Fast Leveling Strategy Guide for any COH AT
By
Atilla_The_Pun,
Posted on: 2006-01-06 09:16 in Player Guides
I disagree with most of the stuff in your guide.
I don't know if it's particularly useful to give details; it won't change your mind.
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
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I disagree with most of the stuff in your guide.
I don't know if it's particularly useful to give details; it won't change your mind.
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Your reply to him is like a summary of all argument on the Internet...
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I disagree with most of the stuff in your guide.
I don't know if it's particularly useful to give details; it won't change your mind.
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This is a fast strategy that works very well for me. It does not include power leveling, which I find extremely boring. Of course people are going to disagree and have their own fast leveling ideas, but this one has worked for me on several alts and I thought I would share it.
Fusion Force
I think the best way from level 2 to 7 is to have a large (6-8 person) sewer group in atlas park. You can level very fast this way, takes me around an hour (never timed it but its short) to get to 7 this way. Just a thought.
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I disagree with most of the stuff in your guide.
I don't know if it's particularly useful to give details; it won't change your mind.
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Please do give details... You may not change his mind, but you'll still give the rest of us some additional ideas to work with. (I had a gut-level 'disagree' response to the OP in general, but nothing specific that I can put my finger on.)
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Two Defenders or two Controllers are unnecessary.
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Unnecessary, perhaps. Redundant? No. Not unless they have the same buff/debuff set, and usually not even then.
Some of the fastest teams in the game are all defenders, all controllers, or a mix of the two.
Sorry for the non-constructive post. I was in an ugly mood yesterday and if I'd posted more it would have just been worse, but "no post" would have been better yet.
I'll try to be constructive and specific.
1) I disagree with the team size advice. There is a bonus to XP [both enemy and mission] for every team member beyond, I think, 3: I only clearly remember the multipliers for 6, 7, and 8-person teams.
4: 1.3 [very unsure]
5: 1.7 [approximate]
6: 2.0
7: 2.2
8: 2.5
What this means is that, if you get N experience points for defeating something solo, you get roughly (N/5* 1.7) or .34N for your 5-person team defeating it, and (N/8 * 2.5) or .3125N for your 8-person team defeating it.
So you're losing 15% XP in return for gaining approximately 60% more firepower . Now 8-person teams are fighting tougher, higher-level spawns, so there's less room for error and everyone needs to be better at their jobs, but with the higher risk is MUCH higher reward. .. and that multiplier also applies to mission completion bonus.
2) I disagree with the "perfect pentad" advice. In a 5-person team, having any two tank/defender/controllers will usually be enough for defense; three cuts firepower a little too much for my taste.
3) Telling Blasters to "target through the Tank/Scrapper to lower aggro" is not very good advice. On my Scrapper's way to 50, I did a lot of teaming with a Fire Blaster and some teaming with an Energy Blaster who ALWAYS targeted through me. What I learned from the Fire Blaster: No Scrapper can keep the aggro away from a Fire Blaster going full-out, and even a Tanker has to work hard. Blasters on teams have to use fire discipline and judgement. There is no substitute. What I learned from the Energy Blaster: Knockback and "Target-through" is a bad combo. It goes like this: I hit "tab/follow" to pick my next enemy. I take a swing. I hit "s" to get out of follow mode. The Energy attack lands and the mob goes flying. Now I have to wait for the next, killing Energy attack before switching targets. I was spending my time not Scrapping, but Forward Observing.
I suppose Forward Observer is a fine job, as long as both people agree that it's the Scrapper's job on that team, but it took a lot of time and recrimination to figure out that combo.
4) "Primary job and standard position" -this advice is oversimplified at best and, in some cases, misleading or wrong. "The Scrapper has one job: damage" is not . . . valuable advice. It's like saying "the team's job is to win fights." A good team Scrapper and a bad team Scrapper both put out about the same amount of damage, but the good team Scrapper directs it where it is needed. "Where it is needed " depends greatly on the team and the situation- it might be "run off and duel that Ancestor Spirit so it doesn't stun the Blaster and Defender", it might be "Assassinate that Sapper", it might be "Pile on the Boss" or it might be "Catch anyone who didn't die from the Inferno." Scrappers can tank [badly] for small teams, they can be sawed-off blasters, they can be the go-to guy when things get bad. Or they can be idiots who run off, start with the next spawn during a fight, and drag the rest back yelling "HEAL!!!"
