Hello all Brand New player here

Good Morning all I just wanted to stop by and say that I just started my 7
day trial yesterday and possible thinking about subscribing to the game.


Let me give you a little background and my first impressions of the game
for about the 1 and ½ hours I was online. I have played WOW for about 3
and ½ years off and on and finally decided to quit for good a couple of
days ago. I have played other MMO’s such as FFXI, GW, LOTR, and EVE
but none of those games gave me as much fun as WOW has provided me
with. Now I am either thinking of giving COH / COV a chance or FFXIV /
Fallen Earth a try. Just need to figure out what game I will have the most
fun with.


Now for my impression of the game so far. I really like the new
fresh feel of the game compared to WOW. I really liked the Character
creation in COH compared to WOW that was probable the biggest
improvement that I noticed so far. Oh yeah and the Dancing / playing
music on the boom box was a nice touch as well. It was not too hard to
get used to the controls compared to WOW controls so that was nice. I
like the comic strip bubbles that pop up whenever you chat with someone
in say chat or when an NPC talks to you. I thought that the tutorial was a
good intro for any new player to the game. Making my way to completing
the first mission I run into an android that I forget what his name is but I
had 2 options. One of the options is to turn him in and the other is to
keep him safe even though he is a part of the Resistance. He did offer me
some good buffs but on my current character a Blaster named Bluemyth
who is a part of the Hero’s I decided to play trickies with him and send
him to the wolves. I really enjoyed that the decision that I made and
many more decisions that I make will play a part in the way the story
plays out. So to end this somewhat of a long post I defeated the boss to
move to a new area and made lv 2. That is when I decided to go to bed
because I had to work in the morning.


Is this a game that will keep me entertained if I decided to play it casually? That is the main thing that I am looking for in the next MMO that I decided to play. How is the lv 50 PVE / PVP content? What is the bigger focus that lv 50 guilds are working on PVE or PVP based? Thanks for any answers or suggestions in advanced. BTW my server is Champions

Bluemyth

Yes.

You've struck Casual MMO paydirt here!

A huge difference in CoX vs WoW is that over here it's all about the journey to 50. Instead of the mad dash to the cap. Take you time, enjoy the sights, roll up some alts! Not much action PvP wise though. Be on the lookout for Incarnate information, as this is the new endgame coming with the next free issue.

Paragonwiki.com will be your friend in times of need.
Cohplanner.com will be your guide once your learning curve is over.


Not only do we have a very solo/casual friendly game, we also have the absolute best community of any MMO around!

Happy Hunting Hero!
Or
Go.B.Evil.

Welcome to the game! Glad to hear you have a favorable first impression. I am have been playing since the fall of 2004, and other than Civilization, it is the only game that I have any interest in playing.

An answer to your questions, I personally haven't gotten into the PvP aspects of the game, either in the 1-50 game or the endgame. Some have, but I would not say it is the focus of the game. It is probably one of the more contentious aspects of debate about the game's effectiveness.

With the addition of IO's, alignment switching, the upcoming incarnate issue, the endgame content has never been richer. I would echo Maestro's point that it is the 1-50 game that shines. For me, that is because there is too much content to experience with one character, and even the content you have already played can be viewed freshly by playing it on a different toon. There are so many different archetypes with different primaries and secondaries, that it is hard sometimes to not succumb to alt-itis and play the same material over again with a different primary/secondary. In fact, it took me two years to get to 50 for the first time, because I was enjoying starting new characters so much.

Also, good call Maestro on ParagonWiki. I would also suggest the Guide to Guides thread in the Player Guides section of the forum: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=122411 . It has great information for getting to know the game better.

One last thing--don't judge the number of active players based on your experiences on Champion. There are some servers with larger or smaller player bases (Freedom and Virtue frequently having the most people playing). This in know way is necessarily a reflection on player quality, but you may find fewer people on Champion. It is my understanding (and please someone correct me if I am wrong), but the servers are always displayed in your selection screen with your last visited server first, and then the rest of the servers in ascending order of population (meaning that the largest populated server is at the bottom of the list).

Have a great time!

Welcome !!!

I have been playing CoH/CoV for very six years now. I never played WoW. I was never interested in being an elf or dwarf or magic user. I bought a new PC and was looking for a game to play on it and stumbled onto City of Heroes. What caught my attention was that I could make my own superhero. i played a lot of Champions, Marvel. DC and Villians and Vigilantes so this seemed right up my alley.

I had never heard of an MMO I had no idea what it was....

I remember logging in and taking hours working on a costume, powers, background etc etc..

Logged in at level 1 and did the tutorial and was running around Atlas park.. i got in a little over my head fighting level 5's and this level 11 AR blaster ran up and helped me out..

I was then I found out the BEST thing about City of Heroes.. the community...

I have people here that I have NEVER met in person and consider them dear friends. We have shared lives.. been through marriages. divorces. the birth of children. Laughed till we couldnt breathe..

We share things together that mean NOTHING to anyone else..

The Stamina song.. means NOTHING to anyone else but us..

Its Raining Numbers.. means NOTHING to anyone else but us..

