Celestial_Lord

I am, always have been, and most likely always will be a DC Comics fanboy. I grew up watching The Adventures of Superman with George Reeves on the small screen, the Superman films with Christopher Reeve on the big screen, the Batman television series with Adam West, the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman television series, and the Super Friends cartoon. Thus, I'm just going to be upfront and admit that I'm hugely biased.

I purchased a lifetime subscription to DC Universe Online the day SOE launched it, and don't regret it. More than any other MMOG, I feel at home playing it. Metropolis, Gotham City, the Justice League Watchtower... they're all meticulous and stunning. You feel like you're there. You can tell that SOE took a lot of time and effort into getting them right. The game is entirely voice acted, and mostly by the same voice actors that portrayed the various DC characters in the Batman, Superman, and Justice League animated series. SOE nailed the DC universe's atmosphere, IMO. The details of Metropolis and Gotham City and the voice acting draw you right in.

Playing DCUO makes you feel like a super-hero. Flying around Metropolis actually makes you feel like you're flying, especially once you kick into super-sonic speeds. Combat is much more visceral than City of Heroes as well, IMO. You can pick up a parked car and toss it at a bad guy. You can block and dodge. IMO, DC Universe Online is the best super-hero game out of CoH, CO, and DCUO.

I said best super-hero game, not best super-hero MMOG.

DCUO's achilles' heel is that it was ultimately designed for consoles, (specifically the PlayStation 3). The UI is horrible for the PC. The game is designed for the use of a game controller. Because of this, voice chat is a necessity. You can text chat, but it's clunky at best and very inefficient since you should be using a game controller while playing. So, IMO, DCUO is a bad MMOG.

I also have a lifetime subscription to Champions Online... which I do regret. Unlike DCUO, it has a decent UI, you can easily play via keyboard and mouse, text chat is easy, and it's fine as a MMOG. But it feels like a parody of a super-hero MMOG instead of a super-hero MMOG. Foxbat is a good example of this. The mission that transports you to the set of the "Anchorman" film is another. Also unlike DCUO, the game feels lifeless... plastic. The cartoony look doesn't help in that regard. What little life there is in the game feels like a parody of the silver age of comic books, thus my comment that it seems like a parody of a super-hero MMOG.

Take my opinion with a huge grain of salt. Both games are free to play now, so it doesn't hurt to give either a try.

Why in the world would anyone in his or her right mind buy a NCSoft game after August 31?

First they took Tabula Rasa away from me. Now City of Heroes. Never again.

1. Knockback

2. The Hollows

3. Kheldians

4. Orenbega (or, as I liked to call it - Oingo Boingo)

5. Synapse Task Force

6. PvP zones

7. City of Villains accolades

8. Sappers

9. Knockback (seriously, I hate knockback with the burning of a thousand people with gonorrhea.)

You can be a (super) hero in The Secret World. IMO, it's the closest MMOG to City of Heroes, in both features and community. Sure, you don't wear spandex, but you can assume a codename, have superpowers, and fight evil. The only thing you're really missing, or at least I am, is travel powers. For that, there's DC Universe Online.

I will admit that the Mission Architect gave me extra incentive to check out Champions Online. It was very difficult to find teams running regular content between Issues 14 and 15, when most people were farming AE. Now, I didn't say that everyone was PLing, and that no one was running regular content. But, let's be honest. Between Issues 14 and 15, most people were PLing in AE, and that's all they were doing. With Champions Online's launch around the corner at the time, it seemed like a haven from the non-stop farming.

But Champions Online's launch day patch killed it, and the launch of Issue 16 shortly after curbed the AE farming, so back I came.

So, yes, I could see how the Mission Architect played a significant role in the loss of CoH players, but it wasn't the only one.

Awesome. Just FYI though in case you were unaware, there's a bunch of people from the RWZ 2 photo shoot that are missing.

Good luck with that.

Bumpity bump bump.

Bump.

Bump.

Champion was not my first server. I had actually started my adventures in Paragon City on the Liberty server. I took a break from the game in 2007, and came back a year later in 2008. I wanted to play red side, 'cause I found the archetypes superior. A friend suggested to me that I roll up villains on the Champion server, and said that the server had an active red side.

Lying bastich.

Regardless, I stayed on the Champion server, playing Masterminds and Stalkers, almost exclusively solo. About the only time I teamed was during Rikti mothership raids.

Then things changed.

First, I met Family Stone just after the launch of Issue 14. We quickly became friends.