That's one AT description. Defenders are nearly impossible to categorize- Force Fields doesn't play anything like Kinetic, which doesn't play like Empathy, which doesn't play like Storm.
4) The Tutorial takes 10 minutes; a Blaster or Scrapper can level to 2 before they get all the way around the block in Galaxy City. Estimated 3 minutes.
5) I found the best way to get to 5 was to streetfight on the way to and from the mission, but to do the missions themselves. Set your difficulty to Rugged, because you're levelling so fast that otherwise you'll have missions full of greens. It's streetfighting plus! ALso, I recommed teaming with a Controller or Defender, even if it slows you down. . .invest an extra 10 minutes at level 2, and you'll have a friend at level 37, when the Envoy of Shadows is reading your resume.
6) When you say "get a set of heroes [for the Terra Volta reactor] within the level range" I would modify this statement. Make sure the heroes for the TV reactor are all within, or sidekicked to, +/- 1 level. If you've got six level 35s and a level 38 on the team, the badguys will spawn at level 39 or 40. Also, I would recommend against doing the reactor with a pickup group- most people who "need a respec" are primarily bad players.
7) Buddy system: Make friends. If you find a combo - Force Fields and Super Reflexes, Dark/Dark Defender and Firetank- that works very well, get to know that person. If you get on a team that works well, get to know those people. A good player is worth two SO's in each power.
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
One thing people should be aware of is that increasing your difficulty gets you more xp from mobs, but the bonus stays the same, and since you do less missions per level, you wind up getting far less influence overall. So, you find yourself and 12 and 22 sucking wind for DOs and SOs.
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If you get on a team that works well, get to know those people. A good player is worth two SO's in each power.
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Probably the best piece of advise in this whole thread (and there are many other good things)
Finding one or 2 good reliable players that are playing AT's that complement yours well, is priceless. I've been blessed with having a small, but awesome group of friends in the game that usually teams with me. We've taken new toons together from the tutorial to lvl 12 in under 4 hours just street sweeping on the way to and from missions starting in Atlas, then Kings Row, Hollows, Perez and Steel.
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1) I disagree with the team size advice. There is a bonus to XP [both enemy and mission] for every team member beyond, I think, 3: I only clearly remember the multipliers for 6, 7, and 8-person teams.
4: 1.3 [very unsure]
5: 1.7 [approximate]
6: 2.0
7: 2.2
8: 2.5
What this means is that, if you get N experience points for defeating something solo, you get roughly (N/5* 1.7) or .34N for your 5-person team defeating it, and (N/8 * 2.5) or .3125N for your 8-person team defeating it.
So you're losing 15% XP in return for gaining approximately 60% more firepower . Now 8-person teams are fighting tougher, higher-level spawns, so there's less room for error and everyone needs to be better at their jobs, but with the higher risk is MUCH higher reward. .. and that multiplier also applies to mission completion bonus.
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The amount of enemies you face are multiplied by the amount of members on your team. 8 memebers, 8x normal spawn sizes. The diminishing return for the experience bonus still applies, however. This means the "sweet spot" is around 4-5 team members.
And as far as the multiplier applying to mission bonuses, it does not. I get just as much XP for completing my mission solo as I do for completing it with 4 additional people in the team.
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One thing people should be aware of is that increasing your difficulty gets you more xp from mobs, but the bonus stays the same, and since you do less missions per level, you wind up getting far less influence overall. So, you find yourself and 12 and 22 sucking wind for DOs and SOs.
[/ QUOTE ]I definitely get more XP for Invincible mission rewards than I do for Heroic.
I agree with col007 that the sewer hunting team from 2 to 7 is a great way to level fast however I've been on a few team like this that have gone horribly wrong. Just team with caution in there.
Thanks for the additional post with details Fulmens.
I've played the game since release and the perfect pentad is the absolute best team configuration in my opinion, so no, you wont change my opinion on that one. Two tanks, Two defenders, Two controllers are redundant if the one already on the team knows how to do their job.
I do agree with Sakura that all defender/controller teams are fast and they are very fun, but I don't think they are as effective as the pentad.
