Tog

Wasn't The Green Hornet considered to be a criminal by both the public and the police? Batman seems to be headed that way in the new films as well. Spiderman is vilified in the press, and I think most police would treat him as just another villain unless they had had a personal encounter.

Necros can be a force for good, even if the public at large fails to acknowledge it.

My Necro was a girl that was spending a "semester at sea" for college credit. He bot sank in a freak storm caused by a depraved little necro/storm guy on a small island in the Caribbean. He raised her (to be his wife), and this time he got the spell right. He had killed his mentor for not teaching him fast enough.

Now that had a perma undead "wife" he gave her some boots and gloves he found in the mentor's house. These were made of bone and had absorbed a bit of the life force from the mentor. This life force seeped into the girl's mind and began to awaken her free will. It was another year before she was strong enough to act on her own, but by then, the mentor's quest for revenge had gotten mixed up with the feeling that the people on the boat had abandoned her to this life; maybe even sacrificed her to the little freak in exchange for their survival.

She eventually convinced the little man to let teach her necromancy so that she could kill him, then raise him, and they could be together forever. Not being overly bright, he agreed. She is currently seeking revenge on the rest of the world for turning her over to him.

In time, and if she meets the right people, it's possible that she might see the truth, and realize that only the little man was to blame. She was a good person once, and might be again. If she can make that switch, she would not stop using her abilities. She would apply a bit of psychology to their use though. How many people would join a gang that was actively being targeted by waves of undead?

Or maybe I'll keep her evil.

Her story

I updated my New player guide for Issue 14, and the Dominator changes. Page layout is totally new and I'll be adding in the Zone information as I get time.

Tog's Newbie Academy
coh-tog.home.comcast.net

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Also any other general new player help would be great. (to avoid the probably debate- I dont really plan on hanging around the AE much right now as although it sounds fun playing player designed missions, at the moment it seems like people are using it as a substitute for the dev content. which would kind of ruin my expirance I think.

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I have a guide site that is basically a "how to" aimed at new players.

Tog's Newbie Academy.

The zone pages are not really even started, and there may be some other unfinished pages as well.

I'll toss some out there.

They are all in my sig, and some will be getting some upgrade once I-15 drops.

"Not Her Father's Oak Island" is level 5/8 to 20 and has no custom anythings in it. It's my most played and suitable for either faction. Someone said that it had a "Da Vinci Code"/"National Treasure" feel to it. Foes are a mixed bag of Brickers, Luddites, Trolls, and another in that range. I meat it to be no more difficult than a standard arc.

"By Any Means" is a mystery/investigation type arc that has a lot of custom minions (all on standard) and one Boss/EB per mission. The final guy has about three craptons of -toHit though, and one of the other EB's has a Fire armor. Best suited for higher levels. The last guy can be really hard to beat solo though.

Back in March of 2005, I snapped because of stuff just like this. I'd like to blame the Hollows for it, but it may have been before that. I started working on a basic game play guide for new players. It turned into the thing in my sig that I can't link to because the forum software insists on taking out the URL code it supplies and replacing it with html code tags.

Anyway. This guide grew. A lot. The target audience is that group of people that have never even seen the game played, and the goal is to get them up to speed on the basics of how to do things. Part of this includes summaries of the powersets. Since I can't play them all, I had to rely on people that do for information. I've been learning a lot more about MM's in the last few weeks, but those changes are not included in the current version. I'd love some feedback on the MM sections.

Primaries: http://home.comcast.net/~coh-tog/boo..._pri_index.htm
Secondaries: http://home.comcast.net/~coh-tog/boo..._sec_index.htm

I'm working on a completely new version of it now, but most of the text was copied from this one. Some things may have changed, but I would welcome any corrections to any of the information presented.

I've got some questions about slotting the mid range pets. For all of these, assume that sets don't exist.

For Zombies, is it worth slotting for the heals*?

For Mercs, is there any secondary effect worth slotting?

