So I'm new

I picked up this game the other day and I need some help figuring out how to set up my class and what skills and stuff to get. It'd also be nice just to play with someone else too. Help anyone?

Ok, first things first. No green. Seriously. Do not wear the color green. It's only a few shades of it, but it's hard to tell sometimes. The safe thing to do is just not wear anything REMOTELY green. Why, you ask? All will be well and good, but at level 45, the game will detect whether at any time in your character's career you wore something green. A 50 foot leprechaun will then spawn in whatever zone you're in, rampaging its way towards you and killing anyone in its way, following you wherever you go (even into other dimensions!) and delete your character.

...nah, that's a joke. No, really! I swear!

Seriously though, there's a quite a few nuances in the game that you're sure to miss no matter how many people give you advice. The important thing to remember is that it's fairly easy to change your chosen attacks/powers later on, so feel free to experiment. However, do note that your power SETS are permanent for each character (like if you have fire blasts or super strength, etc). Don't worry about picking a "bad" combination of power sets. It's almost impossible to get a combination that outright doesn't work well in some way. If you have a concept you want to play as (weather-themed, fire-based, etc), go for it; it'll probably work just fine.

At level 6 you gain access to new power pools that ARE resettable. You are free to pick from those power sets, but be aware they tend to be markedly less useful than your "core" powers that you picked at selection. There's a few solid choices however, that many will say you "need" but others will argue to the death that they're not required.

The fitness pool is probably the main one most people pick. The stamina ability (which requires you to have taken two powers in the pool already and be level 20+) is VERY VERY useful if you find yourself running out of endurance (this is normal, especially if you're still learning). The speed pool has one power called "haste." That one's pretty popular, too. First aid is probably somewhere behind those two.

Also important to note, healers typically have a difficult time healing THEMSELVES. Many of the best healing abilities are only usable on other people, so by all means, it's usually relatively safe for you to take that hit instead of the healer.

Another easy tip is to be sure to read all those pop up messages you get during your first few characters. They're chock full of information. Failing that, this is one of the friendliest MMOs I've ever seen, so feel free to ask people questions. It helps to ask permission before launching 10 questions at someone, though.

I'm sure a plethora of others will be along with actual links and helpful suggestions, so don't think this is all the help you'll get. I just figured I'd drop in with a few things I wish someone had told ME the first time I played.

...no, really, don't wear green.

Thanks that already helps alot, and I promise not to wear green more than anyone has ever not worn green before . I was wondering are there any super groups or villain groups that don't mind taking on a newcomer. I'd like to roleplay too but I've only done it like twice on other games.

Tricky question, really. I'm sure there's plenty of groups who'd have no problem having you with them. The problem is that you have to wade through the plethora of bad ones out there. Some take things too seriously, some take things too lightly, some are too drunk, some are too sober, etc.

Just sit in Atlas Park for a while and watch the broadcast. You'll probably see a bunch of SG advertisements (Steel Canyon also has a healthy(?) amount of these). Look for one that seems to have been written by someone with a functioning brain and advertises the playstyle you want. Roleplayers never mind new blood (unless they're the roleplayers who aren't really people, but faces that I still need to punch), so watch for the advertisements that look something like this.

"Greetings heroes! The Pantheon of Lawful Good Tighty-Whiteys cordially invites you to partake in the most heroic of heroism and heroics! ((blahblahblahblah bunch of out of character stuff goes here, mostly talking about ventrillo servers or how big their di-err, base is, how many suckers they have in their group, etc etc))"

Basically, the (( )) marks are your clue that the person is a roleplayer, because only a roleplayer announces to the world that he's NOT roleplaying. It's sort of like they're playing the role of someone NOT playing a role. ...yeah.

Ok, I'll stop writing now. I apologize for all this. I have a fever and I swear I'm not actually insane.

Ha, I'll cautiously believe you and I appreciate the advice

Hi Laika. Hmmm, so much information in those questions and just a little time to type. I would say, ignore the invention system at first until you get a handle on the regular enhancements. And try not to judge a toon until 20 or 22. Stamina and Single Origin enhancements (the highest level of normal enhancements) really can change how a toon plays.

Also you might want to start with a scrapper or a blaster. They tend to have less complicated roles in a team and will let you get your feet wet a bit more gently.

Laika (Come Home), the Junior Vanguard is looking for members, I'm a new SG-leader so it'd be hypocritical of me to turn down a new player (especially since we were all new players at one point), so if you want to post on the GuildPortal site (see my thread in SH/VG Recruiting forum) or shoot me a tell/email at @Theta in-game, I'll at least consider you.

The best way to get started in this game is to find out what you like to do. Control, Support, Damage, Tank, Solo, Team. Are you the type to use a pet class to do the heavy lifting for you or do you prefer to run in yourself and bash heads? A bit of insight in what you enjoy will help a lot in any advice we can give.

I am old school, (My "Current" account, says otherwise, but I've had 2 previous accounts that have gone different ways from me ages go, Ive been around for a long time).

IF you want help, questions answered, builds built & explained, directions, game play info, where to go, who to talk to, & what to do & how to do it.

Come talk to me.

You can send tell by do /tell @Darkmire, Hi (insert rest of your dialogue here)

I already found 2 new rookies to game last week, Ive ran em through basics, then let them go crazy, before offering a spot in my SG/VGs & eventually letting them join my regulars. I wanted them to feel comfortable with the game, before they got involved in our insanity

If you need just question's answered, I can offer answers.


JJ

One of my biggest Questions I ask people is this: Do you like to Fight from a Distance or do you like to get up & melee.

