City of Heroes: Live Forum Archive

A Contact Tree for MA Arcs (by level range and theme)

Aliana Blue

By Aliana Blue,
Posted on: 2010-05-15 19:35 in Mission Architect

 

Posted

Great idea and great topic! Good thing I read your War Journal, wouldn't have found this topic otherwise.

/gignore @username is the best feature of this game. It's also probably the least used feature.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nights_Dawn View Post
Hazy is right
Can't get enough Hazy? /chanjoin robo's lounge today!

 

Posted

Woah, thanks a lot for putting two of my arcs on the list (Bestest Radio Mission and Through Rose-Tinted Glasses.) Next time I'm on I'll have a look though the list and play a few.

If you're still looking for suggestions my third arc was a 45-50 Natural arc called "The Sleeping Star" (53951)

"The Hamidon is a what what of what?" - Brian the mission guy.

 

Posted

Hi PW - great idea, and I look forward to seeing the list grow!

Thanks for putting Cracking Skulls on the list too!

I made several corrections to that arc based on your in-game feedback (thank you again!), and, after several comments remarking on the difficulty of the final boss, I've:

Downgraded him from an elite boss to a standard boss (which means, depending on difficulty, he can be as low as a lieutenant).

I'm in the process of 'upgrading' all of my arcs to make use of the much-improved custom power options, and I just finished modifying the powers of the customs in this arc to be very appropriate to the arc's level range.

I play tested the arc with a level 2 controller, and had no problems at all with it (heck, I even chose a non-optimal controller - one that hadn't yet taken his single target hold power); with the modifications I'd *think* it's fair to say the arc really is balanced for even a level 1 character.

M.A. Arcs
Intended for high level play: The Primus Trilogy (Arc #s 10931, 283821, 283825), "Freakshow U" (Arc #189073), Purification (Arc #352381, Dev's Choice! )
Intended for low level play: "Learning the Ropes" (Arc #100304), "Cracking Skulls" (Arc #115935), "The Lazarus Project" (Arc #124906)

 

Posted

Great idea, and wonderful resource!

I think I'll set myself the goal of playing all the arcs listed here on my main hero or main villain over the next month or two. Be a good way to see a lot of story content, maybe pick up a few tickets along the way.

Thanks for including both of my arcs on the list!
I've actually seen a spike in plays on "Escalation" in the last two days. Might just be because of this. (can't tell for sure, no feedback tells)

I'm a published amateur comic book author: www.ericjohnsoncomics.com
******MA Arcs****
Arc 5909: "Amazon-Avatars"
Arc 6143: "Escalation" (Nominee: Architect Awards, Nominee: Player Awards, and Dev's Choice!)

 

Posted

Moved: Cracking Skulls to level 1-10 tier (due to lowered difficulty).

Moved: Freaks, Geeks and Men in Black to Technology origin (since, hey, Freaks)

Added:

That all Men Are Created Equal (#151277) H41-54
Protect a fledgling Eastern European democracy against the Malta. Geopolitical thriller.

Source: found on page 4 of default MA search

@PW - Police Woman (50 AR/dev blaster on Liberty)
TALOS - PW war journal - alternate contact tree using MA story arcs
=VICE= "Give me Liberty, or give me debt!"

 

Posted

Added: Kiss Hello Goodbye (#156389) H1-54, but should be around H25-54

Source: heard about this arc some time ago, always meant to get around to playing it.

@PW - Police Woman (50 AR/dev blaster on Liberty)
TALOS - PW war journal - alternate contact tree using MA story arcs
=VICE= "Give me Liberty, or give me debt!"

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by PoliceWoman View Post
***** HERO LEVEL 40-50 *****

MAGIC

[snip]

Dhahabu Kingdom and the Indelible Curse of Hate (#367872) H41-45
Lift the evil curse from an African kingdom in an alternate dimension.
Recent updates has moved the level range to 41-54.

 

Posted

Updated: Dhahabu Kingdom to H41-54.

Updated: H10-20 Magic contact, H40-50 Technology contact.

Added: The Dead and the Damned (#87912) H11-14
Help an unlikely couple get together, against the backdrop of a supernatural gang war.

Source: found with the in-game MA search tool using the keyword "LBMA".

