A couple of questions before I take the plunge
By
Diggis,
Posted on: 2009-09-04 07:25 in Player Questions
Welcome to the game.
If you decide to take the plunge and buy the game, let me give you a tip if you haven't already went and bought a boxed version yet. Visit your local bargain stores that sell old versions of computer games. Any boxed retail version of this game IS the current game. Although some retail versions have perks that others do not. IMPORTANT: Just make sure the boxed is unopened, because the code can only be used once. For Example: I recently found a Good VS Evil edition at a bargain store for $6. AND the different retail versions are stackable, that is, you can use the codes from different boxes of the game to get additional "free" months of play time.
Don't buy enhancements from contacts, they have ripoff prices.
Quote:
Sidetrack, but I've always wondered what the point of having contacts sell enhancements is anyway. Is it just to trick the unknowing into paying more when they could have headed to the nearest store? Seems just a tad cruel to beginning players. Is there any reason someone would pay contact prices after learning about their gouging? Is it just sheer laziness, that traveling any distance is too much effort?
|
Originally Posted by Prof_Backfire
Don't buy enhancements from contacts, they have ripoff prices.
|
"Mastermind Pets operate...differently, and aren't as easily fixed. Especially the Bruiser. I want to take him out behind the woodshed and pull an "old yeller" on him at times." - Castle
Quote:
It's a relic from before stores were marked on the map. Your contacts were the only ones marked ON THE MAP where you could buy enhancements. The stores DID exist, you just had to either know already where they were or FIND THEM yourself.
| Sidetrack, but I've always wondered what the point of having contacts sell enhancements is anyway. Is it just to trick the unknowing into paying more when they could have headed to the nearest store? |
Quote:
Back in the day, the brick and mortar stores only sold the "Power 10" set of enhancements (DOs and SOs). http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Power_10_Enhancements|
Originally Posted by Oldeb
Sidetrack, but I've always wondered what the point of having contacts sell enhancements is anyway. Is it just to trick the unknowing into paying more when they could have headed to the nearest store? Seems just a tad cruel to beginning players. Is there any reason someone would pay contact prices after learning about their gouging? Is it just sheer laziness, that traveling any distance is too much effort?
|
If you wanted to buy the others, you either had to suck up to your Contacts so that they'll sell them to you now at inflated prices or wait an additional 5 levels when they become available at the stores. This left the Defenders and Controllers feeling penalized because they couldn't upgrade their debuffs.
[Editted grammar]
Teams are the number one killer of soloists.
Quote:
Yup, now that the contacts sell all types of enhancements it would make more sense to have them charge less than Brick and Mortar stores. You'd get a benefit from increasing your Relationship level by doing their missions and getting access to their store. Very thematic.
|
Originally Posted by SerialBeggar
Back in the day, the brick and mortar stores only sold the "Power 10" set of enhancements (DOs and SOs). http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Power_10_Enhancements
If you wanted to buy the others, you either had to suck up to your Contacts so that they'll sell them to you now at inflated prices or wait an additional 5 levels when they become available at the stores. This to the Defenders and Controllers feeling penalized because they couldn't upgrade their debuffs. |
--------------
"Chew Electric Death, Snarling Cur!"
Huh. I'd never heard of the Power 10 before, thanks for the info. I'm glad I came along after that was changed. Seems an odd design decision.
"Mastermind Pets operate...differently, and aren't as easily fixed. Especially the Bruiser. I want to take him out behind the woodshed and pull an "old yeller" on him at times." - Castle
Quote:
i think it was supposed to be a way to add challenge and a time/influence sink for anyone who wasn't a damage or healing focused AT. A lot of the early decisions seemed to be based around the idea that having to search for things like stores and sources of needed enhancements types for anyone not purely damage-focused made the game more challenging and fun. More along the lines of a traditional fantasy-MMO with spandex added. Back then enhancements were the only "loot" the game had anyway.|
Originally Posted by Oldeb
Huh. I'd never heard of the Power 10 before, thanks for the info. I'm glad I came along after that was changed. Seems an odd design decision.
|
Still, it added a very non-super feeling minigame, which the overall game has moved away from since. It would have been more thematic if contacts had sold enhancements cheaper than stores, but then it's been years since i bought any from a contact anyway. The last time was shortly before i realized that contacts who were supposed to be close friends actually jacked up their prices more than anonymous shopkeepers.
Okay, it made sense for Indigo and Crimson, what with being sketchy superspies who seem to take a delight in inconveniencing real superheroes, but the rest are just jerks.
Dr. Todt's theme.
i make stuff...