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3) Telling Blasters to "target through the Tank/Scrapper to lower aggro" is not very good advice. On my Scrapper's way to 50, I did a lot of teaming with a Fire Blaster and some teaming with an Energy Blaster who ALWAYS targeted through me. What I learned from the Fire Blaster: No Scrapper can keep the aggro away from a Fire Blaster going full-out, and even a Tanker has to work hard. Blasters on teams have to use fire discipline and judgement. There is no substitute. What I learned from the Energy Blaster: Knockback and "Target-through" is a bad combo. It goes like this: I hit "tab/follow" to pick my next enemy. I take a swing. I hit "s" to get out of follow mode. The Energy attack lands and the mob goes flying. Now I have to wait for the next, killing Energy attack before switching targets. I was spending my time not Scrapping, but Forward Observing.
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My advice is if the blaster is taking too much aggro to target through the tanker or scrapper. Not all the time. And it is excellent advice! If I'm on a team and the blaster is face planting repeatedly and I give them that piece of advice they are shocked at the difference and usually don't die for the rest of the mission.
I do agree with you about Energy and the knockback. Did you see what my main is? Energy/Energy blaster. There are ways for Energy blasters to position themselves to avoid or negate knockback when targeting through a melee AT, but it takes skill and precision to do so.
I have a level 36 Scrapper, so I understand what you're saying about forward observing. I team a lot with and Illusion Controller, and his Phantom Army has knockback as well. There are times when it gets frustrating, but I figure as long as the bad guys are going down it's okay.
I agree with your more detailed "primary job" of the Scrapper except a Scrapper shouldn't have to play the role of the Tanker unless the Tanker is not doing his job correctly.
I included the tutorial in my guide specifically for the Isolator badge as it is the only time you can get this badge. It can be done in under ten minutes.
I agree with you and others that street fighting from mission to mission can help with fast leveling as well.
I also agree with your +/- 1 level for the Respec.
The Buddy System is vital! Getting on a great Supergroup or forming one is one of the best aspects of the game IMO, as you'll always have great experienced players to form great well rounded teams.
I want to site a specific example for my original post.
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Levels 18-20
At level 18 do Synapse's TF. You should reach level 20 by the end, possibly 21. You can do this one at 15, but you wont make it to 20.
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I did Synapse in four hours last night with my new Fire/Energy Blaster and an amazing team of SG members and one pick up player all set on Heroic.
1. (me) Level 18 Blaster - hit level 21 in the final mission
2. Level 18 Dark/Dark Defender - hit level 21 in the final mission
3. Level 15 Fire/Ice Tank - hit level 19 in the final mission
4. Level 15 Katana/Regen Scrapper - hit level 17 in the final mission (he had to log for 3/4 of the TF)
5. Level 15 Fire/Storm Controller - hit level 19 in the final mission
and
6. Level 18 Warshade - hit level 21 in the final mission
7. L50 autoexemped Kinetic/Electric Defender
8. L20 Energy/Energy Blaster - hit level 21 a couple of mission into the TF
There are always going to be different opinions on fast leveling and more specific details that can be given for each AT, but this basic strategy guide will help anyone level faster.
Thanks!
Fusion Force
Replying to various comments in this thread:
1) Sewer team from level 2 to level 8, you'll be done before you know it. And when you're done, if you're not by the Kings Row exit just charge a group of purples solo. No debt so you take the Coffin Express back to Atlas Park.
2) Leveling in the Hollows means you will miss the (later very expensive) Fortune Teller Mission and accompanying Spelunker badge. This is part of the Atlas Accolade.
3) You can never have too many Defenders (and to a lesser extent Controllers) on a team. The stacked buffs/debuffs more than make up for any loss in raw (i.e. unbuffed) damage. Don't get me wrong, the "Perfect Pentad" is an excellent team (given that all members are decent players) but Defenders and Controllers are force multipliers who improve the damage output of every other team member.
4) Almost every respec I have done (with one exception) has been with a pick up team. They are not horrible players just because they need a respec. There are numerous valid reasons for respecing, including planning a respec when initially designing the character.
Check out the Repeat Offenders network of SGs! You'll be glad you did.
I'm not sure I understand the suggestion:
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When you do the Task Forces dont stealth the missions, so you can take advantage of all the XP available.
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XP from mobs on TFs isn't better than XP from mobs outside of TFs. Some, though I suspect not all, missions that can (could once be? I hear a rumor clicking from stealth is being nerfed) stealthed yeild more XP per time than killing mobs.
