Help get me onto CoH!
By
Brachaesnethar,
Posted on: 2009-06-21 21:19 in Archetypes and Powers General Discussion
Of the ones you listed, I would say Dominator fits your wanted characteristics. Their damage right now is pretty anemic, their damage after the Issue 15 patch should be pretty darn good (except for endurance issues of painfulness).
Their playstyle is odd but fun, one of them can add a good chunk of protection and damage to a team (a stopped or dead enemy is a harmless one).. Mind Control is a particularly fun set from the early levels- I'd reccommend that, it rocks.
Every single AT is fast at leveling if you're on an 8-mans team. Solo-wise, Dominator... should be middle of the road.
However! I also think Blaster might be a good choice. Half the teams searching for people call them useless for teaming, and the other half are the FUN teams who like blasters. Ludicrous damage output, with an extra-special excellency in AoE and sudden burst damage. They really do help a team run well, it's just that not everyone realizes it. Funny how it works, a Damage class being underappreciated.
Blasters are smooth and fun in the early levels, and get more challenging to play well as you level up. Solo, they level.. variably. You will find some missions retardedly hard, and others a breeze, but generally a good pile of inspirations can get you through the tough times.
For your other choices-- Controllers... okay, this is just my opinion, but they are completely and totally no fun until high levels. And I don't actually like them in high levels either, they're just slightly less poopy. Everyone else swears by them but I.. no. No controllers if you wanna have fun at low levels.
Scrappers.. Good damage output, some are pretty fun from low levels, but.. I don't ever hear "this team needs more scrappers" unless it's sarcastic. You can get on teams, but it's pretty rare when a leader actively seeks out freaking scrappers.
Masterminds... I don't like playing them either. You don't hear "This team needs more MM's" either. I have little to say about them.
For CoV, I would probably suggest either a Brute or MM to start off with. MMs require a lot less micromanaging than they used to. I currently have a low-level Necro/Pain where all I do is go and attack and my pets on the default def/follow (i.e. Bodyguard) take the hit for me and hit back. Pain also comes in handy on a team, where you can sit back and play healer or run into the fight without getting immediately clobbered as you wish. I also have a Merc/Storm that's pretty awesome, too.
Brutes are generally like Scrappers, but many red-side players treat them as mini-Tankers and expect them to take and hold aggro for teams. That means they get considerable play both teamed and solo, as well as having good (to extremely good) damage. Dominators...well, personally, I'm waiting for I15's Dom changes to hit before rolling another one.
Blue side I find a bit harder. Scrappers are easy for me, especially compared to Blasters, but that's not the case for everyone. Controllers and Tankers, though often requested for teams, are a bit slow to get off the ground, and can have a wide range of very good to very poor damage depending on power combinations.
In short, if you want to feel loved on a team, get an AT that has a buff/debuff set. However, most of those don't have great damage. That's where power combinations really factor in. Ill/Rad Controllers for instance are simply amazing, and aren't bad from early on, all things considered, but a combination like...Ice/TA for example would take a lot more work.
Combos that I've enjoyed:
Red-side:
SS/WP Brute
Merc/Storm MM
*/Pain MM (Pain is simply fun for MMs)
Blue-side:
Kat/Regen Scrapper
MA/WP Scrapper
Inv/SS Tanker
SD/SS Tanker (very much!)
Ill/Storm (though a bit of a slow starter, later becomes an engine of chaos)
Welcome!
Is this your first RPG? Your first MMORPG? What kind of games have you played before? One of the best ways to explain strategy in this game is to compare it to other RPGs. Some things are the same, some things are very different.
Xiphoz,
Going with what you have listed, I think Scrapper is the best bet. Whether people realize it or not, they need damage dealers on a team to make mission flow smooth. Scrappers also have access to a defense secondary powerset, which makes them extremely soloable for nearly the entirety of their careers.
As for that element of "fun," I have had a lot of complaints with Scrapper powersets, but that's because I am a blaster at heart and there are a lot of flashy powers there as opposed to most of the weapon-based powersets of Scrappers. (For the record, I endorse what Chompie said about Blasters.) But for a fun looking powerset that still hits hard, I suggest Dual Blades if you want to go weapons, or Fire Melee.
Keep a dialogue with us! Let us know what is working and what isn't in your experimentation!
