Advice for New Players?

[Archaeological_Hawk]

Veterans of COH — is there any advice you would give a new player? Something you learned the hard way, after years of experience with the game? What would that advice be? Anything helpful, no matter how trivial, post it here!

Edited Tuesday at 04:02 PM by Archaeological_Hawk

[GM Crumpet]

Enjoy the journey, it's not about the end game here. 

 

Learn to use the auction house and merits or you'll be permanently broke.

 

Enjoy making different alts and concepts, but be prepared to do the same training contacts over and over. (My friend made dozens of characters and never got past level 20 then gave up the game because he was bored. He'd never seen 90% of the content).

Edited Wednesday at 03:17 AM by GM Crumpet

[catsi563]

what crumpet said take it slow enjoy the city it has SOOOOOO MUCH to offer you.  dont feel in a rush to run to 50 just play through the contacts enjoy the task forces. and when you get to 50 enjoy the end game

 

then do it all over again

 

and above all welcome to City of Heroes

Edited Tuesday at 04:09 PM by catsi563

[Navy Spider]

Enjoy the process more than the end result.  That's the key to enjoying most things in life. 

 

Also.... kill Skuls.

Edited Tuesday at 04:22 PM by Navy Spider

[BRB_bio]

• Avoid DFB. That, and AE before it, are vehicles by which veteran players can level up and bypass the 1-20 grind.
• Experiment with different ATs and power combinations.  You'll learn so much more about how the game works than if you pick some "1337" build (do the kids still say "1337"?).
• Once you're relatively comfortable with the game, try teaming up.  You'll learn even more about synergy and how to turn impossible situations into victories.
• Experiment with character concepts.  Got an idea for a ghostly character who was created from the combined psychic despair of the people killed in the Hollowing?  Or maybe Gilgamesh's kid brother actually won the secret of immortality but is kind of sorry that he did?  The game's "lore" is flexible enough to accommodate almost any idea.

[Archaeological_Hawk]

I still need to purchase a computer to play the game. Recently, my life has become super busy — but I hope to remedy that soon!

[Snarky]

Run a Corruptor.  The damn things are insanely great at the game…

[Psyonico]

Don't be afraid to ask specific questions.   The forums,  discord,  and /help channel are usually very open to answering questions without making you feel stupid. 

[Captain Fabulous]

The START vendor has a lot of great stuff, much of which is free. But as a new player I would avoid the double XP buff. Sell everything that drops to a vendor except orange salvage, which you can drop in the Auction House (/ah) for 1 INF and get the current market value. Don't bother slotting any enhancements till at least level 22 when you can start using full strength SOs and IOs (I generally wait till level 27 and go with common IOs from the AH since you don't outlevel them like you do SOs).

The game tries to limit you in 3 ways -- your ability to hit, constantly running out of endurance, and never having enough Influence. Hoard your INF! Only buy what's absolutely necessary (an end reducer in every power as well as an accuracy in all your attacks; 3 slotting Stamina with endurance modification enhancements).

Play on teams that are around your own level.

Don't be afraid to experiment. Try different ATs, powersets, and powers to see what you like and what you don't. I often create multiple versions of a character to see which combo of powersets and AT I like best.

[mistagoat]

At level 15 you gain access to the crystal in Oro (pillar of ice and flame?). I like to use the crystal to complete story arcs because you can't outlevel the contact this way. Otherwise you could find yourself in a situation where you've done 4 out of 5 mission in an arc but you leveled up in that last mission and now the contact won't give you the last mission. The crystal locks your level and the enemy level until the arc is over so you can't outlevel it.

 

A personal SG base is easy to make and so so useful! It doesn't need to be pretty, just get some teleporters and storage bins in there and you'll be golden!

 

Install Vidiotmaps and grab at least 1 exploration badge in each zone you visit to unlock that zone in your long range teleporter. (Also get all 8 badges in a zone for 5 reward merits)

 

There are free attacks in the start vendor in pocket D. Black Wand, Nem Staff, Sands of Mu & Ghost slaying axe. You can have 3 of the 4, I usually skip the axe. These attacks will give you a fairly solid attack chain at level 1 and make your early levels much smoother.

