Which story arcs/missions do you find most emotionally engaging?

I know, a lot of people blitz through arcs without really reading them, but sometimes, you get some arcs that just make you want to cheer, or cry, or roar in defiance before charging in to beat the living snot out of someone. (I got to thinking about this after reading the "Which content do you enjoy?" and "Favorite bits of in-game writing" threads.)

Which ones do it for you? And why? (Redside, blueside, or Praetorian - I'm not picky.)

(And yes, there's a reason for me asking. I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count.)

If you're not sure of the arc name, swing by the ParagonWiki - safe bet it's there.

For example, one of my all-time favorites:

Dark Watcher's "A Promise for a New Tomorrow" arc in Praetoria. The entire Resistance>Warden storyline is incredible, but I couldn't help it, I got choked up at "THIS IS THE LAST, BEST, FINAL PROGRAM BY AARON WALKER HIMSELF." (Paired with the simultaneous ka-CHUNK of nine Dismantlers taking up position... oh, yes.)

EDIT: Another is Special Agent Jenni Adair's "Looking Through the Glass." The very first time I ran it, after beating Protean, I was actually saying, "No, no, no, nononononono..." while running hell for leather through that base and up the elevator to try and save my alternate self.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Stepping out into the wrecked Skyway City in Admiral Sutter's TF, on a character that was just coming to grips with being a hero no less.

I'll always enjoy The Organ Grinders. It's story is pretty much trumped by Vanguard in RWZ, but if you live in the character's moment, trying to figure out what the hell the Rikti are doing, learning it, and then not being able to tell your contact about it, it's just a fun progression.

Also for sheer humor and unleashed chaos the arc's of Doc Buzzsaw are great. It's big capital S Science, with a Rogue Isle flair. It's also more engaging to me than Vernon Von Grun because he's a bit over the top and it keeps me from getting behind his plan.

Lastly I love Slot Machine. Primarily because the souvenir for the arc is flat out the best in the game, but also because there's no explanation for they Why of things. it's just a sad tale of a washed up super being watched over by this strange device. It feels like a Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode to me.

I love "Oh, Wretched Man" (Seer Marino's arc). It does a good job demonstrating that Villains (and in particular Arachnos) are people with families and relationships (that last beyond the grave).

I don't remember if it is actually a mission arc, but the Death of Breakneck is emotional for me, especially since his memorial statue is in my birthplace of King's Row, right outside the tram station!

I also enjoy "The Unusual Suspect", because my Mysterious Double is as much of a wide-eyed innocent as I am! I enjoy running the rescue of Sister Jocasta mission right after that and revel in trouncing Silent Blade, then telling her unconscious form, "That's for the *other* Amerikatt!"

I concur with Miss D_R about that Protean mission. The first time I saw my poor, broken double was one of those dramatically emotional "What the ...?!" moments!

The Terra Conspiracy (Ginger Yates) - losing Tanya to the DE was heart-wrenching.

Part 2 of Twisted Reflections (Special Agent Jenni Adair) - death of someone close

Piercing the Veil (Gordon Bower) - the ghosts are so sad the first time you have to fight them.

A Path into Darkness (Colleen Nelson) - the pieced together story from the clues was moving (and a fitting origin for Requiem)

To Save a Soul (Madeleine Casey) - your contact's decent into madness is just too cool

Me Myself and My Other Selves (Dean MacArthur) and Good Villains Never Die (Leonard) - is a fantastic series with a range of emotions.

Old Friends, New Enemies, and New Opportunities (Vincent Ross) - I haven't run this through completely but I helped my wife with the last 3 missions and they were a lot of fantastic fun - especially the last one.

The Cult of the Shaper (Diviner Maros) - I love the contact and I love this arc. It *feels* epic.

I could list more but I suppose I was only supposed to select one... if so just the one on top.

I believe I have a few emotionally engaging arcs I can name.

For instance, The Terra Conspiracy on the hero side. Though it suffers from the same slow pacing as much of the early content, it's still quite effective. Not only is it something of a tragic origin story for Hamidon, it also involves a moment where no matter what your hero does, the villain wins. Other missions can fail due to other factors but there is literally nothing you can do to stop Hamidon from transforming Tanya. I imagine that it is quite the blow to many players to have to put down the monster that was once the woman you were trying to protect.

For the villain side, "Oh, Wretched Man!" is a pretty good example of this. Again, it's a tragic origin story (For Ghost Widow and Wretch this time) but it's also noteworthy that it's quite satisfying to finally take down Huntsman Ohanko and Mu'Rakir after they stabbed you in the back. I also second Slot Machine for the same reasons Lemur Lad pointed out as well as all four patron arcs when you see exactly what the future looks like...

Also of note is Dark Watcher's "The Horrors of War" from the Rikti War Zone. It seems Dark Watcher has a tendency to be involved in the most emotional arcs. Finding out the truth behind the Rikti War and desperately trying to spread the news make this quite the effective arc along with a satisfying beatdown on the two villains most responsible for the war. And let's not forget what happened to Sefu either...