@PW - Police Woman (50 AR/dev blaster on Liberty)
TALOS - PW war journal - alternate contact tree using MA story arcs
=VICE= "Give me Liberty, or give me debt!"

 

Posted

Also "The Amulet of J'gara" is fixed to be levels 25-30 now. I did this so that the player will only see the AV using her level 32 power if they deliberately boost their difficulty.

 

Posted

To fill holes in the contact tree, I'm particularly looking for:

* Science arcs in the level 1-19 range
* Villain arcs in the level 10-29 range
* Really, any arcs in the level 10-29 range (seems an under-developed level range)

Since this resource is intended to steer Mission Architect players to good arcs, I must warn that I will unapologetically give preference to:

* highly polished arcs over newly published arcs
* arcs recommended by another player over arcs submitted by author (or author's significant other)

@PW - Police Woman (50 AR/dev blaster on Liberty)
TALOS - PW war journal - alternate contact tree using MA story arcs
=VICE= "Give me Liberty, or give me debt!"

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by PoliceWoman View Post
An alternate contact tree using Mission Architect story arcs.

One of the most common things I see players ask about MA is, "What is a good story arc for a level XX hero/villain?" This is my attempt to create a resource to easily answer this question.

Here follows a list of MA story arcs roughly sorted by level and theme. There's a wide variety of arcs, varying from the utterly serious to the completely silly. I cannot guarantee that you will like all of these arcs, or even any of these arcs. But they are arcs that I thought were good, fun, or noteworthy in some way. I tried to provide a brief blurb for each arc to help give players an idea of whether the arc sounds interesting. Your mileage may vary.

In contrast to my earlier review thread, this is a resource intended for players of MA arcs.

***** HERO LEVEL 1-9 *****

MAGIC

Azuria

A Tangle in Time (#2622) H5-54
A strange artifact catches you in a temporal loop.

Future Skulls (#4727) H1-14
Help Mirror Spirit prevent a dire future from coming to pass.

Two Tickets to Westerly (#374002) H5-12
A Skulls Girlfriend asks you to help her and her boyfriend escape the Skulls gang. Romance.

Night Calls the Weaver (#375420) H5-10
A chance meeting with an old woman leads you into a plot 23 years in the making. Tragedy.

MUTATION

Fusionette

Nuclear in 90 - The Fusionette TF (#58363) H1-14
Help Fusionette investigate missing persons and battle Hellions. Lighthearted adventure.

Go. Hunt. Kill Skuls (#158877) H1-14
While in Perez Park, you meet interesting characters and agree to help another hero "Kill Skuls". Parody.

Chris Jenkins: Attorney At Law (#204942) H1-14
Even lawyers deserve to be saved from rampaging Hellions....don't they? Comedy.

A Hero in Need...is a Friend Indeed! (#375018) H5-14
Statesman needs your help! But what could he want from an apprentice hero?

NATURAL

Epitaph

Hearts on Fire (#1472) H5-14
Love and death on the mean streets of the city. Tragedy.

Hunter of Beasts Part 1: It starts with a riot... (#110465) H5-14
A riot in Kings Row leads into an investigation of a deadly serial killer.

Cracking Skulls (#115935) H1-14
Stop the Skulls from producing a new version of superadine.

SCIENCE
None yet

TECHNOLOGY

Mark Freeman

Bricked Electronics (#2180) H8-20
Help Mark Freeman stop the Goldbrickers' plot.

The Invasion of the Bikini-Clad Samurai Vampiresses from Outer Space (#61013) H5-25
Help B-movie director Ed Wood save the world. Comedy.

Storming Citadel (#379488) H5-10
You're miniaturized in order to enter Citadel's brain and make repairs.



***** HERO LEVEL 10-19 *****

MAGIC

Brother David

The Dead and the Damned (#87912) H11-14
Help an unlikely couple get together, against the backdrop of a supernatural gang war.

MUTATION

Alphonse Rubel

Dream Paper (#1874) H11-20 (mostly)
Checking out apartment break-ins, you discover some sort of cursed paper.

Teen Phalanx Forever (#67335) H15-30
Your young sidekick joins a teen supergroup for adventures and fun.

