Come on guys, give this arc a playthrough. I don't think it will bore you. PLus, I want some input!
I'm probably going to take it down for spelling revisions ((i caught some playing it today)) But if anyone catches something I missed, I would appreciate it.
Okay, this will be my first attempt at a detailed review. I ran this on a lvl 50 Inv/SS tanker on Heroic. I'll write this as I go, so that means
!!!!!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mish 1
Ms. Liberty asks that I interrupt a meeting betwen a suspected rogue Longbow agent and Arachnos. She wants me to arrest the suspected turncoat, Sergeant Lennelson, but to make it look like a "random" arrest. They're not ready to officially arrest him for espionage or whatever, apparently, so this is another way to perhaps get some info out of him. Although it will also serve to reveal his spy operation, so why are they not arresting him themselves?
Text: he's meeting with "the Arachnos", should just be "Arachnos".
"...look for any information he might have on him about known associates or places of interest." You could lose "on him". Plus, that's a rather vague instruction; if you know he's meeting Arachnos and you're ready for him to be arrested and exposed, what other information do you need out of him? Maybe something here about this being part of a larger investigation.
I enter the mish which says "find ally" and there's Statesman, lecturing a couple of Arachnos minions! He says that Freedom Phalanx got wind of Arachnos activity and he was checking it out. Wouldn't FP communicate with Longbow about ongoing spy operations and Arachnos activity? The mish description says there's some kind of family squabble. Hmmm...
So I lead Statesman around and watch him wail on everything. Might be because I'm running on Challenge Level 1, but he's way overpowered, but then, he's Statesman. I find some papers in a trashcan with the letterhead of a Sonhcara Inc.
Upon our exit, Statesy commandeers the only real evidence I found (aside from catching a Longbow agent red-handed dealing with Arachnos), the turncoat sergeant's PDA.
Then Ms. Liberty says that their investigation might have been blown thanks to Statesman's interference. But if I just arrested the spy, the investigation is over, right?
But wait! Next Ms. Liberty says the investigation goes beyond Lennelson, there are other suspected agents. And she's not happy that States nabbed the PDA, yet more evidence that the FP and Longbow aren't on speaking terms for some reason.
So I'm left with nothing but to follow up on those letterheads I found. Sonhcara is an insurance company, not to mention an anagram that apparently nobody's noticed yet.
Upon entering the building, the receptionist sounds and alarm, and I have to fight through seemingly normal office workers. Well, except for the assault rifles and the hitting me with wrenches and stuff. It seems that to get hired on here, you have to have plenty of combat training.
I find and defeat the office executive, who knows immediately that Ms. Liberty sent me, and says that it doesn't matter if we're onto them. He boasts that Longbow is riddled with spies, one right under my nose.
I find a memo that mentions the "Sigma Squad", and orders all information erased. Another bit of evidence that Arachnos knows that somebody is onto them. I also find maps of Port Oakes with specific locations marked.
Ms. Liberty tells me that Sigma Squad is a unit of Longbow, commanded by a friend of hers, Colonel Bennett. The Port Oakes maps indicate secret Longbow bases, meaning there's a spy in a very high place. Oh, and Ms. Liberty's granddaddy still won't turn over the PDA for some reason.
But he does tell her that Positron has IDed an Arachnos lab in Paragon City, and they want me to check it out. Ms. Liberty heads off to talk to Colonel Bennett. She also mentions she always feels like she doesn't measure up in Statesman's eyes, which at this point I can understand, he's being a jerk.
So I'm off to investigate this lab, which may or may not have anything to do with the spies. Positron beat me here, the entry text says the floors are littered with unconscious Arachnos.
I find Posi, and we both locate a Major Daniels, who's part of Colonel Bennett's Sigma Squad. Bennett sent him here to investigate a leak (is this the same investigation Ms. Liberty and Longbow were on? Doesn't sound like she and Bennett had conferred, was he kept in the dark too or does nobody talk to anybody around here?).
Nav Text: Just says, "Dr. Quatrexin", don't know if I'm supposed to save him or beat him up or what.
The allies, particulary Posi, again seem overpowered. I just lead them to a group of baddies and watch the fireworks.
We find a security tape that shows Ms. Liberty talking to Arachnos agents, in this very lab! If she's the 'main' spy, that would explain why nobody else seems to be aware of her 'investigation'.
And there's Dr. Quatexrin, an unannounced EB! So I'm thankful to have my seemingly overpowered friends around, especially Posi. Turns out the Doc is the original inventor of Black Scorpion's armor (not sure if that's canon or not, not that it matters to me), but he's improved on it. As he teleports away just before he's beaten, he just says that uncovering their infiltration of Longbow won't make any difference. Don't they all.
