Potential new player questions

Greetings all, I've recently given the tuturoial of City Of Villains a try and I had a few questions before I decide to purchase it. (it lies cheaply at a store I pass frequently)

1) How quick is it to level on average compared to other online games?
2) Can one change the size/mass/appearance easily in COV ingame? Or is it all rather preset? I read you could change the costume but what about the physique?
3) I love the design and background of Lord Recluse, how does one unlock the Arachnos classes? And how do these classes work exactly? Are they prestige classes that specialize a chars powers? Or do they override?
4) Is it possible to do the entire game as a Recluse loyalist or is it one of those games where your hand is forced to eventually oppose his scheme(s)?
5) I noticed there exist gamecards for this game but given that access is at times a bit unbalanced to them, does one have to have VISA to pay for the subscription or can one just use bank transfer or paypal?
6) And most vital... i heard that some people lost their chars after being gone too long. Is this the case in this game?

Hi Darth, welcome to the forums. Let's see about what we can do to help you with your questions.

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Originally Posted by Darthvegeta800 1) How quick is it to level on average compared to other online games?

Pretty swift these days. There's not much of a penalty for death anymore so levels can go reasonably quickly. One thing I will say though is that CoH/CoV is not about rushing to the level cap and going raiding as it is in WoW, it's more about enjoying the journey. So although it's easy to pick up XP, it's the experience on the way that counts.

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2) Can one change the size/mass/appearance easily in COV ingame? Or is it all rather preset? I read you could change the costume but what about the physique?

Mostly. With the base game, you are restricted to your gender (Male, Female & Male Huge) but you can easily change your height and build within that. The Science add-on pack gives you the ability to alter your gender and model further. I know plenty of people who played Hulk type characters even before the Science pack came out. Also, you get 4 standard costume slots (5 with some special salvage) so flicking between your appearances is easy, even better with the new costume change emotes.

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3) I love the design and background of Lord Recluse, how does one unlock the Arachnos classes? And how do these classes work exactly? Are they prestige classes that specialize a chars powers? Or do they override?

Epic archetypes at the moment (Peacebringers/Warshades - Hero, Arachnos Soldiers and Widows - Villains) are unlocked at the level cap, level 50. However, we're currently in open beta of Issue17 which will change that to level 20 which can be reached within a week. Soldiers and Widows can choose between a ranged/defence class or a melee/defence class or a mix between the two. They also bring significant team buffs with them as well. They are a new class altogether rather than being an extension of your existing one.

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4) Is it possible to do the entire game as a Recluse loyalist or is it one of those games where your hand is forced to eventually oppose his scheme(s)?

Without wanting to give too mant spoilers, there will be times when you challenge his schemes, especially once you unlock the Patron arcs at level 40. Arachnos is all about in-fighting so although you can be loyal to the organisation, there are a lot of factions that often oppose each other. You will clash directly with Lord Recluse's schemes later on in the game.

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5) I noticed there exist gamecards for this game but given that access is at times a bit unbalanced to them, does one have to have VISA to pay for the subscription or can one just use bank transfer or paypal?

I pay by credit card, I've never used a game time card. Hopefully someone else will be able to clarify.

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6) And most vital... i heard that some people lost their chars after being gone too long. Is this the case in this game?

I have never heard of this happening ever. The only time I have ever heard of someone losing their character was due to massive over-exploitation of some of the game's systems.

I hope that helps and that you'll join us soon.

What Dante said.

Wow thanks for the quick and kind response!

Paypal seems a good way for me. As I imagine I'd go and come back once in a while. Seems silly to pay full swing during periods of r/l when I can barely get on. Is using paypal/direct payments more efficient than gamecards? I vaguely recall reading that gamecards cost a tidbit more.

And if I understood the situation if I bought CoV, the patching and all that should give me access to all content?

How well is CoV populated compared to other mmorpgs? As CoV has been around for quite a while.

As for my referring only to CoV. During the Trial version I noticed I had access to both sides of the spectrum but... well I never cared much for the 'lightside' of the spectrum.
I'm a fan of Doctor Doom and Silver Samurai, not Superman and Cyclops

Yep i'm torn between CoV and Warhammer: Online. Both seem the best two out there atm at least by my personal tastes. Never been a fan of WoW.

A final question...

The Samurai armor/helmet and the capes are immediately in it? As for some reason during the trial charcreation I never bumped into them.

Darn... their goes my Samurai idea!

