What is the best starting character?
By
Amy_Amp,
Posted on: 2010-10-24 24:52 in Archetypes and Powers General Discussion
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Arbegla
I'm gonna basically repost what i posted in the last 'which AT to try first' thread.
If you want to play the game, play a scrapper or brute. If you want to [learn the game, play a blaster. Nothing will force you to learn how to avoid mez'ers, which mobs to take out first, and how to use 'kiting' and range to your advantage like a blaster would. Scrappers are basically just run and punch/stab/kick/catch on fire/etc, and the same with brutes. especially once you get your mez protection toggle. |
I have to second this.
If you want to learn the game, play a Blaster or even an "average" Dominator/Corruptor. I really don't recommend "easy-mode" characters for ANYONE who is first starting out. It takes any of the "fun" challenge of the game away and honestly leaves you feeling empty by the end. Why? because you didn't ever run into a real challenge. Things that are too easy really aren't fun, and I will almost garauntee that once you get to 50 for the first time with "easy-mode" toons, you and your freind will be cancelling subscriptions shortly after. You'll have no reason to stay as you'll have experienced all the content set on "easy" and have no toons left to try which could challenge your first for being better.
I like to suggest people to start out with Blasters or average Dom's and Corruptors. Those AT's will really help you to "learn" the game from the start, and really know whats actually "hard" and what's actually "not." This gives you better fulfillment down the road as you level up other characters and stick with the game. Challenge is always a good thing.
I do, however, also recommend Scrappers to first time players. Not Brutes or Tankers mind you. Specifically Scrappers. Mostly because they are wickedly fun for the beginner who is trying to play a toon with a very "superhero" centric theme. Scrapper's fit that role perfectly imho. Brutes are honestly just a tad "easier" overall with leveling imho, and thanks to being slightly defensively "meatier" than their Scrapper counterparts, they might give you a slight misconception of what is "scary" and should be avoided or handled with care. They can also put up serious damage numbers on top of this, so I can't really suggest this class to a new player who wants to learn the game. Tanks are sorta the same, you'll become very jaded with how much damage they can soak and will honestly end up not respecting their damage soaking capabilities down the road. Furthermore, you won't fully understand why squishies on your team are dying so quickly, and you may not completely grasp which mobs are giving them the hardest time that you should be taunting. Later, when going to play any other AT, they will all feel ENTIRELY too squishy in comparison.
I suggest the Scrapper because out of the 3 major melee classes (Tanks, Brutes, Scrappers) they are the "least" survivable. This means that you will have a slightly better respect for the damage dealt by certain mobs as well as a much better respect and understanding of what the "vicious" mobs can unleash upon your team. Don't get me wrong, a Scrapper can stand toe-to-toe with the best of them, but for the most part, a first time player "most likely" won't be building the "best" possible build for a Scrapper and will in fact not attain those levels of absolute awesome. They will be great and survivable, but probably not at the same level as a weathered vet, which should allow them to have alot of fun challenges the entire career. Also, Scrapper's deal good solid damage, and they deal it with style. One of the most addicting things in this game can be damage, and its definitely something that will help keep the continued patience of a new player. Knowing how much damage you can deal against certain targets/threats will help you later on in your career with other AT's as well.
These are my "opinions" of course, based upon the general concensus I have gotten from players in-game as well as on these boards. I'm sure that someone out there started with a Tanker from 1 - 50 and had a great ride and never got jaded about the damage absorption ability of that class, but I'm just giving a general opinion here to help guide you both down a "possibly" more fun path for a newcomer.
Anywho....a little long-winded lol, but those are my suggestions for a "first" AT. Basically, just do yourselves a favor, and please resist the urge to roll "teh bestest and most uberfantastictist!" toon as your first toons to fifty. Unless you really don't plan to stick with the game for more than 2 or 3 months that is.
Also matters whether the friend's got experience in other MMOs, as that can very much change the game experience. I had previous experience, which made my energy blaster straightforward to play. 
It really depends on playstyle. The suggesting of Katana/WP is good if that is his playstyle. (My first character was a Katana/Regen back when Regen was god-mode.) An Ice/Ice Blaster is also a great first character. (That was my second, and my first one to make it to level 20.) And Illusion/Radiation controller would also be a great character through which to learn a lot about the game. If he goes that direction, suggest that he look at my Illusion/Radiation guide, which gives tons of basic information for someone new to controllers.