Posi tells me as I exit not to mention anything that's happened here. They clearly suspect Ms. Liberty, and so do I at this point.
And the hammer falls. Statesman calls Ms. Liberty and suspends her from active duty. She proclaims her innocence but he's having none of it. She insists that this is all a frame-job, and she needs my help to clear her name. While she rustles up others willing to help, she sends me to another Sonhcara Inc. building, one that was just torched by an arsonist, to look for more clues. I guess I believe her, so I agree.
Entering the torched building I find Arachnos troops clearing the place of Freakshow, who think they've found a new hideout. I find the remains of official orders, drafted by Major Daniels of the Sigma Squad. So either he's the main Arachnos mole, or he's just working for Ms. Liberty.
Returning, Ms. Liberty says the only solid lead we have on anybody is Major Daniels (well, except for that videotape of her). So we're going to go question Daniels.
Entering the Longbow base home of the Sigma Squad, I find it's being invaded by Arachnos troops. I pass battle after battle until finding Ms. Liberty detained by several Longbow agents. I reluctantly beat them down, and the two of us set off to find Colonel Bennett. Again, Ms. L seems overpowered (she's an EB) which probably indicates another unannounced EB, not to mention that she's integral to the story.
We find Col. Bennett surrounded by Longbow. He orders them to arrest Ms. Liberty. We smack them around, then explain to him the evidence against his subordinate, Daniels. He doesn't believe it, but has bigger problems in fighting off the Arachnos attack.
Ms. Liberty and I locate Major Daniels and drop him like an old girlfriend. He maintains his innocence, even accusing ME of being the spy! Once he's down the goal becomes to link up with Statesman, who conveniently appears in the same room. He informs us that Black Scorpion, Silver Mantis, and Dr. Quatrexin are behind the attack and we have to defeat them.
Quatrexin flirts with Ms. L as we're punking him and appears to teleport away. After backtracking all the way to the first floor we find Silver Mantis and Black Scorpion and thrash them soundly. None of them reveal anything more about their covert operation.
Upon exit, Statesman gives Ms. Liberty 24 hours to turn herself in for violating her suspension. I'm also warned that I'll be dealt with soon, for helping her.
!!!!!!!!!!!!END SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Overall an interesting arc. Lots of questions raised, and most were subsequently answered. The allies were overpowered, but the story is built around them so they've got to be there, and they're welcome help with the EBs. Speaking of whom you might want to announce in your mission intro or mission sendoff text, as a warning.
I'm looking forward to playing Part 2. How many other spies are there, and who are they? What is Arachnos doing with the information they've received so far (top-level access codes and the location of secret Rogue Isles bases)? Why did Arachnos invade the Sigma Squad base if their plan to frame Ms. Liberty was working? And is Statesman going to try to suspend me and force me to kick his pompous butt?
Only time ((and playing Part2 and 3)) will tell.
The Arc description says EBs/AVs are going to be present in the Arc. You do have a warning the missions might contain one, or more.
Haven't seen a reply from Death Bug? Maybe he ran into Ghost Widow?
Anyway here is an ad:
Of Liberty and State Ad
I should get to Part 2 tonight. 
I knew it. He ran into Ghost Widow. What is it with slinky pasty white faced girls with dark eyelids and skintight black tights?
Well. I started a review of Part 2 and then a power hit wiped out everything I'd written to that point. Thankfullly it was only after the first mish.
So to recap (SPOILERS ahead for those who don't want to know)...Positron is now my contact. He's taken over the investigation of Ms. Liberty. For some reason, even though I helped her and Statesman warned me there would be consequences, not only am I not being questioned, I'm being asked to help.
Posi wants me to locate a former Longbow agent, Julia Richards, at her current place of employment. We found her insignia earlier and he wants to meet with her.
I enter the marketing firm and find it overrun with the same combat-trained 'employees' as Sonhcara Insurance. Sounds like they're spies also, as not all the employees can, or even want to, take on a superhero.
I tangle with the office executive, and find a USB device loaded with his passcodes. So of course I break into his computer and snoop around. (So, at this point I have helped a suspected spy, escaped any and all consequences of that, and now I'm helping investigate her by breaking into private computers without a warrant.)
The files indicate that this firm is a subsidiary of Sonhcara Inc. I find files on several Longbow agents, including Ms. Richards, and Major Daniels.