NATURAL

Back Alley Brawler

The Next War on Drugs (#245042) H12-20
Back Alley Brawler wants your help to fight drug trafficking.

Talos Vice (#338380) H12-20
Team up with Detective Croquette to battle the drug trade. Miami Vice homage.

SCIENCE
None yet

TECHNOLOGY

Foreshadow

Ctrl + Alt + Reset! (#137561) H15-30
Confiscating a dangerous artifact gets you stuck in a time loop.



***** HERO LEVEL 20-29 *****

MAGIC

Percy Winkley

Amulet of J'Gara (#1709) H25-30
Investigate the disappearance of a pair of members of the Midnight Club.

The Love Talker: a City of Heroes Faerie Tale (#30242) H24-54
Skipper LeGrange asks you to rid Croatoa of a dangerous faerie creature.

Astoria in D Minor (#41565) H20-29
Searching for a lost little girl leads you into the heart of Dark Astoria. Horror.

MUTATION

A Mysterious Flame

Matchstick Women (#3369) H25-54
Investigate a nihilistic fire cult.

The Fan Club (#5898) H25-34 (mostly)
Some of your hero's overly eager fans get in over their heads.

The Golden Age Secret of the Paragon Society (#344596) H25-54
The last member of a Golden Age supergroup asks for your help against the 5th Column.

NATURAL

Assistant Chief Bishop

Two Households Alike (#126582) H25-29
Feuding families, star-crossed lovers. Romeo & Juliet homage.

Kiss Hello Goodbye (#156389) H1-54 but should be around H25-54
A beautiful dame. A missing child. The dark underbelly of Paragon City. Film noir.

SCIENCE
None yet

TECHNOLOGY

Dr. Benjamin Johnson

Teh Freakshow Artz Klub (#25622) H20-54
Freakz can haz art? Comedy.

Can You Win The Internet? (#85544) level range varies, should be around N25-54
Save the internet from assorted cyberspace menaces. Parody.

Ignition of the Machine (#318983) H25-32
Help a scientist test out his new android. Drama.

Against the Wickerwork Khan (#346904) H23-54
Journey to Panda Earth to save a princess from the deadly WickerWork Khan.



***** HERO LEVEL 30-39 *****

MAGIC

Rose

Tales of Croatoa: A Rose by Any Other Name (#178774) H33-34
You stop to help a little girl wandering near a cemetery. Tragedy.

MUTATION

Detective Frasenbacker

Clowns, Fast Food & McArchvillain (#1197) H30-54
Beat up clowns and fast food themed enemies. Parody.

The Bestest Radio Mission Ever (#1526) H35-54
Amusing mash-up of every radio mission in the game. Parody.

Trademark Infringement (#2220) H35-54
Battle an army of villains with rip-off costumes and character concepts. Parody.

Death to Disco! (#84420) H30-54
Stop Dr. Disco Fever from altering the timeline to destroy Rock and Roll.

Challenge of the Splendid Pals -- Episodes 1 - 3 (of 9) (#159140) H1-54, should be H30-54
Join forces with the Splendid Pals to battle the Legion of Gloom. Superfriends homage.

Return of the Crime Cabal (#369272) H30-40
Battle a trio of villains that have recently appeared in Paragon City.

NATURAL

Ashley Porter

Ashley Porter and the Gorilla War (#130809) H1-54 (but should be H30-54)
A famous female WW2 aviator asks for your help battling Nazis and gorillas. Retro WW2 adventure.

Fatale Attraction - Part 1 of 3 (#181264) H1-54 (but should be H30-54)
A new all-female crime gang has arrived in Paragon City, and you need to stop them.

Task Force Mutternacht (#349522) H30-54 (mostly)
Indigo asks you to do morally questionable things for a good cause. Spy thriller.

SCIENCE

Cleric Gemessner

The Butterfly Effect (#2965) N35-54
Help Dr Aeon muck with alternate dimensions.

Escalation (#6143) H32-54
A minor supervillain makes destroying your hero the focus of her career.

Pandas vs. Rikti (#68930) H30-54
Panda Earth needs your help against the Rikti.

Captain Skylark Shadowfancy and the Tomorrownauts of Today! (#337333) H30-34
Join the Tomorrownauts in a retro sci-fi adventure.

