Hello I'm new!

Hey all-

Figured this would be a good place to start as I'm new to the game and I really have no idea as to what I am doing.

First off..I don't really know what to play...I'm thinking that I want to play a blaster as they have some range to them and from what I have read they pack a pretty good punch. Not exactly sure tho. I love ranged classes.

The problem is..I have no idea what build to pick or where i can find a good one.
If someone could help me with that..it would be a big help!

Oh..and I haven't chosen a server yet so if someone would like to make a suggestion I'm all ears!

fire psi is pretty good since your new it could be a nice introduction to a lot of powers and types of powers in the game.

there kinda had to build because u can go many different directions. I started with a blaster when i joined the game, had a great time.

you also my want to think about a scrapper for survivability

do scrappers have a range ability? cuz thats kinda what i am looking for

Welcome!

Regarding servers. When getting the server list, the one on top is the one you has been on last time. The rest are ranked based on actual server load, with the busiest at the bottom.

Beside this forum, you might also want to look at the Paragon Wiki, as it has lots of good information.

Welcome to the city Derrick1390!

Blasters are high damage dealers long range but with a price. They are squshy! Be prepared to end up face down many times. If you want damage Fire is a heavy hitter.

If you want range with some buffs and heals try a Defender. Your damage might not be as high but you can boost the powers of teammates and heal when low on heath.

Now given you are new first rule is... What ever you learned in other MMOs leave behind your in the city now. All the ATs are fun to play but each have their angle, however none are 100% needed on a team. A team of all Blasters can work or all Scrappers or a mix of anything. A good team can work with any combo of AT types we aren't Dependant on the Tank Healer Damage Setup.

Rule two... With out buying extra Character slots you get plenty to try different AT types. So enjoy them all. I started as a blaster myself but my first 50 was a scrapper and my second (Still active) is a Tanker. The game play here changes with each AT and Powers chosen. A Dual Blade/Regen Scrapper is different then a Spine/Reflex scrapper. So mix and match to your style. Note my Tanker is Willpower/Dark Melee.
Second note a Spine Scrapper have some range in the attacks.

Rule Three Don't be afraid to ask for help. We are very friendly to newbies. Some of the highest populated servers are Freedom a popular one for new players. And Virtue the unofficial RPG Server. A Friendly server I played on is Guardian thought I moved to Virtue due to the times I am playing and the friends I had on Virtue.

Welcome!

Blasters can be difficult depending on your playstyle, but it's hard to really bork any character in CoH. I have an archery/ice blaster I love, and actually, archery/anything blasters are a lot of fun. Assault rifle/devices blasters have been pretty popular in the past, and devices offers a lot of fun toys.

As other players have already said, try everything until you find something you love! And ask for help if you need it! And don't worry about getting to 50, this game is all in the journey!

Good luck!

I appreciate all the replys!

Hmm...So I really dont understand sorry I'm so used to other games!

Am I to understand that there really is no right and wrong way to build characters like there is in other games?

First of all,welcome to the city my man

I wouldn't say right way vs wrong way to build your character. I'd say efficient vs inefficient. For a little more guidance on building a better Blaster (or any archetype for that matter) you should consult the Achetypes & Powers section of the boards. They have a lot of helpful tips on builds and tactics.

By way, my first Blaster was a fire/fire. Great damage, and the fire secondary provides good melee attacks for when the baddies get too close.

There are many ways to build a character, and with our Archetype and powerset structure, it's hard to build anything that is downright unplayable - I've seen a few players deliberately try, but it took effort.

Blasters are tons of fun if you want to just kill stuff right and left, but be careful to learn aggro ranges and just how many foes to take on at once. If you have played ranged characters before or just like the idea of range, a Blaster is for you. I also second eryq's suggestion of Fire/Ice. Fire is lots of carnage (the powersets "secondary" effect is more damage) while Ice gives you some slows and a single target hold.

Scrappers are also pretty heavy damage, but more single target than blasters. They have much better mitigation tools and are therefore considered newbie-friendly. One or two scrapper powersets have a one or two ranged powers (very short range at that) so they are definitely melee-focused.

Try a bunch of different sets and see what feels like fun. Play that one for a while, but if you get bored or want a change of pace, roll something else. This game is really about rolling alts to experience it in different ways - it does not currently have what many folks consider to be a strong "end game" although there is a lot of stuff to do with your high-level or max-level character.