Upon my return, Posi calls Sonhcara "mysterious". Hold it up to a mirror, dude. Anyway, then he gets a call from Manticore, whom he'd dispatched to the Sigma Squad base to question Major Daniels. Wait, you mean the same thing I did in the last arc? And he fled? Was that before or after I beat him up in the last arc?
Sister Psyche is going to crack open Julia Richards' mind and...I mean, talk to Julia Richards...to find out what happened to her memories. In the meantime, I'm off to find Daniels, who's been tracked to the sewers.
I come upon Manitcore, who's being detained by several Longbow. "This is a restricted operation; I don't care who you are, you cannot proceed". Not caring who I am isn't usually a wise course of action, even for Longbow. Manticore has no idea what they're talking about, so together we head off in search of Major Daniels. Well, what really happens is that while I was reading his clue, Manticore warns me to be carefu of these Longbow, gives me permission to use force against them, then runs off to God knows where. I eventually pass him, going the other way.
I find Daniels, who is...being detained, not protected, by Longbow? Who upon seeing me say, "You'll ruin everything!" Huh? Ah I get it...the attack on the Sigma Squad base in Part One was to kill Daniels (I think)...all the more reason why I'm wondering how, to start Part Two, Daniels is still there and flees from Manticore.
When I liberate Daniels from his captors, suddenly we're beset by Arachnos, also looking for Daniels, to eliminate him. Once we fight our way out, Daniels says that after he fought me he was ordered to take a medical evaluation. He says when he arrived he remembered being there before, then things get foggy.
Upon my return I learn that Ms. Liberty has been released. The tape is considered circumstantial evidence (!) and they have nothing else on her. Statesman still keeps her heroing license suspended and tells her to go home. Meanwhile, Sister Psyche has learned that the memories of Julia Richards and Major Daniels have significant gaps. She does manage to retrieve some addresses from Daniels' head, and now Posi wants me to look into one of them, an address for Sonhcara's Research and Distribution Center.
And Posi took my advice! As he sends me off, he tells me that Sonhcara spelled backwards is...ARACHNOS!
So who do I find immediately upon entering this research and development lab? Ms. Liberty of course, knocked out by some Arachnos. She explains that she received a call from Colonel Bennett of the Sigma Squad who had a lead on some spies (why would he not call Positron, the official leader of the investigation?).
So Ms. Liberty and I rescue several captured Longbow agents (who then run off...I got their badge numbers though, it will be in my report). I'm also to destroy several machines for some reason. Positron didn't say anything about trashing machines, I'm just supposed to investigate. But I guess it's not a comic book unless there's some property destruction.
Finally we run into the apparent mastermind of the Longbow infiltration, Dr. Aeon! In full energy armor regalia, he proceeds to taunt Ms. Liberty with her own memories and feelings of inadequacy compared to Grandpa Statesman. He says he figured we'd be here after raiding two of Sonhcara's offices, but that (of course) it doesn't matter. There are still plenty of spies in Longbow to bring the organization down. He also assures Ms. Liberty that it was really her on that tape, meeting with Longbow.
One of the machines strikes me as familiar before I strike it, so I upload the schematics (?) to Positron. He says it's a device to muck with people's minds, to erase memories or plant false ones. He says to destroy all of them I see. Which I already did, without even knowing what they were. I am just that good. (The glowie placement was clearly out of whack with what you intended here.)
Ms. Liberty, reeling from the revelation that her own memories have been stolen and used against her beloved Longbow, slowly realizes that her friend Colonel Bennett of the Sigma Squad has been subtley manipulating her. And, I suspect, Major Daniels as well. So she flies off in a rage.
Positron, via Sister Psyche, has discovered that Sergeant Lennelson (remember him from Part One?) has also had his memories tampered with. So the ties between Sigma Squad and Sonhcara Inc. are solidified (no kidding!).
Suddenly Posi gets a call: Ms. Liberty has entered Sigma Squad's base and is demanding to see Col. Bennett. Statesman is going to meet me and Positron there.
Intro text is a call from Posi saying he'd been intercepted by Arachnos fliers. This is big.
I find a "suspicious computer" and break into it, without passcodes this time. I manage to stumble onto a journal entry by Col. Bennett, revealing that he tipped off Statesman and maneuvered Ms. Liberty into a vulnerable position, and planning to turn her over to Dr. Aeon for the "final part of the plan": to mind-control her into joining Arachnos.
I find Ms. Liberty and 'escort her away' from the Longbow agents trying to detain her. She demands a confrontation with Bennett and refuses to let me stop her. On the contrary, the way she's been smoking baddies so far I want her right by my side.
