Good arcs for leveling a toon form 1-50

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Just a note, The Steel and Gold affair has been taken down because of a map bug. Thanks to 3dent for helping me find it. Shame I can't fix it .

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Hope you get it working soon though, thanks for the heads up. I will remove it from the list in the next update.

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Just a note, The Steel and Gold affair has been taken down because of a map bug. Thanks to 3dent for helping me find it. Shame I can't fix it .

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That's b/c of those dupli-cars? You reproduced them? I hoped it was just me



Anyway, here's an arc what I found:

"QUICK-START TUTORIAL - Knowledge is power: Architect Entertainment & You! (Arc 28470 by @Paula) Meant for any level, but "natural" ones are 5-14. 3 short missions.

Review: Very nicely done alternate MA tutorial arc. Explains MA badging, MA autoSKing/exemping and mission editing basics+some tricks. Helion boss in one of the mishes may be too tough for characters below 5.

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That's b/c of those dupli-cars? You reproduced them? I hoped it was just me

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Yup. Reproduced reliably. Multiple Defendable objects spawning on top of each other.

I din't have time to investigate if it was a problem with the map, defendable objects generally, or just defendable cars. That's tonights job.

Since that's important thing to know/disscuss, but patently off-topic here, I created a new thread to discuss the issue: http://uk.boards.cityofheroes.com/showfl...e=0#Post1345065

Goldbricked! taken down until further notice due to a major bug. Thanks to @Thyristor for help with the test.

Goldbricked! republished with ID 83859.

Change log:
Mission 1: changed an objective from defendable to glowie to avoid dupli-spawn, changed the map to a larger one to help with spawn reliability, reduced number of decoy glowies.
Mission 2: Completely redone, although basic premise is the same.
Mission 3: reduced number of patrols
Mission 5: smaller map, it appears you can't reliably spawn something near the entrance in warehouses Correspondingly reduced the number of battles.

Lots of typo fixes. Thanks to everybody who helped wwith test and feedback!

A proper Heist
ID: 82059
Level: 1-14, villain
Mini review: The dialogue from the contact is very good, the info of the custom mobs is so good i want to copy and paste them to use on my characters. The missions are perfectly doable with a lowbie. It could use a little work on the missions themselves though. They are a bit bland and sometimes to long. However the dialogue makes up for those flaws.

Thanks for the review GrinningSpade, it looks like that is the major complaint with my arc, I will be adding some non-required glowies and a couple of patrols to each the second and third mission, reducing the the third mission to a small Arachnos base map (didn't realise how big medium was).

yeah those maps can be tricky, i am considering reducing one of my maps as well because it suffers the same problem.

Added in two glowies to the second and two glowies to the third mission with ambushes along to go with them also added clues detailing what you find.

Also reduced the size of maps two and three down from medium to small.

Tailored for low levels. Tested with levels 2-12 and it was soloable (which was the intention). Beyond level 12 is when it becomes easier (so a difficulty upgrade can be done) since the healer NPC starts spamming fortitude. Pity it couldn't do that earlier when it was more needed, but there you go.

Anyway : 'It's not easy to get started' - ID 80488

Well Kanto, the mission is very well doable on a lowbie. If I can do it with a freshly made character then it should be doable with most toons.

I liked the fact that you found use for some seldom used emotes and the fact that things seemed to happen beyond what the contact gives. Also the use of background noise to cover up the swearing was a nice touch.

I did have trouble with the enemy faction. I don't like council. Blame some overlong TF for that one. At least there weren't caves. I also was not happy with the fact that I had to do these things to earn money, doesn't feel very heroic to me. But those are personal matters.

The ship in the first mission felt very much out of place. At least the contact could have talked about taking a cab or something to IP.

You are a bit inconsequent with your details. In the first mission you forgot to insert a search text. In the last one the ally missed a dialogue. There are also no clues or a souvenir. When you compare this to funny success briefing after the bankjob there is a shrill contrast.

I think it can be a worthy arc, just needs a bit work here and there.

That's why I was requesting reviews, for those details After so much testing I was getting jaded and the fact the first map is a boat didn't phase me (though I suppose if there is no mention that it is a boat then it could just as well be a warehouse? There is no particulary nautical scenary in it.)

