If you could tell a noob one thing...
By
Aett_Thorn,
Posted on: 2011-09-26 01:54 in Player Questions
Rule #1: Always wear clothes while you're playing CoH/V, especially if you're in public.
Rule #2: Rule #1 is optional.
Winteriel Ice/Fire/Soul Tanker | @TBoxer Global | City of Heroes R.I.P. (2004-2012)
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If you right-mouse on another player's name, you can select "add note" (or "edit note" after you've added one) and type little reminders to yourself that will stay associated with that player's global name even if he or she changes characters. This can be an extremely potent social tool -- you can look like you remember everyone effortlessly, even if you're scatterbrained. I use these "player notes" extensively. Not only does it help me remember, and warmly greet, friends -- and avoid the (relatively few) people I'd rather avoid -- it's also cool when some random character speaks to me and I am able to open the player note and see a message I sent myself in the past like "Cool-headed on a Katie Task Force; complimented Sister Power's costume."|
Originally Posted by Ukaserex
I would tell you to be cautious about blindly accepting supergroup invites.
As a new player, I did so, and was quite disappointed in the result. Depending on your servers population, you may find that you run into the same people as you level. If you find their chatting to be amusing, or perhaps intelligent, I suggest you friend them. |
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Originally Posted by Leese
So you're using teleport for your travel power, was it?
Try typing in the following... /bind SHIFT+LCLICK powexec_name Teleport You can now hold down shift and click places to more easily teleport about! You can of course change SHIFT to CTRL/ALT or LCLICK to RCLICK if you like. |
If we are to die, let us die like men. -- Patrick Cleburne
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The rule is that they must be loved. --Jayne Fynes-Clinton, Death of an Abandoned Dog
It'd be what I was told when I started playing
"There are no n00bs in this game, only beginning Veterans"
I just really wish my sieve-like memory had retained the name of the player who told me this as I would love to attribute it.
But for myself I would add, don't be afraid to ask for help, 99.9% of the players in this game will be happy to give you advice.
Oh and of course Welcome to the Game and Have fun! 
Loved everything you had to say, Quickfire, except for:
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Try LotRO as a non-hunter or warden. Travelling gets old quickly there.|
Originally Posted by quickfire
-Travel is a time sink.
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As for one thing to tell a new player: Enjoy solo, but be sure to team as well. You can meet some cool people in-game.
I find your lack of signature disturbing.
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Well I must admit that my first MMO was EQ1 and there everything was a timesink, but especially travel. You had to wait for the boad (around 20 mins) then actually use it and travel to the next continent... and so on.
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Originally Posted by Bags
Pretty much my take on the matter. I've seen travel handled very well in games, and I've seen it handled very poorly. This one tends to linger toward the "well" end of that spectrum.
The key thing for me is that travel in CoH is fun, and it has a great sense of speed to it. I rarely find myself doing the anxious foot tap of not being where I want. In fact, I frequently find myself just wandering around to see where I end up. It's like Crackdown, but without the suck. |
Originally Posted by Megajoule
We're being invaded. Again. This time, instead of aliens, zombies, or eyeballs with teeth, it's the marching band.
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Oh, gods. Don't remind me about EQ1.|
Originally Posted by Razia
Well I must admit that my first MMO was EQ1 and there everything was a timesink, but especially travel. You had to wait for the boad (around 20 mins) then actually use it and travel to the next continent... and so on.
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Travel for two hours, camp for 30 minutes, walk for 30 more to the one mob that drops the item you need, get killed by said mob, do it all over again, six hours of your life gone, mob's finally dead...
didn't even drop what you wanted.
I have gone through great pains in my life to avoid that feeling ever again.
The best advice I could give a noob (aside from "check the forums", which you obviously don't need) is to try a lot of different ATs/powersets to find out which ones you like to play best. Your favorite ATs/powersets may or may not be the same as what you originally thought they'd be. I spent a number of years (5) refusing to play melee characters. Then I tried an electric/willpower brute. It was (and still is) without a doubt the most awesome I have ever felt playing this game.