We find Col. Bennett (who's title says "Operative Bennett"). His background reveals a man determined to fight Arachnos for hurting his family. Doesn't sound like someone who would sell out Longbow, but he admits it. Brags about it. And of course, says that beating him won't matter.
He also seems to spring a trap; just as he's about to go down he says it's "sprung" and Arachnos ambushes appear. He says that he knew we were coming and he called Arachnos to come get her, their "new toy".
Then the nav text says we have to fight our way past Scirocco. Say what?
Okay. After only backtracking a little way, we beat Scirocco. Who doesn't say a thing about the plot, just acts all smug and stuff. And I get sand in my armor.
Next I see Ghost Widow is here. *sigh* Is she back toward the back, or do we keep backtracking? Okay, backtracking, almost to the entrance, and there she is.
She likewise says nothing about the plot, just more villain smugness. And then, when she's finally beaten...the mission complete clue informs me that Ms. Liberty collapses, I am overcome by a rejuvenated Scirocco and Ghost Widow, who spirit Ms. Liberty out the door before I can recover.
So I just spent forty minutes completing a mission on a large map, so I could completely fail it.
When I exit the building, Positron and Statesman are just showing up (thanks guys. Really. It's your granddaughter, man.) Statesman takes off after Scirocco and Ghost Widow, while Positron "looks after me". He laments that they should've listened to Ms. Liberty in the first place, and this wouldn't be the gigantic mess that it is. Yeah, well, I'll remind you that I did believe her from the beginning. So there.
Before we can help Statesman rescue Liberty, Posi says that Arachnos units are hitting Longbow bases all over the city. He has to stay here on "standby" while other heroes deal with the attacks, so he sends me to help States, who has reported that he's tracked Liberty and her abductors to a cave.
Yay, I get an AV warning this time!
First I have to locate Statesman. I find him, and he's pretty shaken up, blaming himself for driving Megan (Ms. Liberty) away. Yeah, I see his point. I remind him, as I did Positron, that I believed her from jump. I don't think that helped, hard to see what he's thinking underneath that helmet.
We come upon Scirocco again, and Lord Recluse himself. Recluse taunts Statesman about neglecting his granddaughter, and pontificates about the true meaning of liberty. Then assures us that just because we beat him and Scirocco senseless and rescued Megan, it's not really a victory. He's taken something 'precious'.
We find Ghost Widow too, and smack her around, before locating Ms. Liberty. She protests that she doesn't want Statesman's help, but she still follows us to the exit. And then she says she'd rather join Arachnos, that she's had it with Statesman, and she even takes a swing at me! The guy who's been helping her since the beginning of this whole thing!
So we leave her there. Statesman skulks off to put together a team to get her back, and Positron asks me to help. And Thus Ends Part Two.
Lots of action and some drama. Some plot points are still a little vague, I'm not sure that so many missions are needed to set up the confrontation with Bennett. Also still fuzzy on why I questioned and defeated Daniels to end Part One, but to begin Part Two it's almost like that never happened. And there doesn't seem to be a need for Manticore to be sent to question Daniels if I already did: I would think he either 'ported away before I defeated him or he escaped Longbow custody after the battle.
There's also a feeling of just being along for the ride in this one. In Part One I actually felt like my character was part of the story, being the only person who believed Ms. Liberty and was willing to help her. This one just felt like being led around by Positron and Statesman.
I do like the use of canonical relationships between Liberty, Statesman, and Recluse.
Review of Part Three, coming up soon...
I've updated the Arcs following the release of today's patch. Finally they can run the way as intended!
First off, in Part1 in Mission3, The Collectable objects will now become objectives after you link up with Positron.
Part2: Mission 3 The Collection objects will now work in the order they were intended.
Changed The Map in Mission 4 because I received complaints about Scirocco going missing. Since I experienced this myself, the map is now changed so hopefully it will work properly.
Also collection clue should now be further back!
With the added storage space I added two more AVs in the last mission. Now Wretch and Ice Mistral appear on the map as well!
Part3: Added some more Heroes to Mission 2.
The Last Mission now has one more AV and some Patrols to beef it up.
Have fun and enjoy and give me some feedback if something doesn't work quite right!
I'm proud to announce the publishing of "Of Liberty And State", A Three Part Story Arc.
Pulled into a squabble between two members of Paragon City's leading hero family may be the least of your worries. Arachnos has big plans. Are you up to the task? Signature Heroes, Archvillians, Custom Characters and Groups. Heroic Alignment. Pack Inspirations.
Arc IDs:
Part 1 : #218636
Part 2 : #218638
Part3 : #218648