.

 

1 hour ago, davidcook said:

Also; how important is it to plan a build early on? Should I be worried about gimping myself if I just pick what looks fun in the character creator, or is it fairly easy to fix mistakes later down the line?

 

Are you going to power level or actual play the game?

And are you more focused on mini-maxing than experiencing the game through character conception?

 

If you play through the game and level at a moderate pace, you can sort of feel where your character is weak and pick your next power and slotting to try to cover up that weakness or focus on building up where you are strong. That is really up to you.

 

You can gimp yourself - but you have 1000 character slots per server. If it doesn't work out you can build another character.

-or-

You can /respec a character every 10 levels or ... even more often .... if you buy respec recipes on the /ah.

 

/respec basically dumps out all your enhancements into a tray and resets you to square one and lets you pick your powers from scratch. You can't change Archetypes or power sets with /respec, you just get to repick all your powers and slotting.

 

And, honestly, I would just pick what is fun. We are here to have fun.

But, of course, I'm of the mindset to tell you to make a bunch of characters that you think are cool and then play them in some kind of rotation ... like when you get the feeling to play that kind of character. 

 

If you do pick a Mastermind, I would suggest robotics/electrical affinity and running in defensive mode. The electrical powers tend to chain, so you can use them on a nearby robot and it will - most likely - affect your character as well. While in defensive mode, your robots won't attack until you or one of your robots is attacked, and then they will target the attacker. Defensive mode also means your robots share their hit points with you; they act like ablative armor. When you get hit, they take damage as well as yourself. The combination works really well as robots tend to stay close by while in defensive mode.

 

If you are running heroside, I would suggest not using x2xp and start by going to your character's origin contact in the basement of City Hall. They are old school arcs, but they are good at progressing you through the leveling process and getting you used to using your powers.

Remember that every enemy group has it's strengths and weaknesses. Sometime it take time to figure it out, but is what makes the CITY fun for me.

 

 

[Techwright]

I would like to suggest holding up on mastermind (MM) for the moment.  Maybe run it as a second character.  While the MM's pets do most of the fighting, there's still a lot to control.  A team will compensate for this, allowing a new MM a little leeway to figure it out, but running it solo as a first-time player might be a tad complex.

 

Scrapper or brute for melee should be good. Brute has a mechanism for ramping up its abilities as it fights.  Sentinel might work.  It tends to have scrapper-level defenses and range-striking offenses, though not as powerful as a blaster.  In other words, more survivability than a blaster, but still having the advantage of taking several shots out of enemy reach.  This seems to fit your quote of "not necessarily aiming for the most powerful or optimized build just something fun and versatile to help me explore the game at my own pace."

 

I do agree with @UltraAlt regarding powerset picks.  Some can bring complications.  In counterpoint, some can counter inherent problems to the archetype.  Take the example of an energy/energy blaster, which is one of my mains.  Blaster's are notorious "glass cannons":  high damage/low defenses.  However energy powers come with inherent knockback (KB).  While it has been maligned in teams when used incorrectly  (the "correct" way is to line up the shot with a wall or other obstacle behind the opponent to stop his movement), KB will throw your charging opponents violently backwards, often dropping them on their backs for a few seconds of a stun effect where they cannot fight, but you can unleash damage upon them.  In essence, it is a strong defense.  KB can be enhanced, or converted to knockdown (KD: basically dropping the opponent on his back where he was standing) using a special enhancement at the sacrifice of one of the 6 enhancement slots for a power.  This satisfies the needs of a team, and still grants you a level of protection for an otherwise vulnerable archetype.

 

Ice is an interesting powerset to consider in whatever archetype it is found.  While not the highest damage, it can be enhanced to be notable in its damage, and more importantly, Ice can slow, trap, or even freeze-in-place an opponent or group of opponents, depending on the individual power's inherent abilities and how your slot it's enhancements.  It is fantastic in team use, and can be used quite effectively in both team and solo to reduce the likelihood that an opponent can fight back while being damaged.

[GM_GooglyMoogly]

Hey davidcook, welcome to the game!  I moved your topic to the "archetypes" section as I thought it might get more eyes.

 

I would think Tank, Brute, or Sentinel are good starter choices.  Tank and brute have lots of armor and hitpoints and get mez protection (immune to crowd control effects).  Sentinel also has armor, but weaker and less hitpoints, but it does ranged damage if you prefer that.

 

However, all that said, you can start with anything and successfully solo it through the game for 95% of the content.

 

Good luck with whatever you make and please ask for help here in the forums, in our Discord, or in the game.

