1} Virtue, Freedom and Union are the most populated servers - when you log in, the last server you were on is listed first, followed by ascending server load {the busiest server will be on the bottom}.
2} You might want to forget about the Holy Trinity gameplay. In fact, forget everything you've learned. For a starting character, I'd suggest a scrapper - they're good at soloing, and they're fairly useful in teams too. Of course, you've got a dozen character slots per server right out of the box, so you can roll one of everything.
3} There's no need to hurry anywhere. There is an endgame, but most of the content is actually evenly spread out throughout the game. With the sidekick system, there's also pretty much no limit to whom you can team with either.
Oh, and welcome to the forums. As another quick tip, there's an in-game help channel which you can use to ask about stuff from other players as well.
For the most populated servers, those would be Freedom and Virtue. There are no PVP servers in this game, and I hope that PVP is just a preference and not a major thing for you, because it's not terribly popular in this game. I hear that Freedom actually has people in the PVP zones, but it's not my server, so I wouldn't know.
From the description you give, it sounds like some flavor of Dominator would sit nicely. Their primary is a control set and their secondary is an assault set, which consists of a mix of melee and ranged attacks. Another option is a Defender with the Dark Miasma set. They can control stuff decently thanks to Fearsome Stare (fears make enemies stay in one place and do nothing until attacked) and Petrifying Gaze (a run of the mill hold). On a very important side note: there are no "healers" in this game, healers are generally seen as terrible. Buffs, debuffs, and controls are pretty potent in this game, that relegates actual healing to the mitigation of last resort.
As for stuff you need to know, not really. The only stuff you can't change ever are your origin, which is largely cosmetic, your AT, your primary, and your secondary. Everything else can be changed at some later date if you dislike it. I also suggest taking your time to read the mission stuff, especially the missions in Praetoria. A lot of it is actually quite good.
And finally, here is a very important resource: The City of Heroes wiki. It contains plenty of information. Just make sure you don't go to the Wikia site, as it is obsolete and full of dubious ads which install dubious things.
Also Paragonwiki.com is super helpful and accurate (help channel can be hit or miss, depending on who's being 'helpful').
Welcome to the game!
I am sure you read the game description of the archetypes, but I will repeat for emphasis.
Blasters are mostly ranged damage - BIG damage, but they do get some weaker controls and successful melee range damage in their secondaries.
Controllers have the good control powers hard and soft to make battles manageable. They also have buff and debuff abilities in their secondary second only to defenders.
Defenders are your team multipliers - big buffs, foe debuffs and heals with secondary powers that are ranged damage that is weaker than blasters. I am biased, but a team of 8 various defenders can handle anything thrown at them in the game.
Scrappers are the melee damage dps guys. The crackheads, disembowel foes and have secondaries second only to tanks for their self-preservation.
Tanks are the meatshields. They do damage melee style like scrappers but not the same oomph. They also have defense/resistance auras that gather aggro along with taunt powers to keep the foes focused on them.
Kheldians are specialists, they can be like blasters, tanks, and scrappers to a degree, mostly not as effective but the availability of the three options is a great strength.
the 'red side' villains are corruptors, dominators, stalkers, masterminds, brutes, and soldiers of arachnos.
Corruptors are basically defenders with the primary and secondary reversed. They also have an inherent ability called 'scourge' that increases the damage foes take when they are being defeated.
Dominators have the controls of controllers and the blasts of blasters. This is an AT that I am still mastering. Their special inherent ability is domination which refills endurance and provides a mesmeration protection. This is a lot of fun, but I am not sure I would tackle it first.
Stalkers are assassins. They the ability to sneak up unawares on big game and use 'assassin strike' out of the hide/stealthy stance and thereby do bonus damage. They are like scrappers with melee damage, but a bit more vulnerable.
Masteminds are the pet class. The mastermind is allowed some personal attacks, but the most damage is from his pets. The mastermind gets buffs/debuff similar to defenders.
Brutes are similar to scrappers, but they have the inherent 'rage' ability that increases the damage they dish out the more that they are attacked. Melee range damage, a littler weaker than tanks on aggro control, brutes do most of the crowd control by attacking and killing foes.
