Around three years. True story 
4 1/2 months and counting, level 43 at the moment, but become a bit of an altaholic
I usually quote a figure of around 6 months. I also think that's wrong. I wasn't really paying attention, to be honest, but if you take my start date of 3 September 2005, then stretch that to the date of the first ever Double XP event (whenever that was), which got me to a smidgeon below 49 (48.95) and add the three weeks to a month it took me to get the last bits of XP, that's how long it took. I think it was actually about 8 or 9 months.
Why does it take so long? What's the point in spending what might seem like forever, when in other MMOs the aim of the game is to get to the level cap as soon as possible?
Because in CoH, the aim of the game is the journey, not the destination.
The wisdom of Shadowe: Ghostraptor: The Shadowe is wise ...; FFM: Shadowe is no longer wise.
; Techbot_Alpha: Also, what Shadowe said. It seems he is still somewhat wise 
; Bull Throttle: Shadowe was unwise in this instance...; Rock_Powerfist: in this instance Shadowe is wise.; Techbot_Alpha: Shadowe is very wise *nods*; Zortel: *Quotable line about Shadowe being wise goes here.*
Depends really. It's much quicker now than 4 years ago.
When Issue 13 hit i think it took me around a month to get my sword/shield scrapper to 50, and i took my sweet time doing taskforces i got no xp on, i never went solo, i waited for teams and so on. Never got powerlevelled, tho i did do some task forces being sidekicked up some. Like ITF.
18 months here form my namesake main, and still the only one i got. 30 month vet now and next nearest is a lvl 32 PB, a couple of mid 20's, loads of mid-teens, and a thousand deleted alts.
Ages, I have about a dozen alts. The one I play depends entirely on how I feel at the time. What's the rush anyway?
I honestly can't remember how long it took to get my first/main 50 since I wasn't actively powerleveling him or anything; was just cruising through the story arcs. Someone else from the GGOOC channel might remember.
Two and a half years for my first one. Only because I wanted to unlock the HEAT and later on the VEAT. THe last levels went very fast when I took the decision to level them in earnest. Sadly once I hit the 50 my characters are done. I only get them out of the mothballing to do some badge hunting. Right now I play a few characters who get pretty close to the big 50 as well. I wonder if I will stop playing them as well once that happens.
First took 320 hours second 270 third didn,t look I have altitus so have 14 toons on each server so taking my time and having fun. 
just remembered I have 4 at the magic 50 
Prof Radburn controller,Celtic Ice Maiden,blaster,Miss Knockout scrapper,Mistress Davina controller,Stone Hart,tank Split Personality PB.Queen Lostris controller,Fridgid Mary blaster,Shocking Fire blaster Future Elfling defender, Little Weed controller,Capo Angelo MM, Commander Buzzsaw MM, Justice Tank tank all 50,s
About 2-3 months for namesake toon was first as well did alot of exemplaring with friends so kinda delayed it abit but over 1500 hours clocked on him now
Heroes: Phobos-, Protector-Bot, Shadow of Ra, Bionic Eye, Entropic Chaos, Strike-Freedom.
Villains: Necron Phobos, Khorne-Berzerker, Full Metal Panic, Smasher Devourer, Degrees Kelvin.
Co-Leader of The Echelon
Visit us at http://www.theechelon.eu
Approx. 9 months for namesake toon.
Allodoxaphobia is the fear of opinions.
Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. MARCUS AURELIUS (121-180 AD)
First 50 Two years, I think it was probably nearer 6 months with that toon, but I'd suffered a lot of altitis.
Last 50 (Charge Nurse) too about 5 weeks (2nd Dec 08 til 5th Jan 09).
No PLing on any toon. We play 4 nights a week for 3 hours, but over Christams we (wife and I) got extra gaming time in.
About 16 months for Kiken, my first.
About 6 months for my second and third.
And I still haven't managed to get a Villain to 50 (35 my highest)
However, it turned out that Smith was not a time-travelling Terminator
320 Hours was my longest. 270 was my first. Fastest was just over 70 hours (BS scrapper soloing radio missions)
"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"
My first 50 took over a year, say about 15 months. That was in 2005/6. My second 50 was created in about August and hit 50 before the end of the year, 3-4 months. And I roleplay a lot.
Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.
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Sadly once I hit the 50 my characters are done. I only get them out of the mothballing to do some badge hunting.
[/ QUOTE ]
I have lots of alts but I find I play my 50's more than the lower level ones. Guess we're all different
39 months.
Chairman of the Charity of Pain; accepting donations of blood and guts.
Prophet of the Creamy Truth; "If it's empty, fill it with cream."
I've no idea, around six-hundred hours or so for my first hero fifty, around two or three (or four?) hundred for my first villain fifty. I've got no others that high. I spend more time roleplaying than grinding levels, which slows levelling speed a lot unless you only run in in-character teams.
When my older brother got his account he hit fifty in eighteen days.
First villain about a year, second maybe 8 months. But my first hero is over a year old now, and still on lvl 39. And I love playing my 50's, they are my favorite toons.
My main toons on Union:
Majer; Dark/Dark Corruptor
Caitlin Calathea; Plant/Thorns Dominator
Davallia Fejeensis; Empathy/Archery Defender
My arc:
ID 98789, What once was, will be again.
Fastest char to 50 was Sapphic Neko the scrapper version, which i leveled from 1 to 41 or 42 over a double xp weekend. I think when i hit 50 i had played her for 46 hours in total. The original brute version of Sapphic Neko took much longer, prob around 150 hours over the course between issue 11 and 12, mostly due to there not being many teams villain side so i had to solo, which i could only stand to do for a mission or two 
Slowest was my first 50, which took around 250 hours in total over 5 months.
It normally take around 130-180 hours for me, depending on
AT, powersets and team availability...
My fastest was my Energy/Elec Brute...
It took me 109 hours, or 1½ week. I soloed all the way,
except for teaming up 7 times. No double XP involved...
Needless to say I didn't do much else those 1½ week...
[ QUOTE ]
It normally take around 130-180 hours for me, depending on
AT, powersets and team availability...
My fastest was my Energy/Elec Brute...
It took me 109 hours, or 1½ week. I soloed all the way,
except for teaming up 7 times. No double XP involved...
Needless to say I didn't do much else those 1½ week...
[/ QUOTE ]
I'll say, thats like an average of 11 hours per day over 10 days
I averaged about 1 every 3 months when leveling was at its slowest (4 in 1st year + alts) with basically exemping pretty much all the TFs to boot. I like and still like to get to 50 without having to go "Oh I missed something" and then they introduce Ouroboros, which is fine when I want something specific, like a temp power. I don't have to relive what I went and done afai am concerned.
Nowadays I just play anything at anytime for any reason bar the need or the feeling of wanting to get 50. Some alts are lucky if they average 2.5% of their level a week at times.
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
How long did it take all of you lot to reach lvl 50