Double exp as a new player?

[Road]

This one facet alone makes me not want to play... and I don't know why.

 

I do want to.. just knowing could get levels faster at the tradeoff of not getting currency sticks in the back of my mind.

 

So it is worth taking right?

[Lunar Ronin]

Personal opinion: I'd advise leveling normally and skipping the XP boosters for the first couple of characters, just so you get more exposure to the game and learn it.  Unlike post-World of Warcraft MMOGs, City of Heroes is not an "endgame"-oriented MMOG thankfully.  It's about the journey.  Once you have a couple of characters under your belt and are more familiar with the game, then by all means use the XP boosters.

 

Of course, the ultimate decision is yours, but that's my two cents.

[Snarky]

It is “usually” not a financial decision.  Nothing is until you're broke…

 

almost everyone here will advise you, as you learn, to stay away from 2xp boosters 

[Six-Six]

depends on what you want to accomplish.

the inf you earn from the regular grind is negligible. that's unless you craft recipes, convert and play the market... which is another game on its own. That said, by the time you're 50, the game is practically throwing inf at you.

if you want to get enough powers to join the thick of things like Task/Strike forces, then power levelling + xp boost is the way to go.

if you prefer the content, then you'll feel that the regular levelling rate is too fast, and you'll want to turn xp off every now and then so you don't out-level contacts and missions. (a lot of low-level ones are really good.

the regular (slow) grind isn't that slow. you'll be level 10 in about an hour without rushing. level 20 in a day or two. things slow down onwards unless you raise the difficulty. The benefit is you learn how to use your powers better and git actually gud. Sure there are frustrating times that you just don't have enough powers or enough slots, but personally, I think that's part of the fun. 

but at the end of the day, it's a personal choice. while one way isn't wrong or better than the other, It shouldn't be a default. Just because you want to doesn't mean the other guy does as well--or just because the other guy wants it, doesn't mean you have to suffer for it.

[MoonSheep]

9 hours ago, Lunar Ronin said:

Personal opinion: I'd advise leveling normally and skipping the XP boosters for the first couple of characters, just so you get more exposure to the game and learn it.  Unlike post-World of Warcraft MMOGs, City of Heroes is not an "endgame"-oriented MMOG thankfully.  It's about the journey. 

 

i agree. a lot of the early content such as Posi 1 and 2 below lvl 20 is some of the best content in the game anyway 

 

there’s a lot to learn in the game. i’ve been playing for 20 years and still learn new things 

[tidge]

If someone is a really new player I can't imagine wanting to get (low level) XP faster... the starter zone content will get a solo player to level 10 with almost no effort... and I find that I run the risk of missing zones like Port Oakes, the Hollows or Kings Row even without extra XP. There are some fundamental things to learn early, like zone travel and travel powers.

[Ukase]

Opinions are certainly going to vary. Since I'm not new, and the game has changed a fair amount since HC opened the doors, almost making it a bit of a different game from retail, in some ways, I get to feel like a new player. 

Because once a month or so, I make a character (or three) that have to level up organically, starting from zero with no help from alts, I think I'm in a good position to answer this. 

No. Don't take 2xp. The reason why has nothing to do with the influence that you lose. It has more to do with the powers you've chosen, and how you might use them in game to keep from getting clobbered too often. Getting defeated happens. Many players laugh it off, which I guess is good, but a small number of those players have no idea how or why they got defeated, and never figure out how to avoid that from happening again. I'm not in the majority with my perspective, so please don't take my way as the only way or best way, it's just a way. 

Have fun while you're playing, but learn about your character. For every hour you spend in the costume creator, you might want to give equal time to looking at the powers you have available, and how best to use them. The problem is - as a new player, you really don't know what the npcs you'll face are capable of until you face them. And that is the rub that 2xp can rob you of. It gives your character experience while taking experience away from you, the player. 

It's useful to learn that Circle of Thorns have accuracy debuffs, defense debuffs, sleeps, holds, and a number of other challenges to overcome if you face a group of them. 
It's useful to learn that some npcs just slowly approach you, shake and then explode. 
It's useful to learn a lot of things in the game, and 2xp can rob you of those lessons. 