And how much XP is available has ZERO to do with quickly levelling. There is *always* a near-infinite amount of XP available-- counting every respawnable spawn on every street in Paragon.
A great way to PL, by the way, is the use of confusions.
Confusions improve XP/time, though it takes somebody with a good intuitive grasp of confusions and XP flow to pick the right difficulty mobs based on the team damage output, for optimum XP bonus. Find a Mind controller.
This technique can also be used by a higher level unteamed mind controller, but while to the best of my knowledge this is not an exploit, it's kinda sleazy.
Choosing a Controller V2 | Splattrollers | Plant/Rad | Fire/Storm | Mind/Emp & Mind/Rad
Weird Controller Powers | Conf & XP/Time | Controller Damage
Being a Healer | The word Necessary | Natural Concept Characters
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I'm not sure I understand the suggestion:
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When you do the Task Forces dont stealth the missions, so you can take advantage of all the XP available.
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XP from mobs on TFs isn't better than XP from mobs outside of TFs. Some, though I suspect not all, missions that can (could once be? I hear a rumor clicking from stealth is being nerfed) stealthed yeild more XP per time than killing mobs.
And how much XP is available has ZERO to do with quickly levelling. There is *always* a near-infinite amount of XP available-- counting every respawnable spawn on every street in Paragon.
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I just wanted to repeat all that... I wish more people realized that maximizing XP/kill or XP/mission does not necessarily maximize XP/hour.
However, because TF mobs spawn at a static level rather than scaling to the players' levels, stealthing TF missions will cause a decrease in your possible xp/time period, assuming the mobs you are fighting are higher level than your character level.
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However, because TF mobs spawn at a static level rather than scaling to the players' levels, stealthing TF missions will cause a decrease in your possible xp/time period, assuming the mobs you are fighting are higher level than your character level.
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No.
1. Team sends guy to stealth mission.
2. Meanwhile, the rest of the team comes in and fights the way it normally would, except perhaps slightly more cautiously with 1 guy less. XP/time on mob defeats is essentially unaffected.
3. The mission ends much faster with stealthing it than without, which means the XP/time on the mission bonus is substantially improved.
Since XP/time is Mob XP/time + Mission XP/time, and neither gets significantly worse, but one gets much better, stealthing TF missions (or any other known-to-be-stealthable missions) gets better XP/hour than not stealthing them.
The suggestion "don't stealth known stealthable missions (TF or otherwise)" slows down XP/time.
Choosing a Controller V2 | Splattrollers | Plant/Rad | Fire/Storm | Mind/Emp & Mind/Rad
Weird Controller Powers | Conf & XP/Time | Controller Damage
Being a Healer | The word Necessary | Natural Concept Characters
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I just wanted to repeat all that... I wish more people realized that maximizing XP/kill or XP/mission does not necessarily maximize XP/hour.
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The problem is that there's a kind of perceptual time dilation for distinctive tasks.
That is, a TF seems to take "About Task Force Long," whether in fact it takes 45 minutes or 12 hours.
I suspect that if you had a L32 power that made missions last 2 seconds apiece, and you'd get 50% of the Mob and Mission XP, there are people who would say, "Gah! I had to do twice as many missions to level! Don't use that power!"
Choosing a Controller V2 | Splattrollers | Plant/Rad | Fire/Storm | Mind/Emp & Mind/Rad
Weird Controller Powers | Conf & XP/Time | Controller Damage
Being a Healer | The word Necessary | Natural Concept Characters
Attila said:
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4) Almost every respec I have done (with one exception) has been with a pick up team. They are not horrible players just because they need a respec. There are numerous valid reasons for respecing, including planning a respec when initially designing the character.
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I've met great people on respec teams. But I've also met terrible people on respec teams- terrible players who think that a respec will fix their incompetence. . . and it only takes one or two real boatanchors to kill the respec mission.
col007 talked about the sewer run.
I'm fairly ignorant on sewer runs. I'm usually "bringing the damage" for my friends, so making a Blaster or Scrapper. I once timed a Blaster to level 6 and, at the time, it was 75 minutes, soloing, including Outbreak [I didn't know that Galaxy street hunting was faster yet.] So for some characters, it might be faster to solo. I still figure that slowing down a LITTLE bit to help a Controller bears great rewards later. And it's a nice thing to do, and may even speed things up. Those levels go by so fast, it's hard to tell.