The Consequences of War (#227331) H38-54
Team up with a hero supergroup during the darkest hours of the Rikti War. Tragedy.

The Casualties of War (#241496) H38-54
Team up (again) with a hero supergroup during the darkest hours of the Rikti War. Tragedy.

TECHNOLOGY

Dori, the parade coordinator

The Wentworth's Thanksgiving Day Parade (#347683) H30-54
Save Thanksgiving from a Nemesis plot. Comedy, Holiday-themed.



***** HERO LEVEL 40-50 *****

MAGIC

The Storyteller

The Storyteller: Sabrina's Tale (#1237) H40-54
Romances with the undead never seem to work out. Tragedy.

Amazon-Avatars (#5909) H41-54
The Knives of Artemis unlock the power of ancient goddesses.

The Yellow Sign (#7739) N1-54 (probably should be H41-50)
Face unspeakable horrors from beyond the curved rim of space. Cthulhu mythos homage.

Small Fears (#12285) H45-54
Rescue children from the manifestations of their childhood fears. Horror.

A Warrior's Journey - The Flower Knight Task Force (#260284) H45-50
Travel to a faraway land of samurai and ninja. Drama.

Dhahabu Kingdom and the Indelible Curse of Hate (#367872) H41-54
Lift the evil curse from an African kingdom in an alternate dimension.

MUTATION

Saul Rubenstien

Saul Rubenstien's Discount Task Force (#1012) H41-54
Your contact provides you a bargain basement TF experience. Comedy.

Grieving Angels (#41717) H45-54
Investigate why an all-female SG has gone rogue.

Rise of the Drakule (#51357) H40-54
Vampire hunters ask for your help killing an army of vampires and goths. Comedy.

Why Do Bad Girls Like Bad Boys? (#63910) H41-54
Help a villainous Lothario solve problems with his love life. Romantic comedy.

Drakule vs. The Werewolf Bikers from Hell (#340316) H45-54
Werewolves and vampires are fighting again. Kill them and/or save the city.

In Pursuit of Liberty (#344916) H45-54 (mostly)
Explore the origin story of a young heroine.

Made to Wave the Flag (#384776) H45-54
Captured by Malta, you and several other heroes attempt to escape.

NATURAL

Detective Bill Harlan

The Paragon Caper (#65246) H1-54 (should probably be H40-54)
An investigation goes sour and you're forced to go on the run while trying to clear your name.

That All Men Are Created Equal (#151277) H41-54
Protect a fledgling Eastern European democracy against the Malta. Geopolitical thriller.

Pagkagising ("Awakening") (#230100) H40-54
Challenge Filipino martial arts masters of the Limang Paaralan.

Splintered Shields (#253991) H45-54
An Arachnos raid leads to an internal investigation in Longbow.

The Coldest of Wars (#299972) H40-45
Cryogenically frozen communists are revived and threaten the city.

The Christmas We Get (#356477) H41-54
Help a rogue agent acting to destabilize the Rogue Isles regime. Holiday themed.

SCIENCE

Dr. Aeon

The Return of the Lizard People (#2974) H1-54 (should probably be H40-54)
Help Dr Aeon muck (some more) with alternate dimensions.

Galactic Protectorate Part 02 (#117281) N40-54
An alternate reality Manticore asks for help against alien invaders.

The Lost Choir: Chapter One: The Old Testament (#123675) H45-54
Battle the forgotten gods of the Rikti.

The Fracturing of Time (#171031) H41-54
Fractures in time threaten all of existence. Surreal.

Paragon City Mad Science Fair (#254399) H40-54 (mostly)
Provide security for a competition of the scientific elite. Comedy.

The Rikti Accession (#278757) H40-54
Help the Rikti Traditionalists stop a Restructurist super-soldier program.

TECHNOLOGY

Home Computer

The Portal Bandits (#3326) H40-54
Stop an alien race from stealing Earth's portal technology.

The All-Seeing Eye (#57352) H45-54 (mostly)
Prevent a spy satellite from falling into the wrong hands.

One Million Eyes (#71933) H40-54
Join the new hero-themed social networking site and fight crime!

