Soloist

Yes.
I was close to 20, and started every contact I could before levelling. The way to avoid being "locked out" is to have an active mission from each contact. As long as you have an unfinished mission, you can fisnihsh the contact.
I had the option from Provost Marchand to go to Primal Earth, but it could wait.
Life doesn't have to end at 20 in Praetoria, so stop giving false information
(especially in such a rude fashion).
Now go sit in the corner, with the dunce cap on, like the bad person you are! :P

Nah. Spider Sense= Elude.

At least they don't have a lame secondary like Trick Arrow.
Trick Bullet does sound all that appealing though...

I wanted to post this to say that getting the Shivan can take 10-15 minutes (MAX), and that's including all the time it takes to get the meteors. In actuality, one half of the time is spent getting the meteors. This is a speed Shivan run for soloers.

I've done both red and blue sides solo with archtypes of all ranges (including a Psi/FF controller pre-20 pets back in the day (meaning no Vet powers either, so just spectral wound and blind for damage mostly).

In simplest terms:
-Carry as many greens as you can...(meaning no self heal, ect. We all smart here so know your build, and decide how squishy you are for yourself). I'll elaboarte why further down.

- Fly is the best travel power to have (even with suppresion), so grab a temp fly powers if possible. SJ is fine if you are accurate in landing. SS is also fine if you are accomplished at avoind foes without notice (there are SHivans between some of the outer turrets, and we don't want to aggro them...ever.
Any fly power is best though, so make it easy and grab a temp one (or earn one..whatev works for you), to make this easiest on yourself.
My goal here is to make this easy, and fast, as possible.

-Always end your meteor gathering at the NE side of BB.
That base is usually less populated, and doesn't normally have a higher level spawn (sometimes it does, but it's been less regular then others in my experience)
So, just plot a simple half circle on the map that ends NE (5 mins tops runtime).

-Usually, an d I mean almost all the time actually, there won't be a an outer turret above yello at this base. If there is, and you don;t want the hasslle, then simply move to t the very next base to the left. It's close by, just a slight bit more annoying, visible, ect.
Anyway, even with an orange spawn the method I will propose will work just fine, and is still timely as well.

-Ok so there's two parts here.
Part 1:
Lower all the outer canon (4) down to one hit. Three are on cliff sides, so if you find yourself taking to much damage, then simply drop to a minion free area to rest up a bit.
Though, that shouldn't regularly be needed as it's always possible to hit a turret and hide around it's blindsides too. Make sure to alway attack an outer canon on the opposite/outer side away from the base as they have inner turrets (4) that can pop up.
Make sure each outer canon is down to one hit.

Part 2:
This is the slightly tricky part. None of the four outer canons can target/attack you when you are attacking any of the other 4 outer canons. You are out of their range.
However, as just mentioned, you are in range of the inner turrets on top of the base.
If you aggro them don't worry. Just do as I've instructed (stay on the outer side of the outer canon, and rest out of range if necessary). With some careful manuvering (which we all regularly use in PvE when avoiding harder targets, will get you thru this just fine.

-Now to lower all 4 inner turrets to one hist as well (Make sure none of the outer canons have been destroyed and they are all already down to one hit).
This is where greens may be needed.
Take every inner turret down to one hit. You can actually use the base to protect yourself, but you have to be inside (at dead center) not to be shot at from any inner turret or outer canon. They can actually shoot you through the base if you're not in the dead center.

You can also use the side of the base to avoid two inner turrtes, and all of the outer canons from tartgetting you. Just stand in the base doorway and attack the turrets nearest to it. You will only have those two turrets regularly targetting you.
If you have a decently durable too, or alot of greens (wink, wink), then simply land on the top of the base (because you did get that fly power I mentioned earlier didn't you?), and proceed to lower each inner turret down to one hit.
Once done then its funtime.

-As soon as the last inner turret is down to one hit, then FLY, because you got that travel fly power if you don't fly already right? , to any of the outer canons (I usually pick the hardest/highest color) and destroy it. Proceed to destroy ALL the outer canons as fast as possible. Ranged attacks are very nice here if possible.
*In actuality, you could destroy any canon/turret in any method you like (as long as they are all done fast (One minute tops maybe? Not sure as it's never taken me that long to destroy them all once they are lowered).
Regardless, just keep your cool. If you blow up one by accident, and are near completion of lowering them all down to one hit, then try to still get it done ASAP. Worst case, you have to wait for the reset to start over.
* If you accidentally destroy a canon or turret then exepct to wait about 2 minutes and start over. Unless you can destroy them all in about the same amount of time, each canon or turret that resets will be at full strength and you'll never clear them.

Move to the base and quickly dispatch all the inner turrets. Pop inside the base and grab your Shivan shard. You actually have a window here (about 2 minutes or so) where there will be no canons or turrets at the base at all.

*NOTE: If you accidentally destroyed any of the canons or turrets, still continue to low all the rest of the turrets as normal. To avoid this, when I get down to about 1/4 health on a target I start using much lower dmg options (moderate/minor powers), but it's really about knowing how much damage you can output. As you work down the first outer turret, see how much each hit is doing.