Now, a lot of us more experienced players - we've learned the lessons, and some folks even have the dialogue memorized and enjoy impersonating the sound of Molly Ephraim's voice when they recite dialogue from certain cut scenes. Amusing to hear, really. Alas, I was sworn to secrecy. But I digress. 

Don't take it. After you've been through the content a few times, then feel free to take it. At least then you're making more of an informed decision. 

[gameboy1234]

I'd give different advice.  When Torchbarer was just first opened, XP boosters where basically all I did.  Later, I thought that I could make more toons and run the through the story.  So I think if the XP seems like something you want to try, do it.  Get it out of your system.  Get a high level Tanker and Brute and Scrapper and Dom to play around with.  Later when you feel that you actually want to, you can look at the story as it progresses through the various zones.

 

 

[biostem]

11 hours ago, Road said:

This one facet alone makes me not want to play... and I don't know why.

 

I do want to.. just knowing could get levels faster at the tradeoff of not getting currency sticks in the back of my mind.

 

So it is worth taking right?

The amount of influence/infamy/information you get in the lower levels is far lower than once you get to 50, and there are other ways to earn that currency besides from enemy defeats.  That being said, if you don't like it, don't use it.  I'm not sure why a purely optional and voluntary feature would put you off so much...

[Scarlet Shocker]

Much of the answer that works for you is going to depend on your own goals and personal playstyle

 

If you're soloing, XP boots "take the edge off" the levelling process. If you team, they do the same but you typically get more XP simply by dint of being able to knock down more enemies in a given time frame. 

 

As others have pointed out, Inf gain is negligible (I don't usually start filling slots until close to 20 unless something useful actually drops) just vending everything that comes my way. 

 

My own preference is to not use an XP boost, or at least only use a little one (25% or 50% max) but sometimes I do use 100%ers, for example when I am already familiar with the powers and style of a particular alt and I just need to get to Level X. 

 

Some of the lower level content is outstanding and well worth playing through as intended and an XP Boost can break that experience. 

 

The main reason for not using XP boosts is because you might get to 50 very quickly and then discover you don't know anything about the game.  

[MTeague]

In the six years I've played since 2019, I have never used a single 2 XP booster deliberately. 

The one time I accidentially popped one, I immediatially went into options and selected "No XP".

 

It is stupidly easy to level super-fast even without any bonus XP / patrol XP. And if that's really what people want, OK, knock youself out.  I guess I picked up some parts of my outlook from EverQuest and WoW's early years, and feel like levelling should take a long time, and that I should experiance several phases of a character's life as they gradually grow in power, and that anything else is cheating myself, denying myself the lessons needed to play the character properly. Which, intellectually, I know that doesn't hold true in CoH. But the back my mind will not let that go.

[WuTang]

15 hours ago, Road said:

This one facet alone makes me not want to play... and I don't know why.

 

I do want to.. just knowing could get levels faster at the tradeoff of not getting currency sticks in the back of my mind.

 

So it is worth taking right?

 

I've ran 2xp since day 1. The first thing I do after I make a character is load up on 8 full hours of the stuff. The last thing I do before I log out is replenish it. Rinse and repeat until 50, which I've done in 2 days without power leveling....sort of....after lvl 35 hop into a +4/8 ITF and technically your just along for the ride.

 

I've slow rolled a couple to 20 something and yes the stories are worth it, but that's not my thing really.

 

The "lost" inf from the 2x xp boost is seriously just a drop in the bucket. One run in an ITF after 50 and you'll earn more than you would've from 1-49 any ways. Influence or Infamy is super easy to accumulate after 50.

 

I say boost yoself! Get loads of inf socked away then slow roll you a toon to 50. This way you can gear the slow roller with all the best and it'll be less of a slog.

 

Just my 2 inf....

[MonteCarla]

Do you want to play Batman or X-Men? 🙂

In other words, are you planning to do as much as you can on one main character, or explore all the possible powersets and archetypes and see what you like?

 

If you're playing X-Men style, grab the 2xXP booster.

 

[Maagic]

15 hours ago, WuTang said:

 

I've ran 2xp since day 1. The first thing I do after I make a character is load up on 8 full hours of the stuff. The last thing I do before I log out is replenish it. Rinse and repeat until 50, which I've done in 2 days without power leveling...

 

Some would say using the 2xp booster IS power leveling

[Maagic]

On 10/2/2025 at 10:15 PM, Road said:

This one facet alone makes me not want to play... and I don't know why.