Say Tentacles and we will break up in laughter....

its the COMMUMITY that makes this game as great as it is and keep us coming back year after year..

Well I really like the sound of that MaestroMavius. You have defiantly provided me with enough information for me to give this game a real shot. I have always been the type of gamer that grinds as fast and as hard as I possibly can to make it to the highest lv but I plan on changing my gaming style to slow and steady. The main reason that I am making this change is because I am tired of making it to the lv cap of a game and having nothing to do once I make it there. Also I am tired of games that act as a 2nd job due to spending as much time on it as I do at my current job.

I really feel that I have missed out on so much due to the first playing style with all of the other MMO’s that I have played and am kind of happy at the moment because I have gotten that phase hopefully out of me for good. I am pretty sure but there is always a chance that shows its ugly head out of nowhere. Thanks for the quick response and great links Maestro. Looking forward to my new adventure and more good people that I am bound to meet like you.

Bluemyth

Welcome to CoX, BlueMyth.

I started playing 3 years ago, and will likely still be playing when they turn off the lights and pry the servers from my cold, dead hands.

Feel free to ask questions, the forums are generally a friendly and helpful lot. Another option is to click on the Mentor Project in my sig. You will find players that have knowledge of the game and have volunteered to share it with new players, either in-game or here in the forums.

What I like about your post id that it's fresh and new. It really gives us the perspective of someone that has never played CoX before.

I will reiterate what others have said City of... is not about the destination, it's about the journey. Much of the content is not about the end-game. Matter of fact they more than doubled the 1-20 level content with Praetoria. I know that most of my friends (and myself included) have turned off their XP gain just to spend more time in Praetoria and experience the content.

The stories are engaging and really speak to the RP aspect of CoX and it's RP community, but outside of that, I find them to be really fun as well. Though Praetoria often gets called "City of Ambushes", just remember, there is no dishonour in running away to fight another day, well, as long as you're not abandoning teammates.

Edit: Someone mentioned about server population, keep in mind that much of the content in the game is instanced, so it may seem as if there are not a lot of people on because they will be in a mission map as opposed to out in the open world.

Head down to the Champion server and introduce yourself. Also, you will want to mention in your team search that you are on a trial account. Click on Team at the top of your chat window, and type you comment into the text box above that something like "Temp account, please send invite." or something to that effect if you are looking for a team. Most players will realized that you cannot respond to tells.

One things I will tell you that you should do, definitely find out what are the better global channels on your server. This is where a lot of the event coordination takes place and a lot of the Task Forces, Raid and teaming happens over these servers.

Wow was not expecting this many replies this quickly but hey thanks all. A lot of great advice I have received thus far and I am sure a lot more to come. Red Valkyria about the mentor program that you mentioned I am defiantly looking forward to joining that and learning the ropes from the Vets not too fast although. Another thing I am looking for the best server with the largest friendliest community that I can find. If anyone has any suggestions I am defiantly down to hear as at this point I know no one in the game but am a good listener and love to learn from anyone who loves to teach a nub like myself . Hopefully I will get a chance once I am seasoned enough to pass on my knowledge to any new player that would like to learn. Thanks again to everyone how pitched in with responses.

BlueMyth

Hi BlueMyth, welcome to the game.

In terms of servers, larger population isn't always better, but it can be depending on what you're looking for. Virtue and Freedom are our two highest population servers. Virtue is known as the Roleplaying server and has a very welcoming community in that regard. Freedom is the server a lot of the old hands from the original beta test went to when the game launched and also has a large population of PvPers.

I play exclusively on Champion, which is known as either the Community Server or the Drama Server, depending on who you ask. Both titles are pretty apt though. We've got some great players who put together various events, but as with any close-knit community some headbutting goes on from time to time.

There are other servers but I don't know enough about them to offer a good opinion.

Anywho, server choice isn't a permanent thing. Every now and then the developers allow free server transfers for a weekend, so if you find your server of choice to be a den of conniving backstabbers or egotistical blowhards, feel free to seek greener pastures. One of the strengths of City of Heroes is the variety of ways you can play the game.

The best advice I can give is to keep your ears open, never be afraid to try something new, and above all else have fun.

Welcome to this wonderful MMO, BlueMyth! I have been playing since the game hit the shelves in 2004...I have never been bored, never lost the 'fun' playing it. I have made friends here that will be a part of my life forever. (I tried WoW, but it was too much of a grind and was more like work then fun so I never went back.)
You will find the biggest percentage of people here are helpful and friendly! There is SO much content to be enjoyed...in six years I still haven't done it all, and I have a few 50s. (Getting to 50 is a lot of fun...enjoy, and don't cut corners.) I still play my 50s often, and love to team with lower level friends, so 50 is not the end of the trail. The devs are always adding new things, and I so look forward to seeing what is over the horizon. I only hope you enjoy this great game half as much as I have! Once again, welcome!

BlueMyth. Don't worry about what is the friendliest server. Compared to WoW all of them are friendly. Most servers have at least a few of those obnoxious "Lrn 2 pla noob!" types but there are almost always incredibly helpful types as well. My preferred server is Virtue.

Welcome to the game and forums

Welcome BlueMyth.