[TygerDarkstorm]

Agreed that a Mastermind is not a great pick for a first character as an introduction to CoH. Masterminds tend to require extra things like keybinds/macros to control henchmen and can be troublesome in teamplay when you're not used to them. I will also echo the sentiment that a scrapper, brute, or sentinel will probably fit best for a first character.

[Maelwys]

For "learning the ropes" I'd definitely recommend a melee AT (Brute, Tank or Scrapper - and Sentinel kinda counts too!).
Not having to worry about mez protection (getting held/slept/stunned/whatever) is a huge weight off a newbie's shoulders.

And of those ATs... I'd probably lean towards a Brute for the easiest levelling process if I'm honest. Brute's "Fury" inherent makes you not have to overly worry about slotting your attacks for damage enhancement - so you can comfortably start off with 1-2 Accuracy and 1-2 Endurance Reduction Single Origin or Basic Crafted Invention enhancements. And Brutes also get access to Energy Aura; which is once of the best all-rounder defensive sets. (Some offensive powersets get additional healing or defensive buffs - such as Dark Melee, Broadsword and Martial Arts - and might make a particularly effective pairing with /EA for a "SOs-only" or lower-end IO build)

However whilst Brutes will be able to cruise through most content; they're not typically the best pick for soloing Archvillians or Giant Monsters (as beating their regeneration rate needs lots of damage output or debuffs... and whilst some Brutes can technically reach the required thresholds it'll be tough for your first toon to do that without buying and spamming loads of -regeneration temporary powers!) so if soloing AVs/GMs is important to you then I'd go for a Bots/Traps Mastermind instead. 

[Zect]

8 hours ago, davidcook said:

I mostly enjoy playing solo

 

Scrapper; passive anti-CC and good dps even without gear.

 

Brutes are also good solo AT's but some people (certainly not me, but some other people) may expect you to 'tank' as in take point. Nobody ever wants anything from a scrap, so it's the perfect unga-bunga class.

 

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fairly beginner friendly, does not require too much micromanagement

 

Primary: any. The melee powersets are highly homogenized and coh toons do not have complex rotations like most other MMO's.

2ndary: willpower; passive mana regen, passive defenses, no clicks to manage.

 

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how important is it to plan a build early on?

 

Absolutely not important; some people haven't learned how to build competently after playing for close to 20 years, and they do just fine.

 

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Should I be worried about gimping myself if I just pick what looks fun in the character creator, or is it fairly easy to fix mistakes later down the line?

 

You can respec very easily; you'll get a respec (type /respec) every 10 levels, more are sold on the cheap, and there is no limit to how many times you can do it.

 

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Or is there another archetype I should be considering that I may have overlooked?

 

Sentinel; ranged, but with the anti-CC and defenses of melee classes.

 

Blaster; the other classes typically recommended are very handholdy, as in they insulate you from most of the challenges that exist in the game. Blasters have little anti-CC and defenses, so they quickly learn to identify and deal with threats, to conserve resources and build situational awareness. A brute will carry you, a blaster will teach you how to play. This AT is for the new player who does not fear knowledge and growth.

 

Edited December 16 by Zect

[Without_Pause]

You can get to Level 50 and be fine with SOs or common IOs starting at Level 25. You only need to take the IOs to 35 if you 3-slot specific aspects. You can go higher if you are 1-slotting. You also get one free respec every 10 levels, so feel free to use them to work on builds. My super generic slotting for SO/IOs would be ST 1 Acc, 1 End Red, 3 Damage with possible 1 Recharge. AoE is 2 Acc then then the same as ST attacks with skipping the Recharge. Toggles tend to be 1 End Reduc and 3 for whatever it is meant for. 

 

ATs: Scrapper, Stalkers, Brutes, Tankers, and Sents would be the top ones. Basically anything which has mezz protection.

 

One question to ask is what do you mean by solo? Do you care about soloing on higher diff settings, and if so, do you know the range? I ask because if you are willing to go the route of essentially the default diff setting then basically every build for those ATs work. 

[biostem]

12 hours ago, davidcook said:

I could use some guidance on picking an archetype that suits my playstyle

I'm going to make 3 recommendations, (though 2 use the same secondary powerset).  Namely, those are:

 

1. Dual Pistols/Ninjitsu Sentinel - You have the advantage of range and a secondary set with pretty much no holes in the protection it provides.  On top of that, dual pistols has its "swap ammo" power, which provides an added layer of versatility - want more damage, go with incendiary ammo.  Want more range and control, switch to cryo ammo.  Want a bit more in the way of debuffs, give toxic ammo a try.  Ninjitsu also provides a self heal or endurance recovery power that you can use on demand.