I confess the first faction was hellions, I much prefer them for lowbie fighting to begin with, but after making the first mission I decided I wanted to make it a 1-54 arc and Hellions stop at 20 or so. Of all the other factions only Council seem to span that whole range while not being too annoying with side-effect status.

The earning cash is pretty much what the arc and contact (my character) is about. Someone who can do incredible things deciding to put on spandex and stop purse snatchers for the goodness of mankind always struck me as very un-realistic. Doing good but helping yourself, is the objective.

I suppose in pure good RP form the first mission is the moment to choose not to take the mission after all. I struggled a bit at the end to make the arc's end not be un-ethical. It's why the different options are left open leaving it to the player's decision offscreen

The search text you mean the bar when we click on a glowie? Forgot that, added a little blurb.

The ally did have a text at the end, I'm not sure what happened. She says she would not let you go alone, etc. I'll replay the arc once more and see if its borked.

You're correct about the clues and souvenir. I read neither usually and those friends I speak with also seldom do. I tried to make the text as explicative as possible to prevent the need of that. The souvenir I'll play with though, good point.

Thanks again for the critic, only way to improve ^^

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That's why I was requesting reviews, for those details After so much testing I was getting jaded and the fact the first map is a boat didn't phase me (though I suppose if there is no mention that it is a boat then it could just as well be a warehouse? There is no particulary nautical scenary in it.)


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Well, it is the typical boat map. My first thought was: What am I doing on a boat? Did I miss something in the briefing?

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I confess the first faction was hellions, I much prefer them for lowbie fighting to begin with, but after making the first mission I decided I wanted to make it a 1-54 arc and Hellions stop at 20 or so. Of all the other factions only Council seem to span that whole range while not being too annoying with side-effect status.


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That's true, and precisely the reason why I hate them. Just like the CoT, you encounter them so often.

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The earning cash is pretty much what the arc and contact (my character) is about. Someone who can do incredible things deciding to put on spandex and stop purse snatchers for the goodness of mankind always struck me as very un-realistic. Doing good but helping yourself, is the objective.


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The curved line to damnation here. Might be interesting to add a bit of soulsearching for the hero here. Do you go for the easy money or do you stay pure.

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I suppose in pure good RP form the first mission is the moment to choose not to take the mission after all. I struggled a bit at the end to make the arc's end not be un-ethical. It's why the different options are left open leaving it to the player's decision offscreen


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The last part puzzled me yes. I did not know what the contact expected me to do.

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The search text you mean the bar when we click on a glowie? Forgot that, added a little blurb.


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yes that one

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The ally did have a text at the end, I'm not sure what happened. She says she would not let you go alone, etc. I'll replay the arc once more and see if its borked.


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I should write these things down I guess, my memory is failing me here. Could have been another mission or a bug. Basicly the message for me is: Some parts you detailed pretty well, other parts got hardly any details at all.

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You're correct about the clues and souvenir. I read neither usually and those friends I speak with also seldom do. I tried to make the text as explicative as possible to prevent the need of that. The souvenir I'll play with though, good point.

Thanks again for the critic, only way to improve ^^

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Shameless self-promotion from me!

Jack Wolfe's Sewers Task Force (see my sig for the arc number) is my effort at replacing the joy that is Positron! Strongly recommended in balanced teams of 4+, the level range of 1-14 is consistent and the new group seem balanced - they provide a challenge of course but not a 'I need to keep popping wakies, this is getting boring'.

If anyone fancies testing it out (I have already done so with a team of 4 and it worked - minor edits were made and so I believe it is ready for review proper!)

I tried to chuck in some oft-asked questions/answers so that not only is it lowbie friendly but new-to-the-game friendly too.

Oh and it's definitely Hero-themed.

Red, 5-20 "The Outcast Outcasts" (id 2050) by @Xaphan

Haven't completed, due to my dislike of redside in general (which means arc is truly RED, and conveys that excellently.) Well-written text, interesting premise, 3rd mission is mechanically unusual (at first I thought bugged, but it seems to work OK. )

Hmm i can give it a shot, Princess. As i enjoyed your other arcs i will try it at first opportunity.

And can someone refresh the list? Also can we make this one sticky, pretty please.