For Ninjas, is there any secondary effect worth slotting?

For Thugs, is Maneuvers worth a slot or two?

For Bots, is it better to ignore the damage aspect in favor of the +def and heal?

Does and End reducer affect the pet's end use, the cost to summon, or both? Are any needed in any pets?

*I read somewhere that pets won't heal until there has been enough damage to use the whole heal. By that I mean, if the heal will do 100 points, they won't use it on a target that is only down 95. For this reason, it was suggested not to enhance the heals, since that would make the healing pet wait longer before using it. Is that Correct?

Thanks

You can tell which pets have been upgraded by looking for the changes in the costumes. Bots will get a pair of red lights on the shoulders. Thugs go from T-shirts to tank tops.

I'd like to (once again) toss my guide out there.

coh-tog.home.comcast.net

It's about 350 pages of stuff intended to get new player into the game and up to level 20.

I'm almost done with a new version of it (just need to do the zone info), but the basic layout will remain the same.

Please have a look at it, and if it would suit your needs, let people know where to find it.

Thanks.

A few questions about the First Ritki Invasion.

According to the timeline on the website, the invasion happened in May of 2002. The beta for the came ended with a massive invasion that killed off all the heroes at the time in preparation for the live game in May of 2004.

Was that a Second invasion, or was that the first invasion with the beta actually being set in 2002?* (I interpret things as if the end of beta event took place in May 2002, 2 years before the start of the game.)

Did any of the villains or gangs join in the fight? For example, would Skulls and Hellions have stood along side the Heroes when the Ritki landed?

What happened between the end of the first war in November 2002 and the start of game in May 2004?*

What happened to the bodies of the people in Boomtown? Are they still there? Were any recovered? I assume that at least some became Vahz creations, but since the fallen buildings are still there, It follows that there was no recovery effort. It actually works out better for me if most are still there, so I'm sort of Biased.

*The way I've filled in the blanks is as follows:

Nov 2002, the war ends but there are only the Surviving 8 to watch over Paragon. Over the next few months, more gangs and crime return and take over the city. This spurs a new call to those willing to put on the stretchy pants and get into the game. Would this fit?

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I figure Aim is good, but not until higher level when the short boost can be slotted to be longer, and I am facing enemies that I couldn't just take down without any boosts to my powers anyhow.

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Misconception Alert!

There is no way to extent the duration of the boost from Aim. It's 10 seconds. Period. Set in stone. You can add recharge reductions to get it back in about 50 seconds instead of 90, but that 10 is a constant. BTW, that''s the only slotting recommended for Aim, unless you get into Set IOs. 2 or three recharge is you can spare them, and call it good.

As for BIB or stamina at 22, it really depends on what you plan to do. I didn't know about BIB back when I hit that level so I think I put it off til 24. If I were to re-roll, I wouldn't do that again, but I don't think it's BAD choice.

My Main Blaster is a level 41 Ice/Fire. I've also got a 39 Archery/Dev. I think Ice is a great choice for a soloist. It's mainly single target damage and it's nuke is ranged. It's got two holds, and you want them both. Bitter Freeze Ray takes days to fire, but you can follow it up in about a second with Freeze Ray to hold a boss. A lot of time, they can't even get a shot off.

Personally, I like Frost Breath. It's the only AoE you get in the primary except for Ice Storm (minimal Damage) and Blizzard (Massive Damage, but End crash). Damage is less than Fire, but it has a slow effect and each of the two ticks does a little more than fire's ticks. Total damage, Frost breath is about 20% less.

I'll usually open with Frost Breath, then pop off Freeze ray at the LT if there is one, then a my two minor attacks at two of the mobs, BIB at the third. That's all it should take after Defiance fueled by 4 attacks. By then the two smaller attacks are back up to finish off the one held. with Frost breath back up to take out the stragglers. The way I play my Ice Blaster is to never attack the same target twice in a row if it can be helped, except for stacking the Ring of Fire with the first attack power.