 

2. Katana/Ninjitsu Scrapper - In addition to the already-mentioned advantages Ninjitsu grants you, Katana is a solid set and can further compliment the defense that Ninjitsu already grants you.

 

3. Radiation Armor/Savage Tanker or Savage/Radiation Armor Brute - Whichever of these 2 you go with, they'll be a solid powerhouse.  Savage Melee is about sustained damage and provides a significant self recharge and endurance discount buffs, plus a bit of added mobility in its T9 attack.  Radiation Armor provides solid resistances and will pretty much make sure you never run out of endurance.  It also offers absorption, which is uncommon among armor sets, as well as a PBAoE power that both harms & debuffs enemies, whilst also healing allies.

[Frosticus]

Imo tanks and stalkers are both very easy to cruise thru solo missions. For different reasons mind you, but both super smooth out of the gate.

 

Just solod a bio/sav tank. Among the easiest 1-50 I've ever experienced. IOs felt completely optional while leveling.

 

 

[Onlyasandwich]

First just pick something that sounds neat. Being excited about the fantasy of what you are playing is an important part of making the experience interesting. I'm not saying you have to have some sort of heavy RP lore, but a a fun theme that marries costume to powerset goes a long way.

 

Every AT is pretty newbie friendly these days. Masterminds are a bit hard to enjoy without a little knowledge of keybinds though. If you go that path, consider looking at the beginner guides in the MM forum for some setup advice.

 

I wouldn't overplan your first build. Just stick with the basics and be aware of Enhancement diversification caps. If you're a natural planner, it can't hurt to pick around the forums at some example builds with whatever sets you choose, but don't feel like you need to copy them directly. 

 

Once you have some cash to play with, you can decide whether you want to invest it into researching and crafting a more focused build.

Edited December 16 by Onlyasandwich

[biostem]

29 minutes ago, Onlyasandwich said:

Every AT is pretty newbie friendly these days

The only thing I would add is that, early on, most ATs play very similarly, but once you get into the late teens to 20s, you start to encounter a lot more mez effects, and at that point, if you're planning on mostly soloing, you're really going to not having status protection...

[Without_Pause]

My only complaint with soloing Tankers is their damage is on the lower side. They get a benefit against larger mobs, but you need to be able to survive those mobs, and the damage output can be a factor. My point is, I've soloed Tankers only to reroll them due to how boring they were. Brutes, 1-20, are essentially the best to solo due to Fury. I have soloed to 50 many more of those. The one Tanker build which did work for me in terms of soloing is Shield/fire. 

[Octogoat]

Honestly? I would go corruptor then mastermind once you learn the ropes a bit. So a power set like force fields or time or marine.

[Octogoat]

5 hours ago, Without_Pause said:

My only complaint with soloing Tankers is their damage is on the lower side. They get a benefit against larger mobs, but you need to be able to survive those mobs, and the damage output can be a factor. My point is, I've soloed Tankers only to reroll them due to how boring they were. Brutes, 1-20, are essentially the best to solo due to Fury. I have soloed to 50 many more of those. The one Tanker build which did work for me in terms of soloing is Shield/fire. 

 

Shield/fire is a snack

[biostem]

5 hours ago, Without_Pause said:

My only complaint with soloing Tankers is their damage is on the lower side.

No doubt.  But if you go with an armor set that can boost your own damage, like bio armor, it alleviates that.  Your other points are well taken, though...

[Without_Pause]

14 minutes ago, Octogoat said:

 

Shield/fire is a snack

It's an S tier armor with the fastest Trapdoor clear times based on the melee set used. Fire is second least resisted damage type so the damage is 'any' map consistent. It can clear faster than a number of Scrapper builds. Did I have all of one ST attack until 28? Yep. I used BoF as my other ST attack until I did a respec. Note, for Alpha I did Musculature. The build isn't even finished, and I'm basically down to basic smart play and not being able to die at +4x8. On low diffs, trash fodder is two clicks. 

[Octogoat]

10 minutes ago, Without_Pause said:

It's an S tier armor with the fastest Trapdoor clear times based on the melee set used. Fire is second least resisted damage type so the damage is 'any' map consistent. It can clear faster than a number of Scrapper builds. Did I have all of one ST attack until 28? Yep. I used BoF as my other ST attack until I did a respec. Note, for Alpha I did Musculature. The build isn't even finished, and I'm basically down to basic smart play and not being able to die at +4x8. On low diffs, trash fodder is two clicks. 