Soldiers of Arachnos is a 'jack of all trades' kind of archetype. There are some pet-casting builds, some builds like dominators, most soldiers of arachnos take the auras that buff their teams. An 8-man team of soldiers is extremely formidable.
I probably left something out. This is an overview not intended to be all-encompassing.
Triumphant Defenders Forever
Psylenz FF/Psi, ArticQuark Storm/Rad, Symon BarSisyphus Bots/psn, Max VanSydow Thugs/Dk, Cyclone Symon Bots/stm, Blue Loki Ice/Cd, Widow 46526
HelinCarnate:OMG it is so terrible. I have the option to take 3 more powers but no additional slots. Boo F'ing hoo.
Hi all,
Thanks all for the information, I will start a toon on Freedom and will start with a Scrapper, Defender or Controller, haven't decided if I want to be a Hero, villain or neutral yet. (will take the equivalent class depending on faction)
You all were very helpful, thanks again, if anyone is on these servers, I will probably have one of the following names if they are not taken: Varlet, Heloyse, Heloise, Shadowsin, Shadowsun, Golarum.
Thank you
Quote:
I believe Freedom is the most populated and also the unofficial pvp server. Pvp got "adjusted" a while back and interest went way down. Pvp exists in special zones and Arenas, but not over the whole server, so no ganking newbs.|
Originally Posted by Heloyse
I have a lot of mmo experience and I have often made the mistake of joining any server in the past when joining a new game, and when I get attached to the character I realize that I am on the least populated server, so my first question is the following, which is the most populated server? (don't know if there is PvP or no, but if there is, I prefer PvP)
|
Quote:
| For classes or roles, usually I love DPS and CC classes, examples of played classes Necromancer (EQ and EQ2), warlock (wow), necromancer (Age of Conan), champion (LOTRO), Assassin (Rift), etc. I also like playing Healer in some games. I also like a class that would be good for both grouping and solo play. So my next question is which class would you think would suit me the best? |
Masterminds are pretty independent and do well on teams. You might try the new Demons set, with Dark Miasma (recently improved) or Pain Domination (newish). You'll have to make a Praetorian character first, and the story lines there are very nice. But you should make a red and blue side toon too and check out the content there.
Dark Miasma and Pain Domination are both buff/debuff sets that also heal. We have no healers here. All sets are combination sets that do more than just heal. In every case, your buffs and debuffs on a "healer" are going to be bigger than your heals.
Quote:
| Also, anything important I need to know I should work on as soon as I start the game? |
Don't over look the Weekly Strike Targets as they come up, they're a great source of XP as they have a special bonus.
Don't worry about passing content. Being super heroes, we can just travel back in time to do any content we missed. It might involve flying around in circles really fast or magic crystals or something, but I can't tell you because it's a secret. You'll find out.
Have fun, and don't be afraid to post any additional questions.
Be ready to get help, er, helped - especially since you found the forums. Rift's community is the most like ours in terms of friendliness that I've seen, but I still think ours is better 
Don't be afraid to make alts - the games "sidekicking" system artificially matches yours to the team leader (no mission selected/entered) or mission holder's (if selected mission does not belong to the lead. ) to make it easier for all to game together and still contribute.
Masterminds can be versatile especially if pick up the macro/bind system, but are still pretty good out of the box. If you need any help on binds you can ask here and check out the wiki - search for /bind (note www.Paragonwiki.com and wiki.cohtitan.com are the same site)
Also, when you log in for the first time, you are assigned a global handle - it's based off your character's name. You can change this under the menu, once. This handle can send and recie e global (cross-server) messages. Many have it match their forum account display name (I do) and many don't - your choice. To use it the format "/t @Handle," note the @. Also, as names may have spaces (global and character) the comma after the name is always necessary for tells (coming from other games gets many people with this). Also, global messages (last few "received") you are sent while offline are stored until you log back in.
Have a good one, I probably should get back to opening the restaurant...