Tulzar: I think you're right on mission bonuses and team size. This would make me wrong. As for "diminishing returns" during the mission- I don't really think so. With eight people vs. five, you get "eight times the solo spawn" [not sheer numbers, but bosses and whatnot- I haven't done any math on it] instead of "five times the solo spawn"- and you lose FIFTEEN PERCENT of the XP on each kill. As long as the last three people, together, are making the team kill 15% faster, you're breaking even. And if they're not, that's a bad team.
Emerald_Fusion's comment that
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I've played the game since release and the perfect pentad is the absolute best team configuration in my opinion, so no, you wont change my opinion on that one. Two tanks, Two defenders, Two controllers are redundant if the one already on the team knows how to do their job.
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I'll settle for "amicable disagreement". For the viewing audience: my views on teambuilding, and reasons for them, are as follows.
1) If you spend a lot of time looking for a perfect pentad, you're overlooking one of the strengths of the game: Most teams will work, and work really well. Four Blasters and a Scrapper? The Scrapper takes the alpha strike and there is no followup fire. (It's risky, but incredibly fast. )
2) I think the "perfect pentad" needs more damage- it's usually overstocked with team protection and understocked with damage. Fights are unnecessarily long as a result.
3) There are times- a lot of them- when a second Defender will offer real advantages to the team. Two FF Defenders is FAR more useful than one- you could do without the Tank, because nobody's going to get hit twice in a row in that team. I've done it. On the flip side, a FF defender and a Kinetic have virtually no overlap. There are very few "pure" AT's- Ice/Ice and Fire/En are going to be very different Blasters.
4) I tend to build my teams Blaster-heavy and Controller-light. I think they work better that way. . ."Death is a 100% debuff."
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
I found the guide useful for the level by level advise but I agree w/Fulmens on the pentad. It's not all that and a bag of chips.
For one thing not every example of an AT fills the AT "normal" role. This is especially true for defenders who can vary tremendously in their abilities and what role they can effectively play.
You need folks to do damage, you need someone to set up control (tank, dark defender or controller) or to limit the effects of uncontrolled mobs. Their is nothing magical about the pentad. I can think of plenty of groups that can get xp faster than say an ice/ice tank, a claw/sr scrapper, an empathy/dark blast defender, an ice/ice blaster and an ice/ff controller. As you can see that team is low on AoE damage and over the top on control, defense and recovery. Filling the weak spots is more important than utilizing such and such AT. A fire blaster or a Kin defender would help the above group tremendously (even at the expense of losing the claws scrapper or the ice blaster).
Pinnacle
Glowworm * Brrr * Lilinoe
Protector
Kid Trance * Ms. Impala * Red Helen
Virtue
Pooka Pete
i would also add that wasting time buying and slotting TO's is a waste of time. they do not benefit you that much. if you dont have a higher lvl toon to get influence from, just sell the TO's and keep going.
I too, have been playing since release. And this advice is just plain nuts. Played on team a couple days ago: 5 Blasters, a Kineticist, and a Bubbler. We ripped through missions. ANY team can handle almost any situation, it's the brains behind the keyboard that makes the difference.
And the Hollows? Getting to missions there is a death trap for the inexperienced player (which is a LOT of folks in there). Much faster to street hunt the packs there--boring but fast. Avoid the boss-containing packs if you are solo.
You want to maximize XP/time? Don't stand around waiting, dancing, or otherwise wasting time. A team that's always waiting for an afk member, one that lacks direction, or a team leader insisting on the "perfect" mix, is getting ZERO XP/hour. 
Ideally, the tank will die precisely as everyone else starts fighting, allowing aggro to be spread evenly among the blaster. -seebs, "How to Suck at CoH/CoV" Guide
Don't PvP zone missions provide more xp than PvE missions? Or PvP mobs? If so, shouldn't these things be on this "instruction manual"?
I've heard 25% more XP for them- haven't checked it out for myself.
Every once in a while I go read my server forum and it's 80% about PvP BS. I'm sure the average experience isn't "Triple-one-shotted by a stalker, chain-killed in the hospital, then teleported into a tower where I can't get out." But who needs that kind of crap?
- - --
Edited to discuss TO's: I consider them worth it for accuracy, but not much else. This is somewhat perceptual [cue the Shadow Maul sound: "miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss"] but in practice, improved accuracy means faster, safer fights. And if you're there to sell, it's not that much slower to buy.