I haven't seen anyone else mention it yet, but bookmark this site:


www.paragonwiki.com

This is a player-built and maintained wiki with just about any tidbit of info you might be seeking.

Welcome to the game!

Just to reiterate what has been stated so far; the Devs have gone to great pains to make it so that you cannot 'bork' or 'gimp' any character. This makes for a more enjoyable game for the unMMOliterate among us (me included). I came from FPS games after a bad digital accident, and havent looked back. There are 'preferred' builds, but if you find a concept you like; go with it, and enjoy. Anyone who 'ranks' you due to your build, well, there are dorks everywhere.

I personally like 'offbeat' builds myself, and have both preferred-Builds and WTH-is-he-thinking-Builds. The latter are more fun though.

The Devs have made it this way, and that means that any 'new' Power or Archetype will get hit with the Bonus as well as the Nerf Bat from time to time to maintain 'Balance' among the Powers/Archetypes, and a better game overall IMHO. Of course, come here to hear the latest nerf-gripes when that happens; it can be amusing.

Welcome to the game!

Don't be afraid to take powers that don't do damage. Using them could give you that extra couple of seconds of breathing room to finish the fight or to safely escape.

Welcome to the game and the forum!

As many people have already said, it's tough to mess up a build. There are a lot of ways that you can optimise a build, though - for those, go and look in the Archetype section of the forum.

My first character ever was an Energy/Energy Blaster, and he is a whole lot of fun to play, still - just to warn you, though, as a Blaster, you will spend a fair bit of time munching carpet/concrete/cave. Don't let it get you down! Have fun, go nuts, pick the powers that sound fun and interesting! It's a rare team that will turn you down for anything but the most esoteric tasks (so-called "Master of..." Task Force runs spring to mind as those needing certain powers, and they're late-game content).

To give you few pointers on things you might want to seriously consider:

At level 6, you unlock Power Pools, which are basically powers that add capabilities to your character. You can have a maximum of 4 power pools, each of which has several powers in. At level 6 you can access either of the first 2 powers in the pool, at level 14 you can get the third power (as long as you have one of the first two) and at level 20 you can get the fourth power (as long as you have two of the first three).

Why has Shad said all this? Well, travel powers are in the power pools, for one - they all unlock at 14th level. Flight is very popular on new characters, but is (relatively) slow; Superjump is awesome and pretty quick, if a little riskier than flight; Superspeed is fast but lacks vertical movement capability; Teleport is fast but requires constant attention.

Also, one thing you'll find when playing the game is that you'll run out of Endurance. Probably a lot. Endurance management is the real trick, especially when you start to come across foes that drain it. One of the most popular ways to help your character manage your Endurance is through the Fitness Power Pool, to get Stamina at level 20. It's not a necessity, but it is extremely useful.

Once again thank you for all of your replys!

I chose to go ahead with a double blade/regen scrapper...it doesnt have the range ability I was looking for but then again Im not as squishy and i still do good damage. It turns out thats more what I was looking for. So far I really like the regen thing..it helps alot with downtime. As far as double blades...well I'm not quite sure...going to give it more time...might switch to katana all tho im not sure there is much of a diffrence? suggest scrapper builds that are fun to play would he awsome!

Give it some time, learn your Build/Playstyle, and then Alt away. You have multiple slots per Server (and multiple Servers per account) so that you dont have to limit yourself to one Build/Toon. But a Scrapper is a good first Character if you are Melee Focused to cut your teeth on, and the Dual Blades will let you work with the Combos to make things more interesting the first time around.

Dual Blades has a mechanic that isn't used in other powersets - the "combo". The UI tells you which one is next, so you don't have to memorize them all, but it is a bit more complex than Katana would be. (Notice - just a "bit" more complex).

I have a Katana/Regen Scrapper as one of the first 5 I rolled up, lots of fun, and Regen is nice, especially as you are learning the game.

Didja see where I said she was one of the first 5 characters I rolled? I currently switch among about 60 alts, about 6 of them scrappers. The Katana/Regen is slightly different from the others, as M_B explained above. Some people call Regen a "clicky" set as you generally have to keep track of your Health bar to know when to fire off one of your self-heals. Other Scrapper sets have more inherent armor-type powers, so they play differently. All fun though.

Now that you've settled on an AT (Scrapper), you might post in the Scrappers forums for more specific info and help on your Scrapper and advice on how the different Scrapper sets play.