The nice thing about Illusion/Radiation is that it starts out as a single target Controller/Blaster, using Blind and Deceive for control, Blind-Spectral Wounds for blasting (with containment). Early invisibility helps with your survival -- Starting at level 8, you can move around like a Stalker . . . but with Deceive and Blind and the ability to attack from range, it is a lot safer. Then your buff and debuff powers . . . a heal and AM for a great general buff, with Radiation Infection to keep the foes from hitting you as often while you can hit them more often, and Enervating Field to hit them harder while they hit you softer.
Then the character changes substantially at 18 with Phantom Army. The character changes again at 26 with Spectral Terror. An Ill/Rad is fairly easy to play moderately well, but has enough complex aspects to be challenging to play really well.
LOCAL MAN! The most famous hero of all. There are more newspaper stories about me than anyone else. "Local Man wins Medal of Honor." "Local Man opens Animal Shelter." "Local Man Charged with..." (Um, forget about that one.)
Guide Links: Earth/Rad Guide, Illusion/Rad Guide, Electric Control
If they do go blaster, I would suggest something with a good balance and some mitigation. Ice/mm is rather good and may challenge my Ice/ice as first blaster to 50. Fire/ice, or Rad/ice would be good subs. Kat/wp really is scrappers for dummies though. On a three person team, blaster, scrapper, controller would be awesome.
Well, if we're really getting specific... Nothing will spark their interest like an Elec/Elec blaster!! 
@Zethustra
"Now at midnight all the agents and the superhuman crew come out
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
Quote:
This, for sure.|
Originally Posted by seebs
Also matters whether the friend's got experience in other MMOs, as that can very much change the game experience. I had previous experience, which made my energy blaster straightforward to play.
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I started with 7 others, all with moderate MMO experience. We covered all 5 ATs, and we would all try one or two of the others.
We had 1 all-primary Empath, 2 Scrappers, and the other 5 settled on Blasters. I was one of the Scrappers. My next level 50 was a Blaster, and then the two after that were as well.
Blasters are easily the best way to start the game. They start taking names right away, they are incredibly easy to slot, it's pretty hard to accidentally skip a crucial power, you feel like a power house, and it will teach you enemy mobs, kiting, and general positioning. There's no toggle management (though this will be less of a concern with i19). The playstyle won't change at certain key levels like it will with many support sets, so you're not readjusting at all. You're just getting better as a player.
If they have a good amount of MMO experience and have enjoyed melee or support in the past, point them to a Scrapper/Brute or I would say Defender.
Once they know how to survive and manage aggro without the help of holds, shields, etc, and start getting a grasp of game mechanics I'd move into other support ATs.
After a while of getting their feet wet with the Blaster, they can swim around and try the other ATs. I personally have played all 14 to level 50 at least once and my subjective experience of what is fun and what is not is not going to be the same as the next guys'. Your friend may find that he absolutely loves masterminds, for example.
@Gilia1
I play heroes on Champion.
I play villains on Virtue.
I started with a Blaster. My first 50, the same Blaster. It did, indeed, force me to learn quickly what was right, and wrong, in how to play. I made a lot of mistakes (two travel powers, no fitness, by lvl 24) but learned (thank goodness for respecs).
I may suggest an oddball choice, however. To get into the game, perhaps a Stalker would be better. It would allow him to move about without being jumped. It's weak enough that you need to learn blaster-style tactics but is more survivable than a Blaster.
plant/fire or mind/energy dominators are pretty easy
for mastermind you could do demon/dark or thugs/dark or necro/dark - masterminds do have the challenge of pet commands but you wont have a problem leveling in preatoria that's for sure. and if you forget what buttons to hit or panic, the pets will defend you as long as they're not in passive mode. if you panic with another archetype, you just stand there.
If you tell your friend to try a Blaster, if they try another AT you may very well lose a friend. All the ATs have end sucking power sets, and weaknesses but nothing is so breakable as the glass cannon.
Scrappers/brutes are solid choices for a no regrets ATs. They start well and finish near the top of the heap in just about any category you want to pick. Any investment of time or effort into them is well rewarded, and you rarely wind up saying boy I am sorry I went with this.
If they want something more challenging a dominator may be the way to go. Let them know they are picking a more challenging AT, but they have built in tools for dealing with the challenges. End management and mezz can be handled with slotting and domination. Plant/fire is a nice combo to play with