Looking Back: A Fifth Anniversary Celebration (#110993) H40-54
Nostalgic look at the history of the CoH forums. (Levels ramp up from low to high.)

Dr. Sigler and the Chronojumper (#131158) H40-54 (mostly)
A scientist with a time machine asks for your help to correct past mistakes.

Freaks, Geeks and Men in Black (#161629) H41-54
Team up with unlikely heroes to battle the Malta Group. Conspiracy theory.

The History of Statesman (#219484) H40-54
In the far future, the legend of Statesman is preserved by robot historians. Comedy.

Breaking the Barrier (And Putting it Back Together) (#347029) H45-54
Portal tech gone haywire threatens Paragon City with a Rularuu invasion.


***** VILLAIN LEVEL 1-9 *****

Harrier Payne

The Burning of Hearts (#2260) V5-10
Help a jilted lover wreak horrible revenge on his ex.

Mercytown (#6017) V1-10
Dr. Krylov hires you to check out an underwater cult. Comedy.

Out of the Gutters (#68054) mostly V1-10
Screw being a "Chosen One". Become a villain on your own.

Quid Pro Quo (#82369) V1-10
A local scumbag tries to take advantage of you, but you make him sorry. Very evil.

Dr. Geist and the Scientific Method (#111022) mostly V1-10
A mad scientist hires you as a research assistant. Comedy.

Too Clever By Half (#378944) V5-10
A mad scientist asks for your help after an experiment goes awry.



***** VILLAIN LEVEL 10-19 *****

Desdemona the Glint

Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend (#114284) V15-20
Work with Desdemona the Glint to steal precious diamonds.

A Taste For Evil (#349034) V10-20
You've been volunteered to serve as the test subject for a new flavor of NutriPaste.



***** VILLAIN LEVEL 20-29 *****

Diviner Maros

Backwards Day (#329000) V25-30
Help Diviner Maros with his bizarre time travel problems.

The Descender (#339222) V25-31
An ancient prophecy makes you the messiah of a race of shark men.

Fear and Loathing on Striga (#350522) V20-29
Arachnos sends you to restructure the balance of power on Striga Isle.



***** VILLAIN LEVEL 30-39 *****

Willy Wheeler

Celebrity Kidnapping (#1388) V30-40
Kidnap a famous celebutante and hold her for ransom. Comedy.

MacGuffin Delivery Service (#1567) V35-40
You steal a cursed artifact that you can't get rid of, but everyone wants it.

Becky's Revenge (#60197) V35-54
Help Becky the Tarantula Mistress get her revenge on Fusionette. Comedy.

Papers and Paychecks (#298290) V32-45
Give up your life of crime and get a steady job working for Crey Industries. Comedy.

Inhuman Resources - Inevitable Evolution at Work (#298132) mostly V1-40, should be V30-40
Recruit with the Inevitable Evolution VG, a shady group of dissidents in the Rogue Isles.

The Warburg Connection (#364832) V30-40
Spy games and intrigue in Warburg with Alan Desslock.



***** VILLAIN LEVEL 40-50 *****

Johnny Sonata

Johnny Sonata and the Hitmen (#1001) mostly V5-54, should be V40-50
Help Johnny Sonata reunite his old band.

Axis and Allies (#1379) V40-44
Go back in time to lead the Axis to victory in WW2.

Forget the Rose, Send Me the Thorns (#8925) V45-54
Help a CoT mage with his love life. Oh, and save the world. Comedy.

Scourge of the Phalanx: Reunion (#26048) mostly V1-54, should be V40-50
Help a villain group wreak vengeance on the Vindicators.

Through Rose-Tinted Glasses (#101681) V40-54
Exploit a nearsighted old lady who mistakenly believes you're a hero.

Becky and Mandy: A Tale of Two Mistresses (#229350) varies around V40-54
Becky the Tarantula Mistress asks for your help rescuing some of her friends.

Why We Fight (#253990) V40-54 (mostly)
Virtual reality propaganda for why Lord Recluse is the best. Comedy.

Attack of the 50 Foot Villain (#363366) V41-54
An accident with portal tech causes you to grow to giant size and attack Tokyo.

Tidebringer (#385180) V40-54
Arachnos wants you to deal with the spectral pirate problem.