That said, there are significant differences between Katana and Dual Blades. Dual Blades is built around a combo system (thus far the only powerset in the game that does this). This means that you have to take most if not all of the powers in the set if you want to be able to do all the combos. Katana is more of a straightforward attack set and also offers Divince Avalanche, an attack power that does minimal damage but boosts your Defense, making you harder to hit. Both powersets are similiar in that they use swords and do the Smashing/Lethal damage type.

First Welcome to the Game!!!

My Characters Deviont Art page Currently-reading Me Skydiving

Hmmm, so many replies and no-one even bothered mentioning villains. I'm disappointed by you guys.
Ok, seriously, you might want to consider taking a look to villain ATs, too. Even, if you don't like playing as a villain, coming Going Rogue expansion, you'll be able to switch sides. So, some general information about ATs:

Hero ATs:
Blaster: Long range, high damage, low HP, low defenses/resistances (squishy)

Tanker: Melee-character, extremey high defences/resistances, good damage

Scrapper: Melee, high damage, high defences/resistances

Controller: Controls enemies, hindering their actions (immobilizes, holds, fear, confuse), also buffs/heals teammates and debuffs enemies. Most primary powerset choices get a pet, too

Defender: Buffs/Ranged attacks, low damage. Supports teammates, but can deal some damage of its own, too (athough nowhere near a blaster)

>Also, after reaching lv20, two new ATs are unlocked, called Epic Archetypes (not Epic in power, just tied to this games lore). These are Kheldians, part of an alien race. They're also the only AT with shapeshifting powers.

Villain ATs:
Brute: Melee character, high damage, high defences/resistances, builds up fury by taking and dishing out damage, thus increasing its damage potential overtime

Dominator: Controls enemies, and dishes out damage, too (both ranged and melee). Builds up domination to initiate a Jekyll-Hyde playstyle switch (damage increase, more powerful holds)

Corruptor: A nice alternative to blasters. It exchanges some damage potential for some damage mitigation.

Stalker: Melee character, high damage, low hp, good defences/resistances. The only AT with the build-in ability to hide, thus becoming invisible to enemies, delivering enormous amounts of damage while staying hidden.

Mastermind: The game's most original archetype. It can summon an army of pets to attack the enemies, while it stays behind buffing them along with his teammates. Highly survivable, as it can share incoming damage with its pets. Can tank efficienty, if built right, but has few defences/resistances of its own.

>Epic Archetypes: Again, when reaching lv20 with a villain you unlock two new ATs: Arachnos Soldiers. They're a bit complicated, so, if you're interested, visit the Archetypes & Powers column of this forum.

Also, to answer your question on servers, visit the following link: Servers

Let me offer another piece of advice: Avoid "AE Teams/Farms" when starting out.

CoX has a feature unparalleled in MMOs known as the Mission Architect (MA)/Architect Entertainment (AE), which allows players to develop their own mission/story content and publish it for play either solo or in teams with any other players on any of the servers. There are literally thousands of these player-created missions available to choose from at this point, and the number is still growing.

HOWEVER, as you might expect, there are many players who have developed content expressed geared for quick rewards and advancement without regard for risk or appropriate difficulty consistent with the rest of the game. The debate rages on here on the forums and in the game over whether this is a legitimate method of character advancement. I don't know how you play your games or what importance you put on how you interface with the content, so I'll let you make your own decisions on where you want to situation yourself in that debate.

"AE teams" "AE Farms" or whatever they are called (you will see lots of Broadcast-Channel messages referring to these in the Atlas Park zone) can shoot your character through levels extremely fast, but what they will NOT do is teach you how to play your character or how to play in game in general. These player-made missions commonly reduce the risks involved with missions as close to zero as possible, which provides a skewed perspective on the difficulty/challenges which normal play provides. In many cases, low-level characters are asked to "door sit" (that is, stay at the entrance of the instance and not interact with the mission at all) which certainly does not tell you how to use all the little buttons and clickies that your character has available.

If you're new to the game, the best way to learn the game is just to play. You will screw up a few times, and you'll "die" a few times (pfft, Death is a Slap on the Wrist in CoX - you respawn in a hospital if you die), but you'll learn about which mobs are really dangerous, which need to removed immediately, and how to cooperate with other players. AE Teams/Farms will not provide the kind of instruction that is crucial to learning how to play the game. If you decide to try them out once you're familiar with how your character/Archetype/powerset plays, by all means do so.

So! Go out there and enjoy all that original content. Heck, this is your first playthrough, everything is going to be a surprise!*


* PS: It's always a Nemesis Plot.