 

Maybe it was the way this was worded that bugs me, but if you're that put off about a feature of the game, then DON'T USE IT! It's a setting that has to be turned on, it's not forcing you to use it. 

 

I don't like the Positron Task Force. Do I complain about it? No, I just don't join those TFs. SMDH. 

[WuTang]

12 minutes ago, Maagic said:

 

Some would say using the 2xp booster IS power leveling

Mkay...some would say it ain't 🙂

[Crossie]

If only there was a way not to use the 2xp booster.  It should be optional!!!!  Devs makin the poor poorer every day while they get rich.  SMH

[Marshal_General]

I think we level too fast as it is. Do both Posi TFs and you have leveled past a good chunk of content and I can't remember to remind myself to turn xp off at the right times.

[UltraAlt]

On 10/2/2025 at 11:15 PM, Road said:

So it is worth taking right?

 

As a new player, I would say "no" unless your goal is to not play the game and skip to the end-game by power-leveling or door-sitting on a farm.

I do not suggest doing either.

 

By using 2XP you will end up bypassing a lot of content.

 

I'm going to add that I find the "new" (new from before he sunset) low-level hero-side content is annoying to me.

For a new player, I would suggest (on the hero-side) to go down into the basement of City Hall in Altas and talk your character's Origin content. There is character-relevant Origin contacts from level 1-50 that won't show up on your contact list;  you have to go to the Origin contacts to get passed to the next character origin contact. Each of the Origins have their own contacts through the higher-levels

Spoiler

(I won't say more as it is a spoiler)

so I feel like these are worth exploring. I will say that there tends to be a good amount of hunts (some of which are more difficult than others and some that have to be completed by workarounds due to game changes).

 

Now, as new player, you might be asking "If there origin-specific  contacts on the hero-side, why is my character not being directed to them?"

That is a good question. Originally, hero-side characters would be directed to their Origin contact when they zone into the game for the first time. As the game grew over the years, "funnelling" started. That is to say that players were "funneled" to content where it would be more likely for other players to be involved.

The Origin contacts give Origin-specific missions (fighting origin-specific foes) which means Origin relevant enhancement and salvage drops. So if you run Origin-contact missions, you will get useful enhancement drops on all missions that your character's Origin contacts; you might not want to slot what you get, but  you will be able to slot everything that you get.

That being said, back-in-the-day, your character could only get the starting Origin contact for your character origin; that isn't the case any more. So if you want to take character on their Origin Contact path, make sure to pick the contact for your character's origin.

I apologize, but should continue on this topic for a moment. Halfway through a Origin Contact's arc you will given the option of one of two contacts that are not the character's origin and then at the end of their arc (or the level after they go inactive), they will introduce your character to the next contact related to the character's origin (sometime you might have to go into the inactive contact window to track them down to get them to give you the next contact for the player's Origin). The text will tell you what origin the contact is when you pick them. If you outlevel an origin contact, it seems like you can always go to the last contact you out-level and continue to go through outleveled contacts until they send you to a high enough level origin contact that will provide missions to your character.

Well, at this point, you might be saying "is UltraAlt going to continue ranting about this? I was just asking about x2xp." Yeah, well, I know. So I will close with, another reason for funneling was the introduction of merits. You gain merits when you complete a contacts missions arcs. So if you are running your character's magic arcs with another player who has a science origin character who doesn't have the same contact (since now you can take any of the origin contacts you want at this point instead of being bound to the character's origin) then they will not get merits for completing the arc.  Also,

Spoiler

due to the Origin-relation wheel

Spoiler

- see an hint of the relations of origins to one other here-

 

https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Enhancements#Dual-Origin_Enhancements

Character Origin	Enhancement Types
Magic	Magic/Mutation	Magic/Natural
Mutation	Mutation/Magic	Mutation/Science
Natural	Natural/Magic	Natural/Technology
Science	Science/Mutation	Science/Technology
Technology	Technology/Natural	Technology/Science

Spoiler

What is implied by this is that DO Enhancements for an Origin Contact will always be usable for the Origin of the contact but they will also be usable for one of the two related Origin based on the enemy that is being fought. An enemy group will always drop DO's based on their origin and the same related origin.

Spoiler

Basically each origin is connected to two related origins.