**If you have powerful enough attacks you can actually just destroy every canon/turret in succession before the reset as well.

IMPORTANT:
While this is the speediest way to take down the base in one shot, if you need to rest a bit at each outer turret then do so. Don't die. The time saved resting is also actually still less then waiting for a reset to clear too.

Finally, I posted this because in a PvP zone, so speed is imperative. As is just getting the job done, since this is more grind then gameplay to most.
I think lowering a bases defenses (even if it's only a few canons or whatever) is counter-productive in time usage.
I'm all about the one and done here
One trip to get all the meteors
Then, one trip around the base to lower all the canons and turrets.
And, one last trip to take out all the canons and turrets.
Great guide so far though Bill.
Hope my contribution is helpful.

I'd think it might be the Praetorian version of the hydra. More similiar to the one in greek mythology.

/signed. Would be cool if feasible.

/signed. However, that restriction shouldn't purtain to the generic minions, LTs, and Bosses. Reichsman should definitely be the only one looking like Reichsman, however we should ALL have access to the cool helmets and masks from the 5th Column.

I like the idea that if you are allowed to be a member of a group like PPD, Longbow, ect. that you can be mistaken for one by a player. That means that my character really does feel like a member.

Sorry man, but wrong tangent.
This has nothing to do with Jack. Another person jumped on those wrong tangents.
I did mention that the change in leadership could signify a changing of the guard, but that was more of a subtle undertone at best.
In fact, I'm all for having their toons somehow in game as an homage. Just like Coyote.

It's about having a bombshell dropping event/surpise happen to a major icon.
Statesman is the biggest icon, and also the most bloated/overrused character in the 'verse. He's just not that necessary, and a great plot point would be to transition him out.

It's funny you mentoned Lord Recluse. My original idea was to see them both removed somehow, but wasn't sure if Recluse was gone, or people would complain more then having just one disappear.
It's time for a changing of the guard.
Maybe have a plot along the lines where both are removed somehow. Could even be a Ourorous TF. Maybe have some Rogue Island lieutenant and a renegade hero (have to be a major names likely) effect the cause because it turns out the world would be better w/o them? Not that they'd need to be erased from the game, or if they were it'd be striclty for in game reasons, but eventually they'd be brought back in some fashion.

Plus, seeing as how the Devs try so hard to force teaming in this game, it's amazing that Stateman and Recluse are pretty much the singular focus of eacdh alignment. The rest tend to just fade into the background with they are even remotely in the neighborhood. It's like all the other sig heroes are just LTs to the AV.
Maybe it's time to shake it up, and do things right for the next phase.
What would really be awesome would be to have Apex as the new face and Statesman/Recluse take over as the Incarnate contacts.
Apex would be a righteous choice as the new front man.
I figure Ghost Widow seems the most likely/accurate to be next in line given her ties to Arachnos/land and such.

Nemesis: Well, maybe used more accurately then. Seems they're not really definitive, and the history of Nemesis, and what they can accomplish (as well as the Crey Revenant program) still has alot of potential if done right.
Then again, there has been more inclusion. Malta still works too.

Spaceballs FTW.

Whoa, get back on your meds and off the anger pills.
You assumptions are just that...and wrong. It's nothing personal, unlike how your post reads, and all about chaning the status of a past icon form the foreground to the background.
Did you even READ the OP?
Just spitballing ideas. Kindap/Disappeance..whatever. Could be a major plotline to introduce a new zone. Use a little used Enemy group...Even provide a transition to Positiron being in the forefront perhaps.

I have no ax to grind, and have enjoyed this game as my first MMO, and the best Super Hero MMO out there. In fact I rank it tied with WOW as the best MMO to date, with a few small QoL changes that still need addressing to keep soloing on par for teaming...but that's for another thread.

Anyway,
Just an interesting idea. Change is good. And OF COURSE Statesman wouldn't sisappear. That'd be dumb. I offered alot of different ideas/variables for story ideas, and it seem you read the header and ran off on your own tangent.
ALot of people do that on here. If you can;t take the time to actually fully read the content, and digest it, chances are you'll shoot off an incorrect response to what the OP intended.

AS for asking "Who Cares?" well the answer is simple. I do. I asked because I had an idea I wanted to share.
While its all fair and balanced to have someone like you post a completely unnecessary post/comment, maybe it's better served elswhere and you should just move onto being a tool somewhere else.
Move along. Trolling goes under the bridge.

Not rally, he's still in parts of the game..in spirit, and should always be part of the game.
That's more of a subtle transition, since Cryptic is no longer with CoX.
It;s really about the marquee figurehead changing, or being the catalystic plot point for some future content.
It could even involve the moon zone, or whatever's on the docket.

TRhe Rikit event was major. The Rularuu event was...meh. The Fith Column event is still ongoing, but that wasn't known for a long time. It has always felt unfinished, as is obvious why now, but was still unfulfilling.

I just think it's time to "Change the Guard" so to speak.
Put him in the background for somethings. It's can be symbolic of the ever-changing growth of the character developments if symbolism is needed.
Plus, an event wide mystery would be very cool.

Call it: "These times They Are A' Changin'. "