I use Ice storm defensively. Damage isn't great, but it can very useful in keeping big hitters away for long enough to take them out. I use Caltrops the same way.

The single biggest issue with the Devices set is the lack of a Build up power. BU is really nice to have before opening the way I described above. The other issue I have with Dev is that my archer leveled faster than any character Ive ever played, until I got Trip Mines. The cool factor is just so strong that I can't ignore them, but they slow things down a lot. I'm starting to use them defensively as well. I'll drop one to four (depending on the mob size) in a row about 30 feet apart, then move up to the first one. As stuff gets close, it explodes and I fall back.

Time bomb is a power that is very situational. With a controller on the team, It could be awesome. Cloaking device+Super Speed will let you set it up in the middle of a spawn and Defiance will give you close to a 50% damage boost for about 8 seconds. The problem is it takes a really long time to set up. Like 8 to 10 seconds. Then you have about 15 seconds before it goes off, so timing is critical. Having a minefield set up to hide behind is a good idea.

Gun Drone I think is slightly less situational. Great for Boss fights, or big spawns, but not really something you can use all the time. This is doubly true if you plan to make use of the Cloaking device. The Gun drone doesn't really care if you want to be sneaky. It sees something and fires.

We have an SG member who chose Ice/Dev for his first character, and played mainly solo to 50. If it fits your play style you can get it to work.

I would skip Taser completely, and hold off on targeting Drone until after 20. Ice uses a lot of Endurance. Time Bomb is basically optional with a lot of votes in the "skip it category" Ice storm does less damage than Caltrops by about 10%. Yep. Less. The difference is that it does it in 15 seconds instead of 45. If I had to pick only one of them, I'd go with Caltrops. They last for 45 seconds and recharge in 45 seconds, rather than lasting for 15 seconds and recharging every minute. You could actually stack them, and with two holds and in Immobilize, you could do bad things to minions while beating down the LT and Bosses. At level 2, you can kill minions with unslotted Caltrops and Web grenade, assuming the grenade hits every time.

So, from the early build, we've taken out Ice Storm, Taser and T-Drone. You can get Stamina, and Hasten/SS all by 20. I pushed Frost breath back until after 20 as well. This is just a quick, get to 20 build, and by means anything final. Depending on play style though, I think it would work.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]

Level 40 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Ice Blast
Secondary Power Set: Devices
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fitness

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Ice Bolt -- Acc(A), EndRdx(3), Dmg(5), Dmg(7), Dmg(9)
Level 1: Web Grenade -- Acc(A)
Level 2: Ice Blast -- Acc(A), EndRdx(3), Dmg(5), Dmg(7), Dmg(9)
Level 4: Caltrops -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(40)
Level 6: Aim -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(25)
Level 8: Freeze Ray -- Acc(A), Hold(11), Hold(11), RechRdx(13), Range(15)
Level 10: Hasten -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(13), RechRdx(15)
Level 12: Hurdle -- Jump(A)
Level 14: Super Speed -- Run(A)
Level 16: Health -- Heal(A), Heal(17), Heal(17)
Level 18: Bitter Ice Blast -- Acc(A), Dmg(19), Dmg(19), Dmg(23), RechRdx(23)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod(A), EndMod(21), EndMod(21)
Level 22: Cloaking Device -- EndRdx(A)
Level 24: Targeting Drone -- EndRdx(A), ToHit(25)
Level 26: Bitter Freeze Ray -- Acc(A), Hold(27), Hold(27), Range(37), Range(37)
Level 28: Frost Breath -- Acc(A), Dmg(29), Dmg(29), Dmg(34), RechRdx(36), Range(37)
Level 30: Trip Mine -- Acc(A), Dmg(31), Dmg(31), Dmg(31), RechRdx(36), RechRdx(36)
Level 32: Blizzard -- Dmg(A), Dmg(33), Dmg(33), RechRdx(33), RechRdx(34), RechRdx(34)
Level 35: Ice Storm -- RechRdx(A)
Level 38: Gun Drone -- Acc(A), Dmg(39), Dmg(39), Dmg(39), EndRdx(40), EndRdx(40)
Level 41: [Empty]
Level 44: [Empty]
Level 47: [Empty]
Level 49: [Empty]
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance

Thanks for that build. I'll give it a shot.