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
City of Heroes is full of rich comic-book style storylines and intricate story arcs. If youre new to the game then I suggest you take your time and do as many contacts and story arcs as possible. Then do it a second or third time with other characters. The game has a lot to offer and you can take different contact routes with each character you create.
However, when you have seen all the content and done the same missions dozens of times, but you want to play new heroes and experience new powersets, you may want a fast leveling strategy.
First, here are a few suggestions and tips for maximizing XP:
Build a great team! In my experience, a perfect team is one of each of the five primary ATs. If you are going to increase the team size to 8 it will lower your XP so the others should be damage dealers to speed up the whole process. Two tanks get in each others way. Two Defenders or two Controllers are unnecessary. Again, Im only talking about maximizing XP in this example. There are all kinds of great team configurations and you should never disregard your friends and SG mates just for XP.
Know your primary job and your standard position on the playing field!
· The Tanker is the front line and the teams shield. Tankers taunt, provoke, and punch to keep the enemies focused on them at all cost! The Tanker takes the forward point and all other teammates should follow him through the mission.
· Just behind the Tanker youll find the Scrapper. The Scrapper has one job: Damage.
· In the center of the pack youll find the Defender! Buffing the team or debuffing the enemies from a central location. Some Defenders play at the rear of the team and that works well, but being easily accessible to all teammates is better IMO.
· The Controller comes in right behind the Defender for their ranged holds but steps up to the front line from time to time to lock down multiple targets.
· The firing squad coming from the back of the team is the Blaster. Hes built for range and like the Scrapper has only one job: Damage. The Blaster can position himself right behind the Controller or even further back away from the team. If hes taking too much aggro he can target through the Tank or Scrapper. Like the Controller, from time to time the Blaster will get right in the middle of the action for a massive attack.
Of course these standard positions are not going to work for every battle and unexpected thing are going to happen. Just be aware of your teammates.
My two main fast leveling suggestions are:
1. Set your reputation to Rugged for missions
2. Do every Task Force on Heroic when you reach the middle level of the level range. When you do the Task Forces dont stealth the missions, so you can take advantage of all the XP available.
Fast leveling, by the levels:
Levels 1-2
Do the tutorial. This can be done in 3 minutes and gets you to level 2. When you get the two damage Training enhancements slot them immediately into your power that does the most damage making it 1+. That will make the door mission go even faster. If youre a badge collector, this is the only time to get the Isolator badge, by arresting 100 Contaminated. Every Contaminated counts, from the very first hunt 2 mission, but hunting them is most effective after you do the door mission, because you are level 2 and do more damage. DO NOT click on Coyote after the mission because he will send you on your way even if you hit cancel.
A quick note about Enhancements
If you have a character with available influence transfer as much as you can to your new character immediately after the tutorial and slot up with level 5 Training enhancements. Keeping your enhancements updated will make leveling faster. At level 7, get your 10 Training enhancements, at 12 get your L15 DOs, and so on. Dont bother combining enhancements unless you get them via villain drops.
Levels 2-5
Atlas Park
I have found that street hunting is just as quick (or faster depending on the AT) as running your first contacts missions up until level 5. The SW corner of Atlas where you find L5-6s is the best street hunting area. Controllers and Defenders will have a harder time here so find a small team or duo. All other ATs, including Kheldians, will level faster being solo. Go for yellow cons first. Get a feel for your powers and what you can take, then Oranges and Reds. Power Play! If you eat the dirt, get back into the battle asap. No debt to level 10!
Levels 5-12
The Hollows
As much as I hate the Hollows pre travel-power it is good for leveling. Get on a team and street hunt. Do the Hollows missions on Rugged. Get sidekicked and do Frostfire as much as you can. If you want to do the Cavern of Transcendence you need to do all the Hollows missions. The Cavern will usually get you one level if youre within the level range. I recommend unlocking it, but save it for later. If you get bored in the Hollows take a street hunting team to Perez Park, work the outer perimeter then hit Everett Lake for some L13-14 Hydra hunting!
At level 10 you start getting debt when defeated. The following information is based on my experiences and your results may vary based on how much you are or are not defeated compared to my experiences.
Levels 12-16
Steel Canyon
At level 12 do Positron's TF. You should reach level 16 by the end. You can do it at 10, but you wont make it to 16.