What other game added a feature to allow a player to stop earning XP because playing outweighed leveling? Have a major feature that allows players to do stories they might have skipped, leveled past or simply do them again because they enjoyed them? Have a teaming system that scales, allowing any mix of levels on a single team? Allows players to establish their character's "look" from level 1 and separate ability from appearance? Allows the player to adjust the difficulty of the enemies they encounter in a mission to be as easier or ridiculously challenging?

And while this game is casual those who enjoy tweaking their stats to the extreme are equally welcomed. Turn your character into a tiny god with careful use of crafted enhancements. Earn hundreds of millions by learning and understanding the market and crafting system.

It's not just super heroes. Want to be a John Woo action character, a time displaced medieval Knight, a creature that is thought of as merely myth, it's all available here. No need to be stuck in one MMO genre.

As it has been said before, Paragon Wiki is your friend. It's the accumulated knowledge derived from years of playing, edited by some of the more helpful folks you find in these forums.

Again welcome, I hope you decide to say with us for a while.

CoH is casual player nirvana.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome, BlueMyth!

Let me confirm that this game is great for the casual player. I consider myself a casual player, as well.

You made a great choice by picking Champion! It has a medium-sized playerbase, but let me assure you: the most skilled players I have teamed with in the past two years have been Champs. While we're home to some pretty fantastic drama, the "Community Server" label is also quite accurate. I have not really made any in-game friends, and I am not terribly well-known, but the vast majority of players have all been really friendly to me, and I suspect you'll find the same.

There are a couple of large channels you may want to join to find teams, chat, or get assistance.

BMT of Champion (Badges, Monsters and Task Forces) is a great way to find teams or become involved in events. A word of advice, though... off-topic chat is discouraged, and farming discussion is prohibited. The channel serves its purpose quite well. Send a tell to @Cobalt Azurean, @Force, @ReDorothy or @iltat for an invite. (I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones I remember).

Another is Champions United. This one is a bit more loose with its rules. General chatter is okay, and it's another resource to find teams. I don't remember if it's invite-only.. but I think it's moderated by @Viking Queen, @Elf_Stalker, and a few others (sorry, Bud... I don't remember your uses of V's and X's and such)

Feel free to send me a tell or in-game email, and I'll be happy to help you when I can. @Bramphousian.

Thank you, Champion.

Greetings and welcome. I've been playing for 9 months. This is my first and only MMO and I've found it easy to get into, but with loads of depth I haven't even begun to dig into. I still have only done a fraction of the mission content available after all that time.

Once you have a full account, consider joining the N P C channel. I think you've already heard of it, but that's the Mentor Project channel where you can ask any and all questions.

And if you ever make a toon on Freedom, send me a PM and I'll give you a few million inf to get you started.

I think you'll probably be happy with most of the servers, Freedom is the only place I've encountered jerks in any meaningful quantity. Yes, there's jerks everywhere but they're vanishingly rare at least on Guardian, and I haven't seen more than one or two on Pinnacle either. On Freedom it was a daily occurrence running into a jerk. They ARE vastly outnumbered by good players but there's so many players on Freedom that you're bound to run into more jerks. It's also where most of the PvP'ers moved to.

I do have to admit that I spend the majority of my time on Guardian and also play occasionally on Pinnacle and Infinity (red side only on Infinity); I've rolled characters on Freedom a few times but the greater number of jerks cause me to abandon characters by the time they reach the 20's. Unfortunately with the largest population comes the largest number of jerks. Smaller servers tend to be more tight knit and the occasional idiot who surfaces usually finds it difficult to find people willing to play with them and move to larger servers so they're more anonymous.

I'd imagine that outside of Freedom and to some extent Virtue (by hearsay anyway, I've only played with my SG's expansion team there) any server you choose will have vastly more great people than idiots. It's kind of like the difference between a big city and a small town, people are nicer as a general rule in a small town. While I don't have any real experience with Champion I imagine you'll probably enjoy the community there. On Guardian we're a bit crazy on occasion and we have Bacon! We used to have Cookies but Ulli ate them all.

You're also joining at a great time, the player population is much higher now than I've seen in the last couple of years. I've seen more new players on Guardian in the last month than I'd seen in the previous year... this is a very good thing. To all the vets, when was the last time we consistently had all the servers at medium or greater load other than a double XP weekend? I can't remember that happening since way back in 2007.... and they've been this way since Going Rogue launched.

Most of us old time vets are more than willing to take a newbie under our wing and show them the ropes. After all, EVERYONE was a newbie at one time... we have a lot of patience with anyone who's willing to learn.

Welcome to the game bluemyth... I am one of the vet players on champion and if you ever need help/advice, my global is @stonejaguar

If you decide to stick with champion as your server, i would suggest joining a couple global channels for team invites and other activities. champions united is a public channel you could join. just type: /chanjoin champions united

The players on champion for the most part are really great players. with a few jerks added in for a bit of drama but the core players on champion are really good. If you are going for a pure casual experience, then server population size shouldn't really be an issue. Champion like several of the other servers has a population that fluxes based on the day and time of day.

I am an altoholic and am willing to roll up a newb toon to join in any low lv teaming.

SJ