My most amusing anecdote came while running a mission with an SGmate. Just a couple of rooms in we invite a tank. This particular mission was the one with ALL Paragon Protectors. We had gotten our timing together such that we prevented the majority of the PPs from hitting Moment of Glory.
The tank arrives, declares "I can herd", runs around the corner, down the hall, into the next room, dies, and quits.
Incidently, while we have had the good fortune to never be ripped off, if someone did, there would be about 8 affiliated Super Groups that would never allow the perpetrator to join.
And methinks you should make the part about blind invites more prominent. I never accept blind invites, a third invite from the same person usually gets "What part of NO are you failing to understand?", and further invites from the same person will get a /petition for harassment. If you are on a team and asking the leader to invite a friend, give the friend a heads-up on who the invite will be coming from.
Note that sending a /tell and then sending an invite without waiting for a response is still a blind invite.
Gerbils are for wimps. Real men use badgers.
Teaming and you v1 by SeCKS Egai
Since Im currently evacuated because of the Fires in Southern California and unable to access the game directly, I figured Id make a guide from what Ive learned during my time in CoH.
Have you ever wanted to start a team but not know where to begin?
Have you been just a short ways from leveling only to join a group and double (or more) your time to level?
Have you ever been in a group that wiped frequently?
Have you ever had people quit only for them to form a team without you (or done that to others?)
Ever grouped with someone or been someone that died constantly?
Have you ever been kicked from a group?
Aside from getting kicked from a group, Ive been in all of these situations at least once, usually several times over. As a power gamer, I was somewhat familiar with the protocols, but I had quite a bit to learn. It is my hope, that I can help improve both your and my gaming experience by providing this guide.
When I first started, I had so much to learn, and preferred joining groups than actually forming them. The reasoning for this is because the typical mmo rules all apply. And while thats one of the many things that finally drew me in to CoH, I knew I had so much to learn and the last thing I wanted to do was try to lead when I had no real idea of where to begin.
Since that time, Ive learned quite a bit, and it gets so frustrating for me when I get on a team where the leader is unwilling to listen to experience because of pride, whether it because theyve played other mmos or simply because they have to be in control.
Lesson 1 No matter how much experience you have, listen to others in the team. Just because youre level 20, dont ignore that level 5. You may know to play WoW or whatever MMO and have an uber character there, but it doesnt mean you know your way around CoH. While tactics you learn in other games can really help you in CoH, not all of them apply until you know do your best not to assume.
Let me provide my biggest example. Most people are familiar with the tank role but I find often so many people make too many assumptions. In CoH, the 4 main defensive powersets (soon to be 5) are currently Invulnerability, Stone, Fire, and Ice. Now as a tank, yes, they are designed to be the target, taking the brunt of the pain so the rest of the team can dish it out. Thats no different from any typical mmo out there.
But what people fail to understand, especially at the lower levels, is the limitations.
While its obvious that the 4 current types are different, most people forget that just like all archetypes have strengths and weaknesses, so do powersets. I used to wonder why an Ice tank I teamed with didnt herd. It wasnt until I looked at the numbers did I finally see why. Damage mitigation is different for each defensive powerset, and each is stronger suited for certain damage while a great deal weaker for others, at least until the big 32 power.
So in the terms of ice, the primary damage mitigation is reducing how often mobs near tank attack. But aside from amazing cold defenses and resists, resists are other defenses are far more limited. And with their being a cap on just how many mobs can be affected by any power, you lose the damage mitigation ice would otherwise be afforded.
A tank is designed primarily to take damage but if the tank isnt equipped to handle the mob damage type, they can ultimately become a squishy with a self heal and more hit points with an inherent taunt.
Again, there are so many things to mention in this area, but suffice it to say, its very important to know your strengths and weaknesses. But also, do your best to be aware of those you team with.
Now Statesman implemented archetypes so everyone would have a better idea of their role. Now while I would love to be able to mix and match all the available powersets, having archetypes really plays a major role in who AND how you team.
You can theoretically have a team of 8 of any one archetype, but overall that will do more harm than good. The archetypes are designed to supplement each other, making up for holes in other archetypes so to speak.
One of the coolest things Ive liked about this game is you dont always need a tank. A scrapper with invincibility or some other taunt can stand in, or a controller can holdem in place and everyone can split aggo amongst themselves, etc.
I also love the fact that healers arent needed for most teams, and on the best teams healers will be far more focused on buffs and holds or extra damage because the heals are hardly needed if at all. A good bubbler can replace a healer in most situations as well, as the damage mitigated by the bubbles can negate the need of healing entirely for most teaming instances.
Empathy is your main healer in the game, available only to controllers and defenders (hero side). Rad is more of a support healer, while they really shine in debuffs, something you will find very useful when taking on ArchVillains. Trollers with Pets can also help mitigate damage, as their pets can keep a target occupied, just remember they cant be controlled and sometimes can grab some additional mobs (adds) that you may or may not be prepared for.
Blasters are my personal favorite a good blaster is a great addition to any team a bad blaster can lead a team to tons of debt. Aggro control is very simplified in CoH if you plan on blasting, learn how it works, and be weary of how taunt caps- you can suddenly pull several baddies towards you from a single shot because the tank has a large herd going.
Ill stop myself there, as going over every archetype and power goes well beyond the scope of this guide. Ill revise it as I go along.
But to quickly summarize, simply know your role and purpose in the group. If youre a blaster, no matter what damage mitigation ability you use, you are not a tank. I dont care how many millions you spend on IOs, you will simply die more often than not playing a blaster archetype. (Ironically enough, one of my favorite blasters on my server likes to play the tank mage role he goes down quite a bit, but he sure is fun to watch).
And likewise, if youre a tank tank! While Ive met plenty of tanks of various strengths and abilities, there is one that comes to mind as being a total waste of time teaming with. The last time I was in a group where they picked him up, he disappeared while the rest of us were left to fight, just 4 squishies. He continued to complain about Xp and finally came back, stating he was off getting glowies.
Finally, general courtesy.
Im sure Ill be revising this part, since I know Ill miss things here. But first thing is send a tell. Blind invites really arent welcome for most players, and its a lot easier to take the time to send a tell. A lot of regular players will deny you outright. Sure, if you send a tell you may get a decline or no response, but its far more appreciated by the community as a whole.
Ripping people off is also a definite no no, and Ive been scammed in the past in previous games. Now why I understand the desire to become richer and powerful ripping people off, whether it be stealing an expensive io from someone wanting to transfer or raiding the supply of an sg does you no good in the long run. Having a quality sg can be hard to come by, and any sg worth raiding is worth staying in non set ios will not make you much money in the long run and any sg that has nice ios available are generally veteran players that are great to team with. I dont care how uber your build is or what IOs you have, theres not much fun to be had when no one wants to team with you.
If youre joining a tf or trial, be sure youre able to invest some time they are far more time-consuming and quitting mid trial/tf can prevent teams from completing wasting EVERYONEs time.
Simply put, dont make people angry needlessly. Be good to others and most in turn will be good to you. Stay away from those you learn do not, and your gaming experience will be far more enjoyable.