Random Acts of Kindness

I randomly help people out.

A couple weeks ago I was just running some tip missions on my blueside brute and I got a rather plaintive tell.

Newbie: Excuse me, but could I team with you so I can gain a couple levels?

Now, being used to PL beggers I took a minute and checked my search window for the character's name. Turned out to be a level 12 controller.

My response: What powersets do you have?
Newbie: Huh?
Newbie: Oh, I'm Illusion/Empathy. Soloing is going REALLY slow.

Since there was no rudeness involved here, and they weren't PL begging I invited them to my team and ran a couple missions with them. They were very grateful and I ended up with 2 new global friends out of it. (their uncle plays as well, and hopped on the team after we ran into trouble with an Arachnos mission)

I mostly solo and keep to myself, but once in a while I'll feel the urge to help people out. I seldom go looking for people to help, but if I run across someone who needs it while I'm doing my own thing I'll usually take a minute to lend a hand.

Now, as far as giving money to people goes, I'll almost never give anything to someone who actually asks for it. But I'll give random amounts of cash to lowbies or new players just because I can.

Me, I love a good RAK.

I have helped a few people learn the game in my time but worst was in Atlas Park during Rikti Invasion.

Poor sucker just created 1st toon went through training mission, then suddenly he is dropped in the middle of single frame per minute action LOL. He can't figure out what is going on, who all these people are, why mobs are appearing out of thin air, and most of all why his graphics are so choppy!

Fortunely us geeks have certain phrases which explain a multitude of sins away. "Alien Invasion, join our team and hit anything that appears". Oh Aliens, that explains it lol.

Afterward there was time to go into a little more detail, of course by then he was like level 8 or 9 and had out leveled the entire zone. Not reall good if you are still learning, Atlas/Galaxy have a nice slow difficulty increase curve, starting out on level 10 Vaz can be a bit of a shock, plus he had no idea what powers to choose and build.

It was one of the funniest moments I have seen though, he was SERIOUSLY confused. Made me wonder if anyone ever quit the game because of this though.

This thread inspired me to go out and be nice to some newbies, so I hit up Nova Praetoria on Freedom. I met a lot of surprisingly fun people, and it only cost me 25,000,000 (1M to each character I met with an interesting costume).

I should be nice more often!

RAoK are my fav, although it is not extremely Villainous I spend a lot of time bubbling lowbies in mercy.

One thing I miss from other MMORPGs is the ability to put lasting buffs on other players. It used to be nice to hang around newbie areas and throw hitpoint buffs, defense buffs, etc on the guys fighting whatever the local version of rats 'n bats turned out to be. CoH buffs are all so short term and half the time you get cranked at because trying to surprise someone with a buff was apparently the most inconsiderate thing you possibly could have done.

One thing I've been trying to do is be the guy who answers when someone asks "Can anyone help me with...?" Frostfire, Trapdoor, Seige, mission full of Malta, whatever. For all I know, they got 250 private tells offering to help but a lot of times it feels like their question is hanging there in broadcast/channel unanswered. Even if they didn't need my help, I at least know that they got help in one way or another and it rarely costs me much, even in time.

I used to run costume contests, if that could be considered a random act of kindness. I've also dropped some influence on new players who were just finding their way, and still do. I hurt for nothing in the game, so why not share with those who really need it?