As for Praetorians, aside from the Dark Watcher arc, Penelope Yin's arc "My Best Friend, Rusty" is definitely very emotionally involved. Metronome's relationship with Praetorian Yin is perhaps even creepier than the relationship between their Primal counterparts but you still do get the impression that Yin cares for Metronome even though he has gone insane.

The final mission from Anti-Matter "No Survivors" is also quite the shock to most Responsibility Loyalists and Kang's speech if you choose the Loyalist ending to that mission is particularly tragic, showing that he has finally seen what kind of government he's been serving.

Though it's not a particular story arc that highlights it, the Nova Praetoria and Imperial City parts of the Power storyline do a really good job at making you hate Reese, making your final battle with him in Transmuter's arc "Letting Go" quite satisfying.

There's certainly more than that but those are all I can recall at the moment. I like what I've seen from everyone else so far too!

EDIT: I second all of Golden Avariel's suggestions as well. I can't believe I forgot about the conclusion of Jenni Adair's arc!

"The Horror of War". No question.

Finding Sefu and having Dietrich finally show some emotion is heartbreaking. And then you enter a massive Nemesis base. And you make them pay.

I think the one that immediately jumps to mind is Automated Villainy, Technician Naylor's arc, if for no other reason than that it freaked me the hell out the first time I did it.

I think a nice touch is the fact that when your identity is called into question Naylor says that he believes you, and that he's come to respect you over the course of your work together.

Aaron Walker of course is also a favorite.

I have a few favourites, myself:

The Eternal Nemesis, first and foremost. I love it for both the pandering to Nemesis in how he's securing other people's technologies and sciences, only to find out he had them beat all along. I love it for how it represents a villain who actually manages to win without making it feel like a downer ending. And I love it because it's Nemesis.

Division: Line. More specifically, this arc absent the ruinous context of the Rikti War Zone. I like it because it used to be the first time we actually saw a glimpse into Rikti society, first began to see them as real, actual people, rather than faceless monsters. In a time when the Rikti never, ever spoke, getting one to actually speak with people and *gasp* even cooperate with them? It's like capturing a Zergling and sitting down to have tea and crumpets with it and having that work.

World Wide Red. This is a long, complex, exhausting arc which takes me through a pretty elaborate sequence of events, each of which makes sense as the next logical step. I like that the arc doesn't feel rushed, I like that there's so much to say in it, and yet there's room for all of it and more, I like that the Malta Group are treated with respect and recognition for not just being a large thread, but for being a COVERT threat. It's a big story akin to a three-hour movie, and it makes sense.

Oh Wretched Man. I like the arc because it is so loaded with emotion, even if most of it is tragic. I like it because it gives a personality to what is otherwise a pretty faceless big-name NPC. I like it because whoever wrote it was very good at writing, and because whoever wrote it really put in a lot of effort and a lot of heart. I like it because it deals with the drama of the people behind the masks, rather than taking refuge in audacity and throwing "Freem!" in my face all the time.

Burning Dreck. This is probably the best arc about the Freakshow, especially now, in a world that sees them more as cute class clowns than as the dangerous, insane murderers that they are. Burning Dreck shows us the Freakshow's true face - that they are willing to murder innocent people not just for deranged fun, but for cold hard profit. It shows us that many of their leaders are hypocrites and users. It shows us that they are dangerous and scary, and that their weirdness isn't "cute," but rather "creepy." This arc more than any other shows the Freakshow as a realistic, credible threat to the city.

Time After Time. I like this arc because it's one giant kick in the nuts of the whole railroading storyline in City of Villains. After spending the whole game with an omniscient narrator telling you how much you want "brownie points with the Spiders," you finally get a chance to slap Lord Recluse upside the head, get in his face and walk away standing strong and tall while he stumbles for retort that won't make him sound like a complete sissy. This is the game empowering the player in-story and finally freeing said player from the yoke of the plot... 45 levels too late, but still, I appreciate what it does. The devastated future is a nice touch, too.

That's all I can think of off-memory. I'll see about checking the wiki at a later time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

The Aaron Walker arc. My favorite contact in all the game. :'(

While the impact rather dies off after a while...

Revenant Hero. Not just for "Heroes have gone missing," but the implication "They've been killed for this" and "They really ARE doing this?!" (Which partially led to my own bit of a riff mixing it and Hero Corps history, "Hero Corpse" over in AE.... another I have to revisit and polish up with what AE can do now.)

I think Peter Themari gets mentioned, as does Bocor, for good reason... and Westin Phipps. Just the twisted *crap* they pull (and don't forget, later, with Vernon von Grunn - who I usually really like - going after Pyriss and finally killing her.)

Yes, Jenny Adair's arc.

While not *an arc,* one of Unai's missions that sends you against Nemesis... where his automatons have been set to make the world a graveyard that doesn't survive his death.