Orc&Pie No.53230 There is an orc, and somehow, he got a pie. And you are hungry.
www.repeat-offenders.net
Negaduck: I see you found the crumb. I knew you'd never notice the huge flag.
Quote:
This may not have been emphasized enough -- one of the more subtle strengths of the "Super Sidekicking" system is that level doesn't matter very much when teamed (a little, but not as much as you'd think). The result is that I hardly ever concern myself with the levels of teammates. Considering also that very little content requires specific archetypes to accomplish, my typical answer to "what does the team need?" is "Just you, having fun -- bring whoever you like!"|
Originally Posted by Rajani Isa
Don't be afraid to make alts - the games "sidekicking" system artificially matches yours to the team leader (no mission selected/entered) or mission holder's (if selected mission does not belong to the lead. ) to make it easier for all to game together and still contribute.
|
This will make it MUCH easier for a new player to join and hang out with "established" players -- you won't find yourself left out of most activities in some kind of "newbie ghetto."
If we are to die, let us die like men. -- Patrick Cleburne
----------------------------------------------------------
The rule is that they must be loved. --Jayne Fynes-Clinton, Death of an Abandoned Dog
Just a couple suggestions:
If you make a hero, start out in Paragon City, not Praetoria. The difficulty level in some missions in Praetoria are a bit over the top, even for experienced players.
Dont let yourself be drawn into AE ( Architect Entertainment ) missions or farms. The game already has enough AE noobs who have no clue how to play in regular content.
131430 Starfare: First Contact
178774 Tales of Croatoa: A Rose By Any Other Name ( 2009 MA Best In-Canon Arc ) ( 2009 Player Awards - Best Serious Arc )
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Hercules
If you make a hero, start out in Paragon City, not Praetoria. The difficulty level in some missions in Praetoria are a bit over the top, even for experienced players.
|
I don't think the game gives him that option. Your very first character ever, you must create a Praetorian. After that, he'll get the option to make a Praetorian, Hero, or Villain when he makes new characters.
And that's not bad, because the content in Praetoria really is better. I'm not sure it's any harder either. Early missions in Paragon City can send neophytes into contact with level 6 enemies, which can make just getting to your mission door a frustrating exercise.
Hi and welcome to the City!
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned as yet, so I will. Since you'll realise, CoH/V is a very instanced game and so, there may be more ppl around than you realise,which is why Global chat channels are so valuable. Each server has at least 1 global chat channels, that aids in forming teams , Task Forces and just chatting and you may find it quite useful.
Again , welcome to the game!
Pinnacle & Virtue:
A bunch of Heroes - Alpha Team, Legion of Order.
A bunch of Villains -Black Citadel , Pinnache.
Quote:
You can be all 3 on the same server. This isn't like some other MMOs where you have to choose your faction and once you do can never create any other faction. You can create a hero and turn around and create a villain on the same server without deleting your hero. |
Originally Posted by Heloyse
Haven't decided if I want to be a Hero, villain or neutral yet. (will take the equivalent class depending on faction)
|
Also, since you bought Going Rogue, your archetype (what we call classes here) isn't dependent on your faction. You can have a heroic Dominator or a villainous Defender. I have a heroic brute and a villainous blaster myself.
The only catch is you have to start the character on the appropriate side or in Praetoria. Once you hit level 20 you will start getting Tip missions, if you run 10 of the appropriate alignment (Hero, Vigilante, Rogue, Villain) you get a morality mission which will let you switch to that alignment. Do that twice and you can switch all the way to the complete opposite alignment (Vigilante and Rogue are the "in-between" alignment)
You don't have to go through all 4 to go from hero to villain. It goes Hero - Vigilante - Villain one way, and Villain - Rogue - Hero the other way.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison See, it's gems like these that make me check Claws' post history every once in a while to make sure I haven't missed anything good lately. |
Quote:
Not ... QUITE... everything. But close. | You might want to forget about the Holy Trinity gameplay. In fact, forget everything you've learned. |
Four Tanks and two Defenders? Good team.
Six Blasters? Risky, but good team.
Six Defenders? Steamroller.
Anything works.