 

The start vendor offers 5 free procs, 4 damage and 1 knockdown and they don't expire til level 21. This is another way to pack some extra damage into those early attacks.

 

If you want to use the Amplifiers from the START vendor (strong buffs you rent by the hour, not required for anything but a nice leg up on those early levels), then buy the max qty at level 1 when they only cost 1000 inf per hour. The price goes up every time you level and they get pricey pretty quick.

 

Don't rush to 50, I have much more fun in the leveling up process than I do in the Incarnate grind.

 

I'm sure there are a million more but thats all I've got for now.

Welcome and have fun!

[Archaeological_Hawk]

Does COH run on Steam Deck? I own one of those and it would save me a trip to the store.

[The Trouble]

Yes, it'll run on Steam Deck.

 

[Archaeological_Hawk]

8 minutes ago, The Trouble said:

Yes, it'll run on Steam Deck.

 

Thanks. I am installing it now.

[COH Radgen]

Welcome to the City, welcome to Homecoming!

[Captain Fabulous]

1 hour ago, mistagoat said:

At level 15 you gain access to the crystal in Oro (pillar of ice and flame?). I like to use the crystal to complete story arcs because you can't outlevel the contact this way. Otherwise you could find yourself in a situation where you've done 4 out of 5 mission in an arc but you leveled up in that last mission and now the contact won't give you the last mission. The crystal locks your level and the enemy level until the arc is over so you can't outlevel it.

You can't outlevel a story arc that you've already started (as evidenced by a book icon next to the contact). You *can* outlevel the contact and be prevented from being given a follow up contact and/or the next arc once you've completed the one you started. You see this a lot in the Hollows and Striga.

[Skyhawke]

4 hours ago, Captain Fabulous said:

You can't outlevel a story arc that you've already started (as evidenced by a book icon next to the contact). You *can* outlevel the contact and be prevented from being given a follow up contact and/or the next arc once you've completed the one you started. You see this a lot in the Hollows and Striga.

 

Also, you can outlevel certain rewards for a story arc, even if the book icon is there. Looking at you, Stephanie Peebles....

[Skyhawke]

As for my advice? Knockback. Everything. Gray mobs? Knock em back. Purple mobs? Knock em back. Archvillain? Knock them back as well. Story contact? Boom, pow and off they go! Trainers? Yep, you guessed it! Have fun chasing Ms Liberty across Atlas Park, scrubs! Helicopter pilot? Knock that fool back and make some Task Forces more interesting! Hell, knock yourself back and cut out the need for a travel power!

 

Also turn off sprint in combat in the early levels or you'll burn through endurance quickly. 

 

Also disregard my first advice, people frown upon chasing helicopter pilots.

[gameboy1234]

Some random advice for someone new...

 

The culture in this game is really built around pick-up groups and just doing whatever content you like.  Watch the LFG channel and ask to join groups you see forming there.  Unless they state a minimum level (like "35+") then they're usually open to anyone.

 

The best way to join is to left click on the person's name in the chat window, and pick "Send <name> a message" right at the very top of the pop up.

 

Once you're on a team mention you are new.  Most folks will offer tons of advice, even overwhelming amounts.  Absorb what you can, leave the rest for later.  If someone seems especially helpful try to stay and chat them up for more advice.

 

Use "/g" in chat to send messages to the team window.  There's tiny buttons just above where you enter chat that will set the default so you don't have to type that each time.  I think if you right click on the window just above where you enter chat you also set the default.

 

Welcome and good luck!