Arena (#390921) V40-54
Working security at the Arena Gladiator Championship, you receive secret orders.

=======================




HOW THIS WORKS

* I basically am listing arcs that satisfy one of:
--- I gave it 5 stars.
--- I liked it. (Not the same as getting 5 stars.)
--- I felt it was "noteworthy" in some way.
* I will only list arcs that I've actually played through, that are still published.
* I will gradually add more arcs to this list as I find more.
* You can suggest arcs for me to consider, but I don't promise to play them; I'm now playing arcs purely because I want to.
* If I do play them, I don't promise to list them here. Please don't yell at me if I don't list your favorite arc. My selections are purely at my discretion.
Maybe You cool Cats Should try lvling outside of AE, there a world of Awsomeness out there and beside I believe the Normal Content Story Arcs Award better Award/xp after finishing...It just a thought, I don't mean no harm with this statement.

Never play another NcSoft game, If you feel pride for our game, then it as well, I Superratz am Proud of all of you Coh people, Love, Friendship will last for a lifetime.

Global:@Greenflame Ratz
Main Toons:Super Ratz, Burning B Radical, Green Flame Avenger, Tunnel Ratz, Alex Magnus

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenFIame View Post
Maybe You cool Cats Should try lvling outside of AE, there a world of Awsomeness out there and beside I believe the Normal Content Story Arcs Award better Award/xp after finishing...It just a thought, I don't mean no harm with this statement.
For the first time in my history on online forums I am tempted to use that Picard facepalm picture as a response to this post.

Eva Destruction AR/Fire/Munitions Blaster
Darkfire Avenger DM/SD/Body Scrapper

Arc ID#161629 Freaks, Geeks, and Men in Black
Arc ID#431270 Until the End of the World

 

Posted

Here, let me use one of my favorites:

Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenFIame View Post
Maybe You cool Cats Should try lvling outside of AE, there a world of Awsomeness out there and beside I believe the Normal Content Story Arcs Award better Award/xp after finishing...It just a thought, I don't mean no harm with this statement.
Maybe you should try not to quote 200 lines including pictures to make your candidate for the most stupid post of the year. Granted, quoting it all makes your post take the lead by a good margin, so you probably don't have to make any more posts for a while. See you at the awards ceremony!

Winner of Players' Choice Best Villainous Arc 2010: Fear and Loathing on Striga; ID #350522

 

Posted

Quote:
Maybe You cool Cats Should try lvling outside of AE, there a world of Awsomeness out there and beside I believe the Normal Content Story Arcs Award better Award/xp after finishing...It just a thought, I don't mean no harm with this statement.
I hate to comment since this is off-topic, but I can't help myself (I tried PW, honest!).

Green Flame I notice you have been playing for about a year and can understand your perspective somewhat since much of the content is still fresh to you. However, many players such as myself have been with this game for many years, I've personally been playing for over six years. The Dev created content has long gone stale even the stuff I love I have played through at least ten, twenty or even more times. Before MA, for myself at least, my interest in CoX was all but gone.

In my opinion MA was a Godsend and a gift from the Devs to players such as myself. The variety and volume of new stories and foes to fight breathed new life into the game beyond what I could have imagined. It's not perfect and it's still evolving, but it is a wonderful addition to the game that keeps many of us interested.


WN

Check out one of my most recent arcs:
457506 - A Very Special Episode - An abandoned TV, a missing kid's TV show host and more
416951 - The Ms. Manners Task Force - More wacky villains, Wannabes. things in poor taste
or one of my other arcs including two 2010 Player's Choice Winners and an2009 Official AE Awards Nominee for Best Original Story

 

Posted

Added: OMG, it's the LOLBAT! (#337435) H35-40
O hai! Villainz are in ur city stealin ur monies. Kan I haz help?

Source: Pro Payne: From 1 to 50 in M.A.


Added: Karmic Exchange (#47550) H45-54
The ghost of a murdered woman asks you to stop her husband from making a terrible mistake. Drama.

Source: Dr. Aeon's Dev Choice Suggestion Thread

@PW - Police Woman (50 AR/dev blaster on Liberty)
TALOS - PW war journal - alternate contact tree using MA story arcs
=VICE= "Give me Liberty, or give me debt!"