I recommend Faerie Gold, arc id 95553. Heroic, levels 20 - 29.

Update (21-4-2009):

Red 1-10
The Blackmarket wants you: ID 1064.
Mercytown: The One With All The Fish: ID 6017
The Rogue Islands sewer system: ID 5482
Magi and the blue knight: ID 12619 (5-30)
Noob assault course : ID 38967 (5+)
Birth of a Villain Group: ID 60573
The Arachnos Hero Simulator: ID 1189
Acts of villainy: ID 43405
A proper Heist: ID 82059


10-20: The missing geneticist, id 2542
15+ Arachnos Research and Development: A Security Breach Arc, id 28817
The Outcast Outcasts: ID 2050 (5-20)

Blue 1-15:
A Darker Dawn ID: 2502
Twisted Tales - Part One - Storyland in Danger! ID: 12397
To Hell with a Hellion in a Handbasket ID: 39143 (5-14)
Goldbricked!: ID 83859 10-20
Hellion Earth: ID 54207
A Game of Knucklebones ID: 35280
QUICK-START TUTORIAL - Knowledge is power: Architect Entertainment & You! ID 28470
'It's not easy to get started' - ID 80488
Jack Wolfe's Sewers Task Force: 74810 (small team play recommended)

15-20
Bringing Down the Overpass: ID 26728
The Steel and Gold Affair: ID 53761
Fighting of the Blackguards: ID 96201

Blue 20-30
The Secret of the Curse of Pirate Jefferies' Treasure Island: ID 14030
Faerie Gold ID: 95553

35-40: Love Spurned: ID 1934
40-50: Might Makes Right: ID 5213
30+ : Shadows in your mind: ID 47625


Neutral

1 - 54 Tales of the Weird Dimensions: Grand Convergence: ID: 7896
20-19 Twisted Tales - Part Two - Making a Song and Dance: ID 12479


Help me to improve upon this list concentrating on low level content.

On a personal note: Trolly needs your help, anything suitable and fun for a lvl 17+ Brute? Don't worry about factions. She is a bit dim due to having had to much superadine. In other words, I want missions for 15-30

Thanks for the update, Spade. I can get a print of list and continue doing arcs on my lowbie mage. Meh i was thinking i can level up a villian but damn magic booster made me stick to the heroside once again. Anyway he is still one of my highest villians, currently at level 6 .

Mini reviews:

Dream Paper: ID 1874 Heroic level 15-20
Good arc with a refreshingly failable contact and a few plot twists that makes it interesting to keep a good eye on the plot.

The author used different color coding for optional objectives in the navigation bar and used a system to code the clues gained in the arc for easy reference. For those of us clue happy authors a good idea.


Butter Fingers Hero: ID 97383 (1-14)
This arc explains why a wise hero keeps sealable pockets inside his or her spandex. Saves a lot of mess. And makes a nice low level heroic arc.

Spade, Might Makes you Right is a villian arc, not a heroic one.

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Spade, Might Makes you Right is a villian arc, not a heroic one.

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You are right there. I will change it in a next update!

Mini review:
Bringing Down the Overpass ID: 45500. Hero level 15-20

Nasty wicked evil outcasts. Always planning and plotting against Trolls. Now they want to do a Skyway hollowing! We cannot allow that. There can be only one Hollows. A simple short arc that gives you the chance to save the day. It could do with a little bit more story and personal backgrounds. But the war between outcasts and trolls is known enough not to need it. Warning though. Bring your flight pack!


Twisted Tales - Part Two - Making a Song and Dance: ID 12479 neutral level 20-29

More twisted tales, this time about strange happenings and musicals. I am not as acknowledged in the old musical thing so i missed quite a few puns and that made following the story a bit harder. But it is well executed though the custom mobs proved a bit too much for me to handle. Still the author told me she intended to replace them. In the meanwhile, make sure you are at least SO'ed up before you try. Don't try before level 22 would be my advice here.

Seeing as you are up to the 20+ range, I'll blatantly shill my own arc ehre

see arcID in my sig.

level range: 20+ (though 45 - 50 might get weird spawns in the final mission)

no AVs
one tough melee Boss at the start and a imho very tough EB fight later on (if you are soloing).