[MTeague]

early slotting advice:

• if you play something with an "armor" powerset (Invulnerability, Fiery Aura, Willpower, etc), don't go nuts over-slotting your defenses at too low level. There are some exceptions but I try to keep these powers to 1-2 slots until my character is in their mid-20's. 
• early slots are better spent in your damage-dealing powers. The harder you hit, the fewer attacks you need to defeat an enemy, which means the less endurance you spent to defeat that enemy.  also the faster you defeat enemies, the fewer incoming hits you have to facetank.
  • You'll want one +Acc, and three +Dmg SO's in your bread and butter powers right away.
  • a +EndReduction SO is also helpful in your teens to 20's. 
  • SO = single origin enhancement

currency / auctions: 

• starting out, money will be tight. 
• this can sometimes be removed as a concern if a veteran player chooses to smile upon you.  If a veteran player throws 20,000,000 influence your way, that will remove any concern of affording basic enhancements for a long while. It's not something guaranteed to happen, but 20 million is literally chump change to someone who's been playing the game for several years with multiple lvl 50 characters.
• if no such gifts are made, or if you specifically want to earn the money yourself, be mindful of any Invention Salvage you get in drops
  • white salvage can be sold on the auction house (Wentworth's, or the Black Market), for 200 each. 
  • yellow salvage can be sold on the auction house for 2000 each.
  • orange salvage can be sold on the auction house for 400,000 each, sometimes more. 
  • at least in the case of orange salvage, this vastly exceeds what NPC vendors will pay for it. 
• you earn Reward Merits by doing story arcs, and acquiring all the explore badges in a zone, or taking part in Task Forces, etc.
• Reward Merits can be turned into certain kinds of salvage that sell very very well on the auction house. Most notably Enhancement Converters.
• At some point you may choose to stop selling Converters, and start acquiring them for personal use.  Do not regret any you already sold.  You can always earn more Reward Merits. It's not difficult, at all.  

General:  

• sometimes it's helpful to tag enemies with a range attack and run around a corner, pulling them to you, rather than charging them. 
• there is no shame in running away to rest / heal.
• there is no meaningful penalty for being defeated, other than the blow to pride. 

[biostem]

14 hours ago, Archaeological_Hawk said:

is there any advice you would give a new player?

Try out any and all the ATs and powerset combinations that look interesting to you - don't jump into the guides just yet and don't worry about messing anything up - you get 1000 character slots per server, so try everything out and see which is to your liking...

Edited Wednesday at 06:12 AM by biostem

[espectro]

Ummmm…..let’s see, 

 

If you’re on a squishy, carry break frees. 

 

That’s the ticket. 

Edited Wednesday at 07:14 PM by espectro
Angry forumites

[Ghost]

35 minutes ago, espectro said:

If you are a guy playing female characters in the ordinary game (not RP circles), be upfront about your irl gender.

You won’t add disappointed lesbians to your list of regrets. 

Male associate won’t tell you they thought they were playing with a “cool girl.”

You won’t have a conversation that ends with “you can’t blame a guy for trying.”

 

On the other hand, if your hustling for some fast xp max those sliders out and wear as little costume as the game permits.

Find a farmer with the huge body type, spikes, etc. and call them Daddy or something. 

 

[mistagoat]

16 hours ago, Captain Fabulous said:

You can't outlevel a story arc that you've already started (as evidenced by a book icon next to the contact). You *can* outlevel the contact and be prevented from being given a follow up contact and/or the next arc once you've completed the one you started. You see this a lot in the Hollows and Striga.

Perhaps something else was at play but I have experienced Talshak refusing to give me his last mission when I hit 16 in Atta and preventing me from getting the merits for the arc. I had to repeat the arc through the crystal to get my merits.

[Scarlet Shocker]

Experiment: ATs, Powers, Pools, APPs, PPs, Blue, Red, Gold, Marketing, AE, creating, playing, vending, flipping, defeating, killing, switching, EATS, VEATs, zones, arcs, SFs, TFs, content, PLing and all the rest of it. 

 

You'll find something you like

 

 

[Skyhawke]

2 hours ago, espectro said:

If you are a guy playing female characters in the ordinary game (not RP circles), be upfront about your irl gender.

You won’t add disappointed lesbians to your list of regrets. 

Male associate won’t tell you they thought they were playing with a “cool girl.”

You won’t have a conversation that ends with “you can’t blame a guy for trying.”

 

On the other hand, if your hustling for some fast xp max those sliders out and wear as little costume as the game permits.

Find a farmer with the huge body type, spikes, etc. and call them Daddy or something. 

 

Ma'am, this is a Wendys.