Quote:
Right. Your remark caused me to remember that Statesman said the reason the stores weren't marked on the map was to encourage world exploration. As a consequence, the reason the Contacts charged more was for their convenience factor, ie you knew where they were. And something like the reason the non-Power-10 enhancements from the Contacts "appear to be" extra expensive was due to scaling their prices for being available 5 levels earlier than the stores.
|
Originally Posted by Schismatrix
A lot of the early decisions seemed to be based around the idea that having to search for things like stores
|
Teams are the number one killer of soloists.
Quote:
Which would've been more acceptable if stores had been implemented like the neighborhood markers and appeared as a selectable waypoint after you discovered them.|
Originally Posted by SerialBeggar
Right. Your remark caused me to remember that Statesman said the reason the stores weren't marked on the map was to encourage world exploration. As a consequence, the reason the Contacts charged more was for their convenience factor, ie you knew where they were. And something like the reason the non-Power-10 enhancements from the Contacts "appear to be" extra expensive was due to scaling their prices for being available 5 levels earlier than the stores.
|
*eh* That's all far in the past now.
Dr. Todt's theme.
i make stuff...
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by vinque
Great info everyone, thanks. I guess I missed my story arc contact somehow. I guess I'll have to go to each of my contacts and see if there was a choice I missed.
|
Something to note.... even the contacts who have a story arc will still offer "generic" missions. You need to do 2-3 missions to get the story arc going, but once it is, most contacts will offer one mission that will continue the story, and one random mission. And once you've finished the story arc, they'll still offer pairs of random missions as long as you're within their level range.
Quote:
20 Million! Where do I buy one of those?|
Originally Posted by Westley
I've bought 3 so far.
 For me, $10 is a LOT cheaper and easier than earning 20 million influence.Then again, I'm comfortably well off financially, so it doesn't bother me. And I LOVE respeccing. |
140 Million last time I looked.
20 million for a respec? go back about... six months.
Before the last 2XP, they were around 90 million each if I recall .
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
I just got 200 million for one last week.
Quote:
Especially Faultline. Fantastic story arcs, and you don't have to leave the zone as you do them. But you have to just go to those zones and click the initial contact when you're the right level, they're not automatically inserted into your contact chain. At level 15, go to Faultline and talk to Jim Temblor to start his arc. |
Originally Posted by Diggis
No, thats not it for the missions. Some of the older ones can get a bit repeative, but the new missions, particularly in The Hollows and Faultline are more interesting.
|
Same deal with Striga, which is another cool zone--when you're level 20ish, go to Striga and talk with Stephanie Peebles. She has a story arc that gives out a super-handy temp power, the wedding band.
Freedom: Blazing Larb, Fiery Fulcrum, Sardan Reborn, Arctic-Frenzy, Wasabi Sam, Mr Smashtastic.
Quote:
And if you don't talk to them first, then the first regular contact you talk to in that level range will send you to talk to them anyway before they will give you any real missions (likewise, at 25, the first contact in that range will make you go talk to Bower in Croatoa.)
|
Originally Posted by Sardan
Especially Faultline. Fantastic story arcs, and you don't have to leave the zone as you do them. But you have to just go to those zones and click the initial contact when you're the right level, they're not automatically inserted into your contact chain. At level 15, go to Faultline and talk to Jim Temblor to start his arc.
Same deal with Striga, which is another cool zone--when you're level 20ish, go to Striga and talk with Stephanie Peebles. She has a story arc that gives out a super-handy temp power, the wedding band. |
Quote:
Prices probably go up and down all the time. Especially if everyone's got a freespec.
|
Originally Posted by SunGryphon
I just got 200 million for one last week.
|
Quote:
OMG! Striga is full of cool temp powers. There's also the War Wolf Whistle and the Holy Shotgun Shells.
|
Originally Posted by Sardan
Same deal with Striga, which is another cool zone--when you're level 20ish, go to Striga and talk with Stephanie Peebles. She has a story arc that gives out a super-handy temp power, the wedding band.
|
Paragon City Search And Rescue
The Mentor Project
Croatoa has a few as well, like the awesome looking Rune of Warding, Iron Blade and Bow.
Though I think you can get those temp powers, or a toned down version at least, from Flashback missions.
You can also get the bow and sword in Safeguard missions, from the Weapons Deal side mission. The sword is called a Claymore and there are a TON of other cool powers - the IR Goggles, Flamethrower, Shotgun, etc, etc.
The only downside is that, if the random roll picks a temp power you already have, you get nothing.