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Note: |
Originally Posted by Sailboat
If you right-mouse on another player's name, you can select "add note" (or "edit note" after you've added one) and type little reminders to yourself that will stay associated with that player's global name even if he or she changes characters. This can be an extremely potent social tool -- you can look like you remember everyone effortlessly, even if you're scatterbrained. I use these "player notes" extensively. Not only does it help me remember, and warmly greet, friends -- and avoid the (relatively few) people I'd rather avoid -- it's also cool when some random character speaks to me and I am able to open the player note and see a message I sent myself in the past like "Cool-headed on a Katie Task Force; complimented Sister Power's costume."
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You may have to go into Menu-->Options to enable "Show Player Rating = Always" so you can see the stars over your rated players' heads. I'm not sure what the default setting is, but it wasn't very consistently set with my roster of characters.
FYI:
Invention items storage capacities.
In terms of Invention enhancements, now would be a good time to start learning how to craft them - for personal use and to sell them. The Salvages required for the basic Common IOs (accuracy, damage, recharge, endurance reduction/modification, heal, etc) are really cheap at the Auction House right now.
The benefits of crafting Common IOs (the generic non-named ones) are that after making a quota for each level batch, you'll "memorize" them. This gives you a badge and more salvage or recipe inventory capacity. However, the most important thing is that, once memorized, you won't need to have a recipe on hand to craft more of that particular level of Common IO and the crafting cost is halved. Thus, you can craft to sell and the profit is pretty much built in even if you ask for a moderate price. Of course, many well-to-do players will pay large sums to just "get it nao!" and not bother bid creeping, so there's the real potential to make good Inf with minimal time and effort, and no risk.
Once you've got Common IOs down, you may want to advance to crafting and selling Set IOs. There's a bit more thought involved with determining what's good to work on. The Market board can give you some ideas.
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| Your gear and/or build means next to nothing to most players |
Teams are the number one killer of soloists.
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Note that you may have to turn on the option to see the Vault on your map. It's in the corner of your map ("Options" drop down) and you need to toggle on the radio buttons.|
Originally Posted by Aett_Thorn
There are a few ways. The first really good way is to make sure you hit up the Vault (one of which is in Cap Au Diable, just north of the market there (it'll be on the map). You can store a decent amount there.
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Since I21, I've had some issues with this, presumably due to the new icons for contacts. On pretty much all my alts, nearly everything is turned off now. I have to go in and turn them all on (except Names) to see what I want on my map.
Justice Superteamer
Current Project - Water Blast Superteam starting Friday, 7/20/2012.
Come out and join us Fri/Sun 8pm ET on the "Justice Superteamers" channel.
All players welcome!
I beg to differ about defense in CoH. While leveling you don't as much defense as you do at the endgame.
I've complained several times about just getting to 50 and having no IO sets on my toons. It's almost like they mobs attack you first for having the least defense. I remember having mobs ignore the tanks because they have an aggro limit and go for me first. I love AoE and play mostly controllers because of it but it's an aggro magnet with any large mob. You will have to get some kind of defense or enjoy the hospital. Leveling is not the same as the end game in my opinion. do a couple of trials at 50+0 with no IO sets and you will see what I mean.
There are about 3-50 ways to accomplish any given goal or defeat a given enemy. Different ATs and different powers find other strategies easier or harder, depending. You most often don't need 'X' AT or power on the team but you may need to adjust your strategy.
If you enjoy alting, trying a big variety, as that's the best way I've found to know the other AT/powersets strength/weaknesses. Knowing how to play your character is nice, of course, but knowing how to play with your team mates ATs and powersets is a huge boost in performance, too.
We have effective damage mitigation, and regeneration continues in combat, meaning that healing is often completely unnecessary. This can be a bit of a shock to get used to, to put it mildly.
Welcome to the game, Bags!
Very glad to hear you're enjoying it and it sounds like you've got a good mind about this game and it is cool that you're enjoying the villain-side content, story arcs and such!
As usual, some fantastic replies from everyone here already!
And that Teleport Bind is truly a great thing and I'm glad someone mentioned it to you.
Since others have already things quite well, I'll say the ONE thing I'd tell a noob...
Don't listen to anything we say, including this.
Okay, not really, but kinda, haha...
Really, I suggest... forget everything you learned from other games. Forget any advice or recommendations about what to do and what not to do and how to play and how not to play and what to choose and what not to choose and what you MUST have...