1) How quick is it to level on average compared to other online games?
um, bad question. What's your hurry? The goal is not 'to gain levels'. It's 'to have fun'. Getting to the level cap doesn't really mean much. Hitting 50 is not the gateway to uber content. Lots of people retire their characters when they hit 50 and start new ones. I play my 50's, but not as much as characters that are still leveling. You can gain levels much faster than previously. Some people think it's now too fast. For them, we have the option to turn off XP gain (and turn it back on any time you choose).

If you focus on it, you can get to 50 in a few weeks. I have no basis to compare with other MMO's since I have not played any others.


2) Can one change the size/mass/appearance easily in COV ingame? Or is it all rather preset? I read you could change the costume but what about the physique?
Oh man, you can change it like you won't believe. You can't really do a convincing pixie, but you can make a character that looks about 3' fall and slight of build - or you can make one 8' tall and built like the Juggernaut.

You generally can't change build/size of a character after the initial character creation. However, this becomes possible with the optional Science Booster Pack. It lets you change body details. In fact, you can have multiple costumes, each with a totally different physique (even gender) and switch between them. Each character can eventually have FIVE costume sets which you can change between at will.


3) I love the design and background of Lord Recluse, how does one unlock the Arachnos classes? And how do these classes work exactly? Are they prestige classes that specialize a chars powers? Or do they override?
If the part you like is the 'spider leg backpack', you're in luck. One of the 'epic' villain sets gets that. Currently, you have to get a villain to level 50 to 'unlock' that character type. This is going to be changed to level 20 to unlock it.


4) Is it possible to do the entire game as a Recluse loyalist or is it one of those games where your hand is forced to eventually oppose his scheme(s)?
You can go all the way as a villain and you have the option of selecting a 'patron' from among his lieutenants and gaining access to different powersets.


5) I noticed there exist gamecards for this game but given that access is at times a bit unbalanced to them, does one have to have VISA to pay for the subscription or can one just use bank transfer or paypal?
You can use PayPal.


6) And most vital... i heard that some people lost their chars after being gone too long. Is this the case in this game?
No. Never EVER. Anyone who said that was either clueless or lying. If you are gone a while, you MIGHT lose the *NAME* of characters under level 6 to free them up for other people. You will never lose the characters themselves.

Having said that, there have been occasions where major exploiters had characters deleted. So maybe you were hearing from a disgruntled cheater.

Welcome to the City hope you enjoyed your stay and wish to join us!

Given others have already answered your questions I'm not going to bother with them much.

Like others said this game is geared to enjoying the ride to 50. We can turn off and on XP gain in order to enjoy the story arcs in each zone.

For your character idea try getting the Martial Arts pack thought not samurai armor it does have a good look. Costume parts are mix and match so everyone can have their own look. Perhaps you can create something you might like.

Once you join the game you start gaining Vet Rewards for every 3 months. The first is the trench coat.

Freedom is the most populated server but look around till you find a home server. At first you get 12 character slots per server that is 132 at start and you can buy and earn more costume slots. Up to 36 character slots per server!

The level of customization is huge two people can choose the same AT and Power sets with different power choices and Invention Enhancements at level 50 have two completely different play styles.

Darthvegeta800 -

When you upgrade to the full game, two things to save (somewhere) -

The serial code used to create the account. If you buy it online through NCSoft's store, it will be emailed to you. Keep track of it.

First subscription payment type and number. Credit Card? Keep the last four digits and the card type. Time card? Keep the card (well, you just need the number, but you need the WHOLE number). Paypal? Not sure what you need, but I'm guessing there is a transaction number to keep track of.

If ANYTHING blocks access to your account (hack, you forget the password, etc) CustServ will want those two things to verify ownership.

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Originally Posted by Fleeting Whisper The game cards - officially, at least - all amount to $15 (okay, $14.99) per month. A store could price the card differently, but the only time I've seen that happen is for games that are no longer active (for example, Auto Assault cards were sold more cheaply). It's worth noting that ANY time card for ANY NCSoft game can be used for any other NCSoft game. Most stores now just have the generic NCSoft time cards, rather than game-branded ones, though.

Okay - quick clarification :

NCSoft does both "Game Cards" and "Time Cards"

For City of Heroes, they are $20 and some value of $15 or $30 (15x # of months) respectivly.

A game card can be used as a time card, OR to create a new account. Between that fact and the bonus 30-day jetpack they bestow is why they cost $20. They tend to be simple plastic cards hanging on hooks.

Time cards can only add subscription time, and cannot be used to make any accounts. Usually in a slim DVD case.