Yeah. That part I got. What I'm wondering about is how much do I focus on control in the beginning vs damage? I've been doing it about 50/50 and it's not really working for me. When I focus more on damage, I can't do enough to keep above room temperature, and wen I focus on control, there isn't enough of it to go around.

Thanks for the replies. I'm fine with Blasters. The only two AT's (not counting epics) that I don't think I play well enough to not be one of THOSE people on a team are Doms and Stalkers. I tried playing an Ice/Ice Dom like a Blaster and got my boop handed to me along with a lot of other bits I couldn't even identify. I got a Plant/Thorn to 20 and really liked the plant set, then it came out as a controller version and the character was re-rolled. The Fire/Fire one lasted about to level 10, and the current Earth Elecrtic is probably the only level 9 with 7 day job badges and got violated by even con Lost last time I tried to take him out.

The problem with playing them like a Blaster is that in the low levels, stuff knows to fall over when the Blaster hits it. I'm not seeing that same degree of cooperation with the Dom targets.

For concept reasons I was going to go with the Mako PPP, unless there is a hugely compelling reason not to.

Hmm.. Maybe I wasn't clear on my intent.

I'll have one offense build and one defense build. The defense build won't be hard to plan out at all. It's the offensive one that I'm having trouble with.

My original was a level 24 Stone/Fire. I had Mudpots the first attack (unslotted) and at 24 Combustion. That was the problem. I couldn't do any damage with no attacks, but I didn't know what to leave off as far as defense went.

Is the regen in Rooted enough to offset the damage from fire and energy for 20 levels?

Could I make a make a viable stone scrapper running just Rock Armor and Rooted until Granite? If I found myself on a team, I switch over to the provoke bot mode, I'm just wondering how survivable I could be running minimal armors.

You ever see those videos of stupid people at the zoo that run along the bars with a stick teasing the animals until one of them reached out and rips off a bit of moron tartare?

I am that moron.

I have never been able to play a Dominator past level 20. I've tried 4 different sets and the results are he same. Not enough damage to actually hurt stuff in a reasonable amount of time, and not enough control to get away alive.

With the changes coming to the Dominator sets, I'm ready to try it again. I stand here before your cages, stick in hand. Be gentle, or at least make it quick.

I know I probably want Earth/Fire or Earth/Elec. The problem is, I've got an Earth Controller and I can't help thinking like a Controller. Because of Earthquake, I don't plan on taking Stone Cages. Salt Crystals are out as well. What lest should I write off? The problen I have with Doms is that I can't seem to eliminate any of the powers from the build. This ends up with basic stuff getting 4 slotted.

So. I'm not looking for a full build. Nothing with sets or anything like that. I'm just asking what to avoid. I'm planning on Earth/Electricity I think.

Thanks.

So, I've been at this game for a while. I even got a Stone tank up to level 24 before I got tired of not being able to actually hurt anything with out running out of endurance. I think I may be ready to try it again.

I'm looking for a build that uses minimal sets, with none preferred. And that can actually hurt things in a way that's more effective than standing in the same spot while Mudpots eats away at -2 hellions while I read a book.

Two things have changed for me since I last tried this. Dual Builds and 60 month vet badge. I guess I'm looking for two builds. A defensive giant chunk of aggro management and the closes thing to a stone scrapper as I can get.

What are my realistic options?

I've got an Earth/Storm Controller, and unless you happen to be on a seriously hyper team, it is almost turn based play.