@Winter. Because I'm Winter. Period.
I am a blaster first, and an alt-oholic second.
Rigel_Kent, I have played too many MMORPGS to keep track of, and this is one of my many returns to CoH. I'm counting this as an "attempt" to get back into the game. I've always loved it, just got bored of it because I couldn't find an entertaining set.
My favorite set I've tried was Spine/Regen that I got to 26 I think. But I've been using trial accounts to help me decide. I'm a bit of an alt addict and I'm trying to cut that down...
Anyways, I think I might try these in order:
-Thug/Pain MM (I'm a HUGE fan of summoning and controlling creatures/minions, plus I love playing healer classes)
- Scrapper
- Dominator (possibly mind on recommendation of Chompy)
I might go Scrapper first since MM take a while to start off, but I'll post later. Keep sending the replies, they're helping a lot, and thanks for all the replies that have been posted and are yet to be posted!
Try a Brute. They're very popular for a reason. Solo well, welcome on teams, deal great damage and are very survivable and level very quickly.
Doms are my personal favorite, but they are a tricky Archetype to wrap your mind around and a single mistake can often lead to defeat. They are challenging but in practiced hands are very powerful and fun. For a first-time Dom, I wouldn't take Mind or Grav as a primary. Take anything else instead and you'll have a much more typical, reliable first-time Dom experience (Mind is a good primary but it's atypical, so isn't a good indicator of how all other Doms play; Grav is tricky and should be played by experienced Dom players only-- it is great in the right hands, and after level 32, however).
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I'm a bit of an alt addict and I'm trying to cut that down...
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One question, why? CoX is an extremely alt friendly game due to its quick leveling speed and emphasis on not restricting content by level. While finding an AT/powerset combo that you really enjoy is great there's no reason not to roll up a bunch of toons.
I'll admit, I'm not the type to follow that strategy myself. When I first started I rolled a Dark Melee/Regeneration Scrapper and didn't make anything else because I was trying to unlock Kheldians (They're what first drew me to the game and I still love 'em ). After getting him and one of each Hero Epic AT to 50 I was lured over to CoV by the Soldiers of Arachnos. I got over my issues with the looks of Mercy Island and focused exclusively on an Electric Melee/Ninjitsu (Incorrect spelling of ninja techniques...Grr 
) Stalker. I ran him to 50 and proceeded to make one of each VEAT. Love them too but the lack of shapeshifting tends to make the girls less attractive to me than their heroic counterparts.
Basically what I'm saying is that your problem may be that you're exerting too much effort trying to find the perfect combo. It may just be that you'd have more success switching around whenever the mood suits you.
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-Needed in a team but doesn't always need a team
-Good damage output (doesn't have to be insane, just not 5 mins for every enemy)
-Fun from early levels (don't wanna wait till 30 to have fun)
-Fast at leveling
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I'm thinking offender. You get all of the above, plus the added bonus of never having trouble finding a team when you want one.
Some combination of Cold/Dark/Radiation/Storm primary, plus Archery/Energy/Psi/Sonic secondary. There are other offender options, of course, but these are the sets that get rolling before level 20, with big single target attacks for faster soloing.
Focus on powers that deal damage, boost your damage or speed, or heal yourself, since those are the ones you'll use soloing, and are also usually the fun ones. With the possible additions of Darkest Night/Fearsome Stare (just 1 or the other will do for low levels), Hurricane, and Radiation Infection, if you like the occasional ego trip of tanking for an 8-man team with a "squishy" archetype by abusing your overpowered to-hit debuff.
If you were going to go Offender, there's a reason Jock Tamson called his Rad/Sonic guide "Best at everything".
If you were going Brute, I have a Fire/Willpower at about level 29 that's an absolute monster and always has been. The only team problem I've found is that I end up on point, on a team 2 levels higher than me, with no buffs and no support, and I die, and when I get up I have no Fury bar.
For quick-starting Scrappers ... Fire/Regen? I don't play Scraps much any more because I'm a slave to the big orange numbers.
To find out if Blasters are the thing for you: Eight levels of Fire/Energy.
L1: Fire Bolt.
L2: Fireball.
L4: Energy Punch.
L6: Build Up.
L8: Fire Breath.