Then I met Cherry. Oddly enough, it was during a Rikti mothership raid. I was on a Stalker, and wore my customary briefs and slippers costume that I tended to wear during Rikti mothership raids as a joke. Cherry sent me a tell, saying she liked it but that it should be pink. We hit it off from there.

Cherry introduced me to Jonnie Neutron, iBuds, Fanged Knight, and the rest of the Stoned Templars. She also introduced me to Cobalt Azurean, Amygdala, and the rest of RdlV. The two supergroups became family to me, and Champion became my extended family. Cherry opened up the game to me and gave me a view that I never saw before, and by extension, so did Champion.

I would also like to thank Felecia Divine. Without you leading Rikti mothership raids, and without you going batsh*t crazy and banning everyone from the BMT of Champion channel from your Rikti mothership raids, I would have never stepped up to lead Rikti mothership raids of my own. So, thank you for that. Thank you, Felecia, for prompting me to lead a fun filled event for a hour each week for almost two years, and get to know a lot of kick *** Champions as a result.

I will greatly miss you, Champion.

Please, stay in touch. There is the Facebook Champion server group. There is Skype. My Skype ID is jack_murphy_3

I will be there with bells on.

I suggest that it is time for another character name wipe. I recommend wiping the character names of any player that has not logged on for three years or longer, no matter the level of the character. Let's face it, if someone hasn't played the game in three years (especially now that the game is free-to-play), odds are he or she isn't coming back and is basically holding character names hostage from players that are still playing the game.

Rumor is that on this date many years ago, Bella was born.

Happy birthday, my friend!

I want to make a new Dual Blades Brute or Scrapper, but can not decide on a secondary powerset. A Scrapper would better utilize Dual Blades due to Blinding Feint, but I would like a taunt aura which only some Brute versions of the various secondaries have, (e.g. Super Reflexes).

At the moment, I am leaning towards a Dual Blades / Energy Aura Scrapper. The combination of high defenses, defense debuff resistance, extra recharge, and endurance drain seems yummy on paper.

Which secondary powerset with a taunt aura (either Brute or Scrapper), best synergizes with Dual Blades?

Just a reminder that there will be a Rikti mothership raid today, Thursday, August 23rd, at 8:30 P.M. ET / 5:30 P.M. PT. All level 35+ characters welcome. We will meet up on the rooftop just south of Pylon 17.

Hope to see y'all there!

I haven't played in Praetoria since Issue 19, but I'm really tempted to make a new Praetorian toon, and have a couple of questions.

1. Is it now possible to play strictly Praetorian until level 35 without visiting Primal Earth? I.e., can I go right from Neutropolis at level 20 to First Ward, and then Night Ward at level 30, or do I have to make a pit stop to Primal Earth at level 20 first?

2. What type of toon would be best for soloing Praetoria? I recall the mobs being more difficult than the Paragon City starting zones.

Thanks for coming out and kicking Rikti butt tonight, y'all. Hope to see y'all in the War Zone next week.

Hello, Champion. I'm bbbaaaccckkk.


What: Rikti Mothership Raid

Date: Thursday, August 16, 2012

Time: 8:30 P.M. ET / 5:30 P.M. PT

Location: On the rooftop just south of Pylon 17 in the Rikti War Zone

Prize: 800 million Influence kill shot prize on U'Kon Gr'ai

Level Requirement: 35+


I will host a Rikti mothership raid in the Rikti War Zone tomorrow, Thursday, August 16, at 8:30 P.M. ET / 5:30 P.M. PT. All level 35+ are welcome. We will meet on the rooftop just south of Pylon 17. Whomever lands the kill shot on U'Kon Gr'ai will win 800 million Influence.

Come get Vanguard merits, two reward merits, an exploration badge (which is necessary to unlock the Rikti War Zone beacon), and work towards two other badges. Come have a chance at 800 million Influence. Most importantly, come have fun!

Hrm, I think I'll have to make both a Beam Rifle / Devices and Beam Rifle / Energy Blaster, take 'em to 35, and see how they shake out.

With the Issue 24 updates to the Blaster archetype announced, I would like to try a Beam Rifle Blaster. The problem is I have no idea what secondary I would like to try.

I plan on mostly soloing from levels 1 through 50, and then mostly participating in raids and Incarnate trials. I would prefer to stay at range.

With all that in mind, and the upcoming Issue 24 updates, what secondary would you suggest for Beam Rifle?