Open with one AoE stun, then hold an immob the group til they die. Next group, open with one of the two AoE knockdowns and hold and immob til they die. Next group, open with the other AoE knockdown and hold and immob til they die. Next group, open with your AoE stun again, since it will be back up. You still haven't used your AoE hold, or your PBAoE stun. This is all possible before you get you get the poo golem. You still have Thunderstorm at 38 too. Best part is, solo plays more or less like teamed. In the mid 20s (on a team) you can activate one power every 20 seconds or so and still be a brutally effective Controller.

The downside to it is that most of those powers are targeted location AoEs, so you have to click the point on the map where you want them centered. Earth has three (4 if you count the pet) and Storm has 3, I think (not sure about T-Storm).

As I recall. Yeah. Pretty much.

I think ED got some carryover from the Global Defense Nerf (GDN) too. Basically, Def and Resistance were reduced in Issue 5 to a LOT less than they were before. AoE holds could no longer be made perma for Controllers and so on, but we were told there would be no more powerset changes, then Boom! ED hit in I6. A lot of the hate never had a chance to die out from the GDN so I think it carried over to the ED issue a lot.

Something similar is happening now. I-13 made a lot of unpopular changes to PvP, that hate carries over to the stuff in Mission Architect that was reported in Closed Beta, never changed, then was "found" to be exploitative after launch. Then, hot on the heels of the Farm nerf, comes the Badge Recall.

Maybe it's just my own mindset about it all, but I'm pretty much "Meh" about it. Everything changes. If the change isn't good, players adapt or move on. If the change is good, more come in. This game won't last forever. Nothing does. I don't see this being the death blow by any means though. I think "Going Rogue" will hit and people will let all this stuff fall away until the next time the Devs do something the players feel was wrong. Then it will all come back up again.

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So is it up to me to research all the hundreds of forums and thousands of pages of info to sort out?

It still seems to be overwhelming and that was one of the reasons I left WoW to play a simpler but just as exciting game as CoH..

Is time the only answer for me?

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I have a site that was made specifically for the new player. I'm Still working on getting it I-14 compliant since I-14 basic ally forced me to re-write it all.

Tog's Newbie Academy (formerly Hero University)

For Positron- Classical Gas by Mason Williams. It starts off slow, then builds to a higher tempo that would be well suited for an action montage, then it just fades out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mguzKze1sYo

Another for Posi, but more of a joke type reference would be Can't Get Next to You, by the Temptations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be4x2xdZ6fo

BaB I see as more of a Pulp style hero. Like modern version of Philip Marlow. To that end, I'd like to suggest the Theme to Peter Gunn. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcflC...eature=related

Another option might be The Contender by Royal Crown Review. It's a swing song about an over the hill prize fighter refusing to give in. http://www.rcr.com/albums/contnder/lyrics.html That has a a link Real Audio clip. I couldn't find an online version of it.

Yet another could be Rumble in Brighton. There are a few different versions of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcu5arCKwNk

I've got an Arch/Dev Blaster at almost level 39. It was a fun and brutal for a while. I've never leveled any character as fast as I did that one, and I did it all soloing on missions. Then I got Trip Mines. After that it seemed to slow way down.

The reason is that I blew through the first 20 levels by slaughtering truckloads of Vahz. On the Fautline arc, I was one shotting abomination with Blazing Arrow at level 16. I was soloing spawns of a dozen or so Council on Striga. Then I hit Trip Mine and things stopped. There was no more running from place to place behind Caltrop Patches. There was only the tedium of setting up a mine field only to have most of them not even go off. You can take them out just as fast one at a time with the bow than you can by setting up the mines. Unless there are a freakload of them, with a good choke point.

Then came Rain of Arrows. Great power, but Dev has no Build Up. The closest you can get is to set up a Time Bomb (+50% damage from Defiance), pop Aim, and fire. Not the same effect really.

Now, I use my mines defensively. I'll set up two or three spaced about 30 feet apart, then attack from the forward most one. as stuff close to Melee, it has a bad day, and I fall back. I find that I tend to either come through fights at 75% or better health, or die before I pop a green.