This game is built around just playing. Pick... ANYTHING... and do ANYTHING.
There are always extremes, of course, but... in order to play this game and be capable of advancing through the content and the levels and experience the normal (normal meaning - without hands tied behind your back or whatever restrictions we like to place on ourselves for extra challenges) content of this game... All you need to do is play any AT, any powerset, in any type of team or soloing. This game is nicely balanced, in a great way, where you really don't have to do anything other than pick something and play it.
Although, proper/improper enhancement placing/choosing can affect things pretty strongly. You do NOT need invention enhancements. However, they are also not evil and you may enjoy using them! 
For normal enhancing... Just try and remember a few simple guidelines (but, as with all rules, these guidelines are not absolute): Three of the same enhancement (say, Damage Enhancements on an attack) will bring you the maximum benefit. A fourth one will hardly give you anything at all. So, a good rule is no more than 3 of one type.
That and try and keep your defense and/or resistance powers (if you have such things) slotted to give you maximum protection, when you can.
And Endurance Reduction enhancements (Try just one in a power - like a toggle- and see if you need more) tend to help greatly with attacks and defensive toggles.
Okay... I totally rambled on there... sorry! None of this is the greatest advice out there, but I think it is the only stuff that may trip a new player up as they grow into the game.
The big thing really being... do not stress nor believe in all the hype about the "right way to build/slot a character". Get into it if you find that type of min/max-ing fun (many do!), but don't think it is necessary to experience and completely enjoy this game!
Hey... here's another little note...
There is a lot of variance within ATs among the different powersets and powerset combinations.
As an example, an Electric/Electric Blaster plays vastly different than a Fire/Fire Blaster.
The same is true for a great many of the different powers.
And, even within the same combination... There are often many different ways that individual players can successfully play those powersets. Some really have great versatility and different aspects may be enjoyed by different players.
I always find that to be a really cool aspect of this game that may go unnoticed by someone still thinking of each AT as a Class from other games. There's a similarity, but there really are differences within the AT selections!
Extra extra credit: If you have Knockback powers... Try and learn to control it and use it to your (and especially your team's) advantage.
Wanton knockback may be the only type of play that gets others a little annoyed and may get you kicked from a team, haha (if you're really intent on sending everyone flying without any regard to what the rest of your team would prefer).
I love knockback and think it is absolutely fun... and it is also very helpful as enemies can't attack you as they fly through the air and land on their butts. However, some times it can disrupt things and turn them into utter chaos (and sometimes, of course, that is fun too) to the detriment of the team.
Simple steps are to position yourself so that the knockback sends the enemy into walls/objects nearby and/or send them into a direction that you want them to go... And, lastly... a good rule is... If you sent it flying away from the team... go finish him off and/or lead him back to the team (just do so without aggroing another group of enemies, haha).
Okay... that's enough form me...
Except for this:
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Originally Posted by MaestroMavius
1st off. Welcome to the City!
Things I would tell a noob? 1. You're standing at the train exit. 2. It's the journey not the destination. 3. Don't pay me back, I do that for all the cool cats, ya dig. 4. You will want to get Stamin... (wait, that's my notes for noobs circa 2006) 5. Homage toons are wonderful, just be sure to avoid outright copying of anything trademarked, as that can get you in trouble. 6. You are not a Healor. You are a buffer/debuffer. 7. Supergroups>Guilds. Missions>Quests. Inspirations>Potions 8. paragonwiki.com 9. Mid's Hero builder 10. Yes, SteelClaw actually enjoy's playing that way. |
Okay... I suggest coming back to this thread and the above post to understand a few of the jokes tossed in here once you've been here long enough and are tuly... one of us!!
@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
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^^^This definately. You can pretty much do almost anything with little to no support. There are maybe one or two things that would take way too much time to do with no support but everything else is definately doable. Lastly if you want to be the best that you can be definately use Mids and real numbers in game to maximize your build potential.
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Originally Posted by The_Spad_EU
There is no "required" team makeup; you can have an All Blaster team, an All Tanker team, a 7 Storm Defenders and a Scrapper Team (If you hate the scrapper
).Just about any combination of powersets and archetypes can complete just