Now go to Perez Park, target a Hellion in the back of the group, hit Build Up and burn down, like, eight or ten hellions at one time. You will have one of two responses:
1) Man, I took a lot of damage! I'm too squishy! Medic!
2) Man, I did a lot of damage! That was great!
In case 2, welcome to Blasters.
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I'm a bit of an alt addict and I'm trying to cut that down...
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One question, why? CoX is an extremely alt friendly game due to its quick leveling speed and emphasis on not restricting content by level. While finding an AT/powerset combo that you really enjoy is great there's no reason not to roll up a bunch of toons.
<Snip>
It may just be that you'd have more success switching around whenever the mood suits you.
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Concur. When you say you like healing, love summoning, like damage and soloing, and want to be desired on teams, that screams different ATs to me. Then you say you like alts -- that's the solution!
Make something with a lot of summoning and healing (Ill/Emp Controller or Thugs/Pain Mastermind, for example) that'll be wanted on teams, and also make a Scrapper.
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Right now I would recommend an Archery/Mental Manipulation Blaster. It sounds odd, but it is very effective and the slowness of the psionic powers is offset by the snap of Archery. Very fast leveling from the start.
Another winner is Willpower/Stone Melee/Earth Mastery Tanker. Stone Melee is always fun, Willpower lets you take almost every melee power, add on Earth Control and you get the whole effect. Stone melee hits pretty hard for a tank and Fault does CC wonders in those 3-spawn pile-ons.
Other than that it should be a character with RP-ability because even though CoX is much faster leveling now it is still a long long way to 50. 
Quixotik
"I did not say this. I am not here." -Guild Navigator
I play a Plant/TA controller, and I had a blast on it from level 8 to level 50. It's STILL a blast, and I can solo with ease.
For a scrapper, I'd suggest a DM/WP or DM/Shield. Both have solid protections, but Shield gives more damage and a strong AoE, while WP gives a lot more regeneration and recovery. Both are fairly easy to play.
Redside, a Bots/Dark Mastermind is a real moster from level 1 to level 50. The bots can pretty-much take care of themselves, and your debuffs make them even safer. Also, I think it's the best mass rezzer in the game, because it has bots to use as a distraction while it brings back the whol party from extinction in seconds.
I hear Mind/Electric is popular these days for dominators, as is Plant/Ice.
Too many alts to list.
Rather than point to a specific AT, I'll suggest (as others have) that you make MANY alts and try out different powersets. I've got around 70 myself. Some of them I play around to the low teens and lose interest and never play again... others I make just on a lark and find I -love- them and play them obsessively.
Often trying to build 'the perfect one' will prevent you from finding the one that you discover to BE the perfect one. My favorite example of this concept is from a pen-and-paper roleplaying game I hosted for seven years--- one of the FIRST players created what I thought was a lame character (but hey, his choice) but then he never showed up to the first or any other game. So I took over the character as a GM character (mouthpiece).
That character that I cared NOTHING about, that I would NEVER have made myself, turned into the most-loved, most-detailed, most FUN character in the game. By contrast, when I tried to insert ~my~ "favorite" character into the game, it was all kinds of epic fail. Nothing was 'right' with that character, nothing went the way I thought it should, etc.
So bottom line, you may be surprised to find out that your 'perfect character' is not the one you THOUGHT you wanted in the beginning.
So make tons of alts!
For what you're asking for I would try these:
Blaster - Energy/Energy: It's just plain fun. The visual effects are splendid and for soloing all the knockback makes for a soft control effect. If something is knocked on its butt it can't attack you. For teaming this set does very well with damage output. Lots of damage output.
Blaster - Fire/Ice: Similar reasons but without the knockback. In this setup it is the ice that is your control and fireblast is very heavy on AOE damage and popular in teams. This combo is so easy it should be outlawed.
Rad/Rad defender (offender) - You can solo with this. Neutrino bolt fully slotted makes for good damage output because of its speed, and I am very fond of irradiate for AOE debuff and damage. You've also got an aoe 50% autohit hold available that is great for soloing. The debuffs are so loved by teams you will have no trouble finding one and make soloing this defender easy.
Dark/Psi defender - This defender solos easily as well, especially at higher levels and teams even better. Like the rad the secondary tier one power makes for good damage output if you fully slot it and the debuffs are loved by teams. You get a PBAOE buff. The rez for this set also works as an AOE stun with a high magnitude you can use offensively without someone to rez. Just a couple days ago I tanked and solo held off (in a massed group that stayed massed) a full team-sized spawn of level 50s while level 45 with this defender. This defender is that good if played well.