See my Guides and Tutorials

Those above are good.

It's not so much the story arc, but no moment in this game has the third mission in the ITF the first time beat. The way you just come over a hill expecting some fantasy/golem things and BOOM! 5th Column! It's like "WHEEE!!!??"

"To our Health" the final morality mission for Dark Watcher in Praetoria. And one of the honestly most difficult. Kill thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of innocents or free them from the numbing effects of Enriche?

Praetor Keyes' arc for the Loyalists is also good.

In general all the "contact arcs" when you start encountering Primal Earth forces (Arachnos, Longbow) in Praetoria are great.

Good Villains Never Die, specifically, the part where you have the option to rescue your clone, and the consequence of that decision that affects you later on in the arc.

My familiarity has bred contempt for much of the story in this game. It's not so much the "I could have done better" variety (which has only plagued me in two situations), but just the "I've seen this before, so I don't really care too much..." kind.

I remember that "Oh Wretched Man" left me humming sadly. There was also a mission in which your hero was sent to take down a Rikti Commander (likely a Traditionalist) and the depressed speech he gives you at the end about how he will miss his soldiers and his family tugged at my heartstrings.

I find something incredibly endearing about Scirocco, especially any time he talks about Ghost Widow. It's awesome how in each of their arcs you can see how one feels about the other (or in Ghost Widow's case, how she doesn't; although after her initial distrust/confusion about his willingness to help, she figures she can talk him down after sending you to raid one of his bases).

The "He Drives Me Crazy!" souvenir (Ice Mistral complaining about Scirocco's lectures on honor) is great, too.

"The last light of hope is gone from me, save for the cold glow of my Pale Light in the Darkness." Aww. ♥

"O Wretched Man" is still one of my favorites in this sense, especially Wretch's speech at the end. It's the first character development you get for...well, any of the signature characters, at least in-game, and it portrays Ghost Widow and Wretch as tragic figures (from a villainous perspective anyway; they did join Arachnos willingly, after all) while not making them any less threatening.

And on a more upbeat and sheerly awesome note, I like the Kronos ambush in World Wide Red. It's still the best "oops, now I've really ticked them off" moment in the game.

Jenni Adair, Dark Watcher's Praetorian arc and Katie Douglas are all pretty intense.

Other smaller thing that are also touching are the dead Longbow and Vanguard in the hallway on the final Lady Gray mission, which has more impact if you've done the zone story arcs too, so you see that they all died fighting side by side, in spite of their conflict earlier on in the arcs.

A similar sad bit are all the dead cops in Kings Row during the Apex TF - just normal officers with side-arms who tried to stop an invading robot army.

Hands down the "Melvin and the Mysterious Malta Group" arch was the first time I felt like this game touched actual emotions within me. I offer my sincere thanks to the writers of this arch. Please speak with Jim 'Thunderhead' Bartlett. Never forget, Roger Washington, Georgia Reynolds, and Hakeem Muhammad.

"Think! It's not illegal yet."

A ton of the Responsibility Loyalist arcs were pretty much awesome, especially if you were going through them with the intention of being a good guy. In the back of your mind, you know you're technically a bad guy, but it's still fairly shocking when you have to do somewhat evil things because there's no other choice. You take down the Resistance because they kill people and cause absolute chaos wherever they go, and from the point of view you see them, they are without doubt the bad guys... Most of the time. Then you get an arc or two early on that have them doing something you might condone if they did it in another way.

Essentially, at the beginning, you're doing the right thing. You're stopping hospital bombings, you're saving civilians from the evil Resistance, and protecting the people you're sworn to protect. Then, by the end, you're actually hurting the citizens more than the Resistance are by considering hiding the truth from them. You want to be the good guy, but there are no 'good guys' in Praetoria, and I like how the story makes that clearer the more toward the end you come to.

For bringing out the rage in me, "The Evil Countess Crey" from Janet Kellum takes the cake. Seeing the false corporate face of Crey throughout the entire arc makes me really engaged in taking her down at the end.

Lady Grey's Task Force really gets me when the Honoree returns. When they reveal the warped, twisted version of Hero 1, and then you have to fight him... oh man, gets me right in the chest.

Finally, "The Savage Man" from Aaron Walker, especially because of the times where you have to choose what to tell Noble Savage about his family and friends. What a mind job...

A few spring to mind...

The oft mentioned "O wretched man": I replay it every chance I get.

Jenni Adair's missions: The first time through ended up with a big NOOOO!

Penelope Yin's Faultline arc: I always get a bit of a warm fuzzy feeling with the words "You did it, you did it..."

Meet BV from the warden path in Praetoria.

"Rescue Tunnel rat" also from Praetoria. You can't help but like Ratty.

The final warden mission that takes you out to Primal earth. The first time I played this was when it WAS a one way trip. It was nice to get the goodbye committee.

and, finally in infamy...

Westin Phipps. I felt like I needed a shower afterward. Ugh.