As for Natural Concepts, Here are some of my naturals.
Ice/Fire Blaster that woke up in a motel room about 6 months after the first invasion. She has no memory of anything before that time, and her DNA appears to be either human and not, like an optical illusion. She's probably an inter-dimensional traveler from a place where all members of her race have those abilities. (I had to come up with something since I didn't mean to make her Natural).

Axe/Invuln Tank that would stand in front of his mother to take his father's beating so she didn't have to. This split his personality and The Other Guy now steps up to do the fighting while the original one watches.

DM/Regen Scrapper that is a member of insectoid race that have evolved into peacekeepers or law enforcement in a space based society. She was a guard. Guards were bred to exude a non-Newtonian vapor like substance around their hands for use in keeping prisoners in line. This vapor can cloud the vision and with enough of it, create a web-like snare on the ground to prevent escape. The much higher than normal Oxygen content of the Earth was the source of the Regen powers.

Kat/SR Scrapper pulled in from another dimension that takes police work very seriously. All crimes carry the death sentence and Enforcers who survive training have to have killed around 20 classmates in duels before graduation.

Claws/Regen Scrapper from a small village in India. She fights with the same bang ngah that her great grandfather used against the British, and uses Yoga teachings to stay in the fight.

Mace/WP Tank from a very religious background. Her faith is what keeps her going.

DB/Will Scrapper who wanted to be a gang enforcer, but ended up in the Marines instead. He learned kali and escrima while stationed in the Philippines, then lost a great deal of his vision in an explosion. He is now far too nearsighted to be a soldier.

Merc/Traps MM that was a Major in the British army until he made his views on the inspirational life of Cecil Rhodes at a diplomatic function for the ambassador of a African nation.

There is also the gray area between Tech and Natural. Which one is Batman? He's known for his gadgets, but even without them, he's better than most. I have a Stalker that is Energy/Ninjitsu. She learned to hide because her grandfather refused to teach her to fight, but still wanted her to be able to be safe. That's a Natural Origin. Then she found some gloves that gave her the EM part of the build. That's Tech.

You could go a Mystic Martial Artist route and make a Sonic/Energy Blaster. The sonic attacks would be form Kiaijutsu and the energy from ki training.

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Wait, does PST use different measurements of time than EST does?

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oops

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ummm.. I noted a similar typo some time ago...

You do mean PDT/EDT, right?

(I know, it's nit-picky, but not all places observe Daylight Savings... )

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This has bothered me for years.

I'm also in the "leave it be" cam on this one.

Looking at the power selections from a character growth standpoint, they are a pretty logical order.
They go from reactive healing to a proactive buffing. Healing is great and all but the best way to keep the team upright is to limit the amount of damage that comes in in the fist place.

The only change I might be able to get behind is moving CM up to tier 3, then moving Fort and Rec Aura up one spot, and putting Absorb Pain at tier 7.

Edit cause I don't count good.

More, new, and different MM/Traps Questions. Well, different for this thread at least.

I'm about to hit the 60 month mark, and that means some respeccing. I have a Merc/Traps at 35 and I have some questions about some of the Procs and slotting. A note on IO's Unless they fall into my lap, they don't exist. My Alts to Inf ratio does not support the planned use of any IO sets.

Okay, so part of this respec was to drop Serum. I've gotten to 35 and used it like 4 times. Now, on with the questions.

Mercs- I read somewhere that it's not worth slotting for the heal because the Medic won't heal until he can use the full potential of it. Slotting for heals therefore makes him less likely to do it. Is this true?

Acid Mortar. I happened to get an Achilles' Heel -Resist Proc. Would this have any effect in Acid Mortar? How about in the
Mercs?

Best non-proc slotting for Acid Mortar and Poison Gas trap?

Seeker Drones? Yea or nay? If so, what slotting?