One of the big gameplay changes is that buffs and debuffs are HUGE. The example I always give- not because it's the best, just because it's the easiest to explain- is Force Field defenders. A level 17+ FF defender can give 45% Defense to the entire team, which [due to weird math, available on request] drops the amount of hits on the team by a factor of TEN. Every Blaster's a tank now. . . as long as they stay near the FF defender, and the FF defender remembers to rebubble everyone every four minutes.
Quote:
| which is the most populated server? |
This is a game where you can enjoy playing from level 1 to level 50, and on to the Incarnate stuff. (The mapsets are a little repetitive, and if you don't read the flavor text you're missing half the good stuff.)
Freedom/Atlas Park is full of people begging to be powerlevelled, people offering powerlevels for in-game money, and the usual variety of cretins with megaphones that you get anywhere that a lot of people gather in an MMO.
The game isn't like that! Use "/chanjoin N P C" to join a global channel full of people that love to help new kids.
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
Advice?
Read through the tutorial. Most of what you need to know to play the game well is in there. After that, you should be able to pick up whatever else you need through experience.
They ALL float down here. When you're down here with us, you'll float too!
@Starflier
My fellow forumites have covered most of the important stuff. Keep them in mind (The forumites and the stuff 
).
The community here is fantastic. Whenever you decide to create an AT (Archetype, our term for class) or powerset that you've never played before head down to the specific forums and ask around. You'll get tons of helpful advice from the experts there.
Wanna play a Peacebringer? Don't believe the hype. Check out my guide and get the real truth:
PEACEBRINGERS SUCK!!! (Now fully up to date for i21+
)
Quote:
Between the two I would pick Virtue if I was starting out. The taint of power gaming farmers is at it's peek on Freedom. Virtue has some of it, but not nearly as bad. Virtue is active enough it's not that far off from Freedom either. It's not surprising to see Virtue red and Freedom yellow.
|
Originally Posted by MechaCrash
For the most populated servers, those would be Freedom and Virtue..
|
Quote:
The AE is one of the coolest parts of this game imho and shouldn't just get shoved aside so callously! |
Originally Posted by Hercules
Dont let yourself be drawn into AE ( Architect Entertainment ) missions or farms. The game already has enough AE noobs who have no clue how to play in regular content.
|
Let me tell you about the AE some: some players enjoy making highly-detailed story arcs and they are equal to or better than dev-created content, plus are loads of fun to play. Some players like to farm them for the rewards/power-leveling and use or make largely story-less arcs. Avoid the latter, look for the former if you want to get your feet wet in that system too. Just like any tool, it can be used well or abused.
That said, for a totally new player like yourself, sticking to the usual material and not AE for low levels might be better if you're feeling a little overwhelmed already; maybe something like 20% AE, 80% regular content if/when you feel comfy-ish with the game. If you do want to play AE at lower levels, be sure the arcs you choose have been set for your level as the custom-made foes in higher level arcs can be pretty tough.
And that said too, the AE is currently experiencing a bug problem that has messed up a number of arcs, leaving some damaged or unplayable, dang it.
If you play one and some obvious bugs pop up, please don't downgrade your rating for the arc based on something the author has no control over.Should you decide to dip your toes in these exciting waters, this thread lists a number of well-received, good arcs by level range, origin-type (if that matters to you), etc.: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=222095
Welcome to the game and have fun!
A few people have mentioned the wiki, but no one else has said this and it bears mentioning:
Avoid the CoH wiki hosted on Wikia. It has malware-embedded ads on it, and is inaccurate/out of date to boot. The only wiki URLs you should go to are http://www.paragonwiki.com or http://wiki.cohtitan.com, which as Rajani Isa said are just two URLs for the same site.
"You don't lose levels. You don't have equipment to wear out, repair, or lose, or that anyone can steal from you. About the only thing lighter than debt they could do is have an NPC walk by, point and laugh before you can go to the hospital or base." -Memphis_Bill
We will honor the past, and fight to the last, it will be a good way to die...