Paragon City Search And Rescue
The Mentor Project
Quote:
You do realize that the use of these services actually violates the EULA, right?
|
Originally Posted by Hart
Actually, if you're going to spend real world money anyway, you're better off buying influence / infamy from one of the dozens of companies that spam your email box. At $20-30 per billion, you could get a heck of a lot of respec recipes for the same $10 - about 50 respecs for what you've paid so far if you bought them at 20m apiece.
|
- Garielle
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Frosty_Femme
I said "ur" which is not a word. It's a sound dumb people make when you ask them to spell out "you are".
|
Quote:
The game's been out for a few years now, so there's a lot of content that's been added over that period, which means that there are now more contacts and misisons available than any single player can go through on one avatar without out-leveling them - which is why they added a "turn off all xp" option recently |
Originally Posted by vinque
Great info everyone, thanks. I guess I missed my story arc contact somehow. I guess I'll have to go to each of my contacts and see if there was a choice I missed.
|
EDIT: And welcome to the game and forum
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
Quote:
I think if you never got the power, you get the full strength version from Ouroboros flashback. If you did previously get it, then you can get a toned-down version. |
Originally Posted by Prof_Backfire
Croatoa has a few as well, like the awesome looking Rune of Warding, Iron Blade and Bow.
Though I think you can get those temp powers, or a toned down version at least, from Flashback missions. |
And I agree the Rune of Warding is awesome. It's the only temp power I got that I used repeatedly just because of how cool it looked! But overall I don't really care for Croatoa. The Tuatha hit hard, and I don't like all the hunt missions.
Freedom: Blazing Larb, Fiery Fulcrum, Sardan Reborn, Arctic-Frenzy, Wasabi Sam, Mr Smashtastic.
Quote:
There is also a Day Job accolade called the Rune of Purification. It is identical in effect and abilities to the Rune of Warding. You get it by getting the Archeologist badge (Midnighter/Mortician).|
Originally Posted by Sardan
I think if you never got the power, you get the full strength version from Ouroboros flashback. If you did previously get it, then you can get a toned-down version.
And I agree the Rune of Warding is awesome. It's the only temp power I got that I used repeatedly just because of how cool it looked! But overall I don't really care for Croatoa. The Tuatha hit hard, and I don't like all the hunt missions. |
Oh, and that Claymore that you get in Safeguard/Mayhem weapons raid only lasts 30 minutes game time.
As SwellGuy said, the stores are marked on you Map with a "$".
Note: in Atlas Park and Galaxy City, you'll only see the Super Powered Trainers who buy and sell enhancements. There are several types of enhancements. Right now, you've only seen the Training Origin (TO) type enhancements.
When you're level 10+, you'll be moving on to the Steel Canyon and Skyway City zones. There you will start getting drops of Dual Origin (DO) type enhancements, like Magic/Mutant, Science/Tech, Natural/Science, etc. As long as one of the origins matches your character's origin, you can slot it. Note: you'll see that a Sci/Tech Accuracy has a different name than a Nat/Sci Accuracy. The names don't matter, they're for role playing purposes. The only thing that matters is what the enhancement does, Accuracy in this example. There is a consistant color scheme used to help you spot what you need while ignoring the goofy names. For example, Accuracies are always yellow, Damage is always Red, Endurance Reduction is always light blue, etc.
You'll also see origin specific stores. While you can buy and sell any enhancements you don't need at any of the stores, you'll get ripped off if you don't make the effort to buy or sell the enhancement in the appropriate origin store. For example, you can buy or sell the Mag/Mut enhancement in either a Magic or Mutant shop for the same (base) price. However, if you buy or sell the Mag/Mut enhancement at the Tech, Sci or Natural shop, you'll pay more for it and you'll sell it for less. Until you're "rich" or reasonably well off, make the effort to sell to the appropriate origin store.
Note, you'll also start to get Invention Origin (IO) enhancment Recipe drops. Steel Canyon has a University with a tutorial on IO recipes, IO salvage, and using them to craft IO enhancements. The tutorial Contact at the University is automatically added to your Contacts list. Check him out. There are 2 types of IOs - "common/generic" (they look like spiffier TOs) and named "Sets".
Common IOs work like regular enhancements, they boost one attribute. But unlike a regular enhancement, their effectiveness doesn't fluctuate with your level and they never expire (which can save you a lot of Influence since you won't have to replace everything every 5 levels). Set IOs boost 2-4 attributes in one enhancement. Each boost is less than a common IO, but will careful arrangement, you can boost all of your attributes for almost equal to better using less slots than with common IOs, SOs, etc.
Teams are the number one killer of soloists.