Level 17
Street hunt in Steel Canyon or Skyway City till you hit 18 or do missions set on Rugged till you hit 18.
Levels 18-20
At level 18 do Synapse's TF. You should reach level 20 by the end, possibly 21. You can do this one at 15, but you wont make it to 20.
Levels 20-22
Go to Striga Isle and do Striga missions on Rugged till you hit 22. If you want to do the Ernesto Hess TF later you need to do all the Striga missions.
Levels 22-25
At level 22 do Sister Psyches TF. You should reach level 25 by the end, possibly 26. You can do Sister Psyches TF at 20, but you wont make it to 25.
Levels 25-27
At level 25 you have a two TFs and a new zone:
· Moonfires TF should get you from 25 to 27. Its level range is 23-28.
· The Terra Volta Trial can also get you from 25 to 27. ALWAYS do the TV Trial on Heroic, but keep in mind the level range is 24-33 so build a team of heroes within the same level range.
· Croatoa is level 25-35. There are four contacts. Doing their missions on Rugged should get you to from 25 to 27 or 28. Half way through the third contact she will tell you to come back when you reach level 30.
Levels 27-30
At level 27 you also have two TFs:
· Citadel's TF should get you 30 by the end, possibly 31. You can do it at 25, but wont reach 30.
· If youve unlocked it, Ernesto Hess' TF should get you a level or two, but probably not to level 30.
Levels 30-32
At 30 head back to Croatoa to finish off the contacts and you will unlock the Katie Hannon TF. Running the rest of the missions on Rugged should get you to 32. If not, street hunt or run the next two TFs early.
Levels 32-35
At level 32 you have two TFs:
· If you do Manticore's TF at 32 you should be 35 by the end, possibly 36. Its available at 30, but you wont reach 35 if you start it at 30.
· If unlocked, Katie Hannon's TF is available at 30. This TF is short. Running it at 32 will get you to 33, possibly 34. Do Manticore to get you to 35.
Heres where leveling get tougher. Update your contacts and run missions on rugged as needed.
Levels 35-36
· Save the Terra Volta Reactor Trial (2). Just like the first one, ALWAYS do the TV Trial on Heroic, but keep in mind the level range is 34-43 so build a team of heroes within the same level range.
Levels 36-38
Do Numina's TF at level 36 and you should reach 38 by the end. Its available at 35, but difficult to get three levels on it.
Level 38-41
Two of the games unique trials are now available and while they dont provide a lot of xp, you will usually gain a level or two if youre in the range. I dont recommend being the minimum level, and its always best to do these with an experienced team.
· Abandoned Sewers Trial is available at 38. The range is 38-42. If do it at 40 you should reach 41. Repeat as necessary.
· Eden Spire Trial is available at 39. The range is 39 41. If you do it at 39 you should reach 40. Repeat as necessary.
· Run missions on rugged as needed
· Street hunt 40s on the Peregrine Island docks
· At 40 hit the Shadow Shard and learn to use the jump geysers for some easy XP. Get your SS Contact and start on SS missions. Scrappers can usually solo here. I dont recommend it for any other AT. Beware the Wisps.
Level 42-50
After almost two years and we are still in need of some good level 40-50 content. Heres what we have now:
· If youve got 8 to 12 hours and a good team, do Dr. Quarterfield's TF (SS TF #1). The level range is 40-44. If you do it at 42, that should get you to 44 by the end due to the insane length.
· The second SS TF is Sara Moore. It has the widest Level range of any TF in the game at 40 50. Sidekicking is recommended for anyone below level 46. I think the optimal level for this one would be 46. That should get you close to 48 by the end of the TF.
· The third and fourth are Justine Augustine's TF's (SS TF#3) and Faathim the Kind's TF (SS TF #4). Both are level range 44-50. If you are 44 or 45 you might get two levels out of these. If you are 46 or 47 you might get one level. 48 and 49s might get a half level.
· Save the Terra Volta Reactor Trial (3). The level range is 44-50, and like the other two, ALWAYS do the TV Trial on Heroic. Take some 50s with you, and sidekick as needed.
· There are four contacts in Peregrine Island including AV missions and some of the best story arcs in the game. Youll want to do these.
Like I mentioned at the beginning, City of Heroes has a rich history wrapped in story arcs and I think every player should experience every mission at least once. After that, power game!
Hope this helps you level faster!
Emerald Fusion
Fusion Force