Quote:
That actually won't work. If the channel name has spaces in it, it must be enclosed in quotes - the channel name, not the entire command. i.e.|
Originally Posted by Fulmens
The game isn't like that! Use "/chanjoin N P C" to join a global channel full of people that love to help new kids.
|
/chanjoin "n p c"
Channel names are not case-sensitive. BTW, good channel. I'm on it and there is a link in my signature to a post with more info about the channel and the Mentor Project.
Paragon City Search And Rescue
The Mentor Project
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Amy_Amp
Between the two I would pick Virtue if I was starting out. The taint of power gaming farmers is at it's peek on Freedom. Virtue has some of it, but not nearly as bad. Virtue is active enough it's not that far off from Freedom either. It's not surprising to see Virtue red and Freedom yellow.
|
Weeeeellllll... I don't like to be seeing as dissing someone else's server, but of those two I would pick Freedom. Virtue is the role playing server, and frankly some of those role players are way too hard core about their roleplaying for my personal tastes. I tried it, I didn't like it.
I didn't care for Freedom either. Too crowded, too laggy and again there was a weird vibe to it. More folks tends to mean more chances to run into nit-wits, I suppose, and many experiences were good on Freedom, but I did have some bad ones. That and the lag drove me away.
I'm happier on the middle population server. Champion, Guardian, Justice. With the global server channels, there's never any problem getting teams or trials. Champion in particular has become a permanent home server for me.
The OP mentioned PvP, and I think that might be the best reason to go to Freedom. However, I don't PvP in this game (still protesting changes made in i13) so I really can't say for sure. I think though if the OP wants to try out a different sort of server than Freedom, I'd recommend one of the three I mention in the paragraph above this one.
Quote:
I'll start here, not necessarily something to start working on the second you get into the game, but we have what are called Accolades, or Accolade Powers, which are basically powers you can use that are earned from aquiring a certain group of badges. |
Originally Posted by Heloyse
anything important I need to know I should work on as soon as I start the game? I don't like getting to the endgame and then realizing that I need to farm some faction that I could've farmed while leveling for example.
Thanks for taking the time to read all this |
Most of the badges require some combination of defeating specific enemies or enemy groups, reading certain plaques in the zones, and visiting badge markers in the zones... some also require completing a specific mission at a given level range from some contact or another. Defeat badges, for killing a number of enemies, can range from kill 100 to kill 1000... in some cases you may not encounter enough of an enemy in your arcs unless you're aware of which enemies you need and you purposely select contacts that put you against that enemy group. I remember needing to 'streetsweep' for enemies 20 and 30 levels below me at one point in order to get their defeat badges.
Here's a link to the paragon wiki covering details of the Hero and Villain Accolades:
http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Accolade_Powers
At this point, I'm certain that all mission-granted badges required by accolades are available vial Flashback in Ouroboros. For the OP - Flashback is a system that lets you go back and do story arcs and badge missions you missed. It auto-exemplars (part of sidekicking) you down the the max level of the mission's level range. Which may restrict powers available to you if you end up adjusted more than five levels below your max level.
Orc&Pie No.53230 There is an orc, and somehow, he got a pie. And you are hungry.
www.repeat-offenders.net
Negaduck: I see you found the crumb. I knew you'd never notice the huge flag.
Hi guys,
I just bought the whole CoH/CoV going rogue game, am installing and updating it right now and I had a couple of questions before I start. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I have a lot of mmo experience and I have often made the mistake of joining any server in the past when joining a new game, and when I get attached to the character I realize that I am on the least populated server, so my first question is the following, which is the most populated server? (don't know if there is PvP or no, but if there is, I prefer PvP)
For classes or roles, usually I love DPS and CC classes, examples of played classes Necromancer (EQ and EQ2), warlock (wow), necromancer (Age of Conan), champion (LOTRO), Assassin (Rift), etc. I also like playing Healer in some games. I also like a class that would be good for both grouping and solo play. So my next question is which class would you think would suit me the best?
Also, anything important I need to know I should work on as soon as I start the game? I don't like getting to the endgame and then realizing that I need to farm some faction that I could've farmed while leveling for example.
Thanks for taking the time to read all this