It's why I picked shield/fire for my devil girl the only thing I can say is you don't want to start with something too high performance or you'll be expecting it if everything and fall into harshing yourself when you die.

[StriderIV]

2 hours ago, Without_Pause said:

It's an S tier armor with the fastest Trapdoor clear times based on the melee set used. Fire is second least resisted damage type so the damage is 'any' map consistent. It can clear faster than a number of Scrapper builds. Did I have all of one ST attack until 28? Yep. I used BoF as my other ST attack until I did a respec. Note, for Alpha I did Musculature. The build isn't even finished, and I'm basically down to basic smart play and not being able to die at +4x8. On low diffs, trash fodder is two clicks. 

 

1 hour ago, Octogoat said:

It's why I picked shield/fire for my devil girl the only thing I can say is you don't want to start with something too high performance or you'll be expecting it if everything and fall into harshing yourself when you die.

One of my favorite parts of this combo is using the energy shield option and when ruining (with ninja run)  you click any of your sword single target attacks. Looks sweet to do the run with your giant flaming sword drawn.

 

Shield Charge + FSC + Combustion is a ton of fun.

[Without_Pause]

On 12/17/2024 at 6:37 PM, StriderIV said:

 

One of my favorite parts of this combo is using the energy shield option and when ruining (with ninja run)  you click any of your sword single target attacks. Looks sweet to do the run with your giant flaming sword drawn.

 

Shield Charge + FSC + Combustion is a ton of fun.

I use the energy shield option on mine. I practically need to open up more costume slots so I can do more variations. 

[Icono04]

On 12/16/2024 at 6:52 PM, Zect said:

A brute will carry you, a blaster will teach you how to play. This AT is for the new player who does not fear knowledge and growth.

QFT. I started out as a blaster player and only much later began to make melee chars, and IMHO the learning-by-failing that you get as a new (and in my own case unskilled) player on a glass cannon AT is the best tutorial you can get in CoH.

But yeah, it can be a rough ride. For someone who has limited playtime (not that the OP mentioned this, but possibly relevant for other newb readers) it might not be a worth the additional time commitment, in which case a melee character is a wiser choice.

 

On a related note, a Stalker is a good compromise. Not quite as sturdy as a brute/scrapper/tanker but plenty sturdy enough, and the DPS is oh-so-satisfying. But then again, I am the guy who answers "stalker or widow" to every question on this forum, regardless what the question was.

[Psiphon]

I'd go SR Sentinel, the benefits of a Scrapper without having to chase the mobs down. 

[Uncle Shags]

I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

Make a character.  Try it out.  Solo. Teams. See how it feels.  Be ready for confusion.  That's normal. 

 

Get creative. 

 

Try another. And another. Go back to the first and see how it feels now. 

 

The beauty of this game is there is a nearly incalcuable (smart people have tried and given up) number of ways to combine power sets, archetypes, powers, enhancement, play style, backstory, etc., and in the end, almost anything can turn out to be super. 

 

With a little bit of skill and practice you can go into a mission where you're vastly outnumbered and come out wildly victorious. 

 

You can go into a mission with 7 other people and every single person walks out the door feeling like THEY were the one that saved the day.  The other 7 did fine, but it was their specific actions that had real meaning, and made a huge impact towards the success.  

 

This game is crazy, complicated, and confusing. But the good news is, it allows you to focus on what YOU find fun.  No matter what that is.

 

Go with that.  The fun. 

[Octogoat]

12 hours ago, Uncle Shags said:

I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

Make a character.  Try it out.  Solo. Teams. See how it feels.  Be ready for confusion.  That's normal. 

 

Get creative. 

 

Try another. And another. Go back to the first and see how it feels now. 

 

The beauty of this game is there is a nearly incalcuable (smart people have tried and given up) number of ways to combine power sets, archetypes, powers, enhancement, play style, backstory, etc., and in the end, almost anything can turn out to be super. 

 

With a little bit of skill and practice you can go into a mission where you're vastly outnumbered and come out wildly victorious. 

 

You can go into a mission with 7 other people and every single person walks out the door feeling like THEY were the one that saved the day.  The other 7 did fine, but it was their specific actions that had real meaning, and made a huge impact towards the success.  

 

This game is crazy, complicated, and confusing. But the good news is, it allows you to focus on what YOU find fun.  No matter what that is.

 

Go with that.  The fun. 

 

1000 slots