Brutes of any stripe are good soloists and loved by teams. That's already been covered.
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I would suggest going with a scrapper.
Almost anything/WP will seem pretty powerful from the get-go. The only issues you'll run into are endurance until about 20 or so, then it is completely smooth sailing.
Claws/WP: My highest, at 41. This guy is awesome. 1 on 1, nothing can take me down (within reason). Focus has a fast enough cooldown that I can keep a boss on his butt the entire fight. For larger groups, I absolutely love Eviscerate followed by a little movement and shockwave.
DM/WP: If you give this one a try, you'll probably fly through the lower levels. Siphon life is a great attack, plus it provides a 10% heal (Unslotted).
Katana/Broadsword/WP: Once you get parry/divine avalanche at 8, you'll notice that melee attacks hardly ever hit you, which is awesome.
One last thing to keep in mind. You will not feel like a superhero from level 1. You will feel like a fledling hero who is just learning/growing stronger. Every new power will make you feel more powerful.
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Doms are my personal favorite, but they are a tricky Archetype to wrap your mind around
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They'll be easier when the next issue goes live. I rolled a Mind/Fire on the test server and it was a breeze to solo and teaming was of course solid. I tried rolling that same character on live in anticipation of the upcoming Dom changes and had to park it. Just felt completely anemic outside of Domination.
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Based on what you're looking for, I'd go with either a Claws/SR or Claws/WP Scrapper. Claws is fast-attacking, low endurance, and does nice damage. It's amazing how fast you can move up in levels. It's easy to get the hang of, and you'll find yourself constantly "pushing the envelope", seeing how much more you can actually take on.
Give it a try for a couple of hours and see what you think.
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I'm having sick amounts of fun with my Dual Blade/Will Power scrapper.
If you want a solo friendly controller, try plant/storm. Ill/emp is loved on teams.
My favorite blaster is ice/ice. As someone once said, it's hard for things to hit you when they're frozen and dead.
I'd also go with thugs/pain MM.
I love my dark/dark corruptor as well.
Everyone loves brutes. The one I'm leveling now is Electric/Shield.
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I've always enjoyed CoH, but I always have the same reoccuring problem that drives me away from it: I can't find my best-suited archetype/powers. I've tried and tried and just can't figure it out. So if you could either a) Suggest something off my recommended playstyle or b) Post what powerset/archetype you enjoyed most that would be so helpful. I really want to enjoy this game to the fullest, I just need to find the "perfect" set for me.
Archetypes I'm looking into:
CoH-
Controller
Scrapper
CoV-
Mastermind
Dominator
Playstyle/Wanted characteristics-
-Needed in a team but doesn't always need a team
-Good damage output (doesn't have to be insane, just not 5 mins for every enemy)
-Fun from early levels (don't wanna wait till 30 to have fun)
-Fast at leveling
I really don't care what you suggest. As long as it fits the playstyle I'm happy.
Thanks for all answers!
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Corrupter Elec/Kinetics
Defender Kinetics/Elec.
Save for the ocassional [censored] hat who hates speed boost everyone loves Kinetics on teams. And solo a kinetics user has good damage and utility. The combination of short circuit and transferrence is teh funee.
Or you can just be a cheap [censored] and roll fire/kinetics controller.
I've always enjoyed CoH, but I always have the same reoccuring problem that drives me away from it: I can't find my best-suited archetype/powers. I've tried and tried and just can't figure it out. So if you could either a) Suggest something off my recommended playstyle or b) Post what powerset/archetype you enjoyed most that would be so helpful. I really want to enjoy this game to the fullest, I just need to find the "perfect" set for me.
Archetypes I'm looking into:
CoH-
Controller
Scrapper
CoV-
Mastermind
Dominator
Playstyle/Wanted characteristics-
-Needed in a team but doesn't always need a team
-Good damage output (doesn't have to be insane, just not 5 mins for every enemy)
-Fun from early levels (don't wanna wait till 30 to have fun)
-Fast at leveling
I really don't care what you suggest. As long as it fits the playstyle I'm happy.
Thanks for all answers!