So Magic more related to Mutation and Natural than Science and Technology.

The Origin relation wheel goes: ...Magic>Natural>Technology>Science>Mutation>Magic...

 

 

 

, they won't be getting drops that they can use from magic-related missions either.

 

You can see an example of an Origin contact list here: https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/MAGI

There is a wiki page with info with list of contacts for each origin.

Spoiler

I've been very slow-going on this, but this is the record of my attempt to follow each of the origin contact paths.

 

 

 

 

There are plenty of side zones with missions that your character can do that aren't origin relevant (and the focus on Origins was on the way out when CoV was released - there never were any Origin contacts for CoV).

I wouldn't worry about this too much, we have 1000 character slots per server and the game has a lot to explore and experience.

 

New players are less likely to know when to turn-off xp gain (Options>General>Miscellaneous>"Disable Earning XP") to avoid outleveling contacts. The "static" team that I run with turns off xp-gain quite frequently to avoid outleveling content and/or let one of the teammates or another catch up with a higher-level team member. When I PuG, I sometimes turn off xp for the same reason but I don't expect anyone else on the team to do so.

 

 

"But I'm still not getting enough influence even when x2XP is turned off!"

Those of us that are heroes want you to succeed in THE CITY. Just yell out in the /help channel or ask in team. Generally, someone will give you some influence for slotting while leveling - just don't abuse it and don't expect anyone (but maybe a supergroup mate) to be willing to provide you with enough influence to fully mini-max-build enhance a level 50. SO's at levels below 30-35 are more than we had when the game first came out, and they are fine for running content all the way to level 50.

 

So I'll close this part with how I opened this,

As a new player, I would say "no" unless your goal is to not play the game and skip to the end-game by power-leveling or door-sitting on a farm.

I do not suggest doing either.

 

But, yeah, I ramble on, so I'll continue.

x2xp is for players that have already played the game to advance through content that they don't want to play and/or to reach a level that their characters have gained some powers or can start running task forces.

2 rounds of DFB (Death from Below) with x2xp can you you to or past level 8 which is enough to join a Positron 1 taskforce.

I generally run x2xp two-ways. Joining or leading a DFB will mean that you are going to be running with a team. The same thing goes for being on a task force. (I like running with teams. You never know what powers the other player's characters have or how they are going to react against the content). 

When solo/PuG'ing character, I get a full 8 hours of 2xp for character and then I don't get any more and I will turn xp-gain off as I see fit. Some characters I don't feel like they should go past a certain level, and they are fun for me to play at that level and/or feel like I'm not bringing in a character that is too high above the level intended for certain content.

When on my "static" team, I use x2xp because the rest of the team is using it, and, as I typed previously, we turn off xp-gain to avoid outleveling content or to allow other members of the team to catch up level-wise.

 

Take what info you like. Ignore the rest.

 

 

 

 

Edited 12 hours ago by UltraAlt

[UltraAlt]

On 10/4/2025 at 9:28 AM, Crossie said:

If only there was a way not to use the 2xp booster.  It should be optional!!!!

 

 

On 10/4/2025 at 9:28 AM, Crossie said:

Devs makin the poor poorer every day while they get rich.

 

Oh, it isn't the DEVs making the rich "rich".

 

 

Oh, sorry.

I didn't mean to distract you.

Go on with your, Ebil Marketing business.

Don't mind me. I'll show myself the way out.

I was never here. 

 

 

[Ravenplume]

For a new player, I advise experiencing the content on the way up.  There are plenty of great old story arcs and one off missions to experience, and other than story arcs and badge missions, there are a lot that you can't flashback (some that award various temp powers as well).  Plus, with story arcs, running them as they become available has the advantage of not limiting your teaming options as you progress (flashbacks lock you into TF mode, meaning once started, you can add others to the team)

 

I am actually running several characters that have not taken any double experience at all, some to hit various arcs and other missions as they level, and a couple others hitting all the TFs or SFs on the way up.  Roc and Roll just hit 41, and is the one hitting all the TFs.  He just did Market Crash, and now to get caught up, needs Hannon, Quarterfield, and Moore.  I am hoping I get those knocked out before the L44 TFs come up.  Been trying for days to get a Hannon, and no luck whatsoever (don't have it unlocked myself)  Going to try again after this little late 4:20 break...