Then We go from there, because from that question alone, we can break down more options for you.


JJ

Where are all the people suggesting channels and stuffs? Where.

Er...join a channel and stuffs.

Can you tell I'm rubbish at this?

If you're a new player, I'd like to say this, "Don't judge Virtue by what gets said in Broadcast." There's a lot more to us than that. Especially Atlas broadcast. It's for serial killers and people who have ducks glued to their chins.

I'd say join a general-type channel like VU2009...except that's now filled up. VU2010 is open...but probably not a lot of people using that yet. Er...there are also channels dedicated to running TFs, or RP'ing (I'd assume) or the channel dedicated to The Cape Radio. (We has a couple radio stations here. Definitely worth a listen.) lots of them are good places to hear what's going on, to meet people, etc. People more informed than I am will probably be along in a bit to give you a better list. (Deebs? You still got that 'welcome to Virtue' post somewhere?)

It's easy to feel a bit lost in the shuffle...my one piece of advice is to try to stay connected.

Oh, yeah, ATs and powers.

My advice: Start with a blaster. You learn how not to die with no real defenses. Aggro management is a pretty good place to start off if you're learning. When you get to something that buffs/debuffs or has awesome defenses, you'll be much better off for having learned how to handle stuff without all that cool happy stuff first.

oo its totally awesome that you came to the boards and welcome to the game -- you picked a good server

All the info is great and there is tons of 'guides' as well so check those out

-- Slots are VERY important --

One of the beautiful things about CoH is that, even though there's archetypes, you don't have to have one of each thing in 99 percent of the game. You don't need to stand and wait for a "healer" or "tank", nor do you need to be a "pure healer" etc. Some stuff might be more difficult, but it's almost always finishable (excepting the really hard stuff like Statesman Task Force).

That said, think about what you like to do the most, as someone said: melee? ranged?

I normally tell someone brand new to make a scrapper: they do the most damage, but also have a decent survivability. That said, my own first character was a blaster. I don't mind getting creamed.

You really can't mess up the character to the point of unplayability here, which is nice. The choices of all the primary, secondary, four power pools and Epic Power Pools winds up letting you customize your character (now with power colors for the primary/secondary!) and enhancements that you put in that further customize you. Example: I put in a lot of range to my energy blaster, rather than damage.

Controllers can be really hard in the low levels, but when you get up in the 32+ area, you are like Unto a God.

So don't worry about "what to get". Get what you think looks fun and what you would like to play with. You also get more slots. Most of us have many alts, and each one makes for a different experience.

You're joining this game at a great time.

Scrappers are a nice for your first. They're the perfect balance - sturdy with enough damage onboard to solo easily if you're not looking to team.

Curious, so far, what did you pick for your first? AT? Primary and secondary? There's forums here for builds and advice by AT.

To sum up my Week 1 advice:

- Take it slow and enjoy the game.

- Run your contact mission arcs.

- There's game tips on the loading screen. I'm pretty sure the option to receive them is turned on automatically.

- Sometimes joining global channels filled with experienced players can be overwhelming because they're talking a mile a minute about every detail. Two things might be of better use your first week. 1. The help channel. Type /HC, your question here (backslash, HC). Usually, nice folks will answer most everything. 2. http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Main_Page

- Once you have an idea of the game and where you wish to concentrate your time (PvE, RP, PvP, Raids, badges, etc), there are many great specialized global channels available.

- Find a friendly SG. Let them know that you're new to the game.

-Consider finding two people who play the same hours you do. 1. An experienced player you who can help you along the way and 2. Another new player who can share your enthusiasm.

- If you hit a rough patch with something or someone, don't worry. There's more than one AT, there's more than one factionside, there's more than one SG, there's more than one online forum community, there's more than one person. It's a really large, unique, diverse world in there to explore.

Have fun. Visit us often and let us know how you're doing.

Okay right now I have the 14 day trial but i'm thinking I'll probably go ahead and get a subscription. I made two characters to play around on and figure what I like. I made a energy blaster and a stone tank. I really like the game so far so thanks for all the help. JJDraken I'll look you up in game fer sure.

Energy Blast is a great way to get started. The knockback will keep you alive at least a bit longer then most blasters and will help you feel out the game early.

The only advice I can give to a new player, focus on your primary and secondary powerset for attacks. Don't take the pool power attacks, theyre a waste of power selections. at least for a blaster. Otherwise just play it by ear and you'll pick it all up as you go, and don't hesitate to ask people in or out of game for help or advice if you need it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BackAlleyBrawler you *******!!!!

If your a trail account, you wont be able to send tells. You can coordinate a meet up though, Im usually on bout 5pm-7pm Mon-Fri(though I tend stay later, since most my mates are East coast, only 2 of us are West, wierd eh?)

Random Whenever through out the weekends.

Just leave post here or send me a P.M. on the boards, where you would like to meet up at.


JJ

As someone said before: each player's opinion is worth a pile of beans.

Your mileage will vary in this game. My main is an energy/energy blaster that nobody has complained about because I learned how to control the kb and even do a sort of Babe Ruth with it and aim. You can knock stuff to a tank, just as well as you could knock it away. Same with Storm Defender; you can play it badly and have everyone angry or you could take time and learn how to have finesse with it.

The "5" that the earlier poster talked of is still not necessary for you, if you don't want to do it. Choose what appeals to you and then learn as you go.

Okay so I've got my energy/energy blaster, reached level six, and set myself up with fitness-haste. Is there anything so far I've completely messed myself up by doing? My powers are power blast, power bolt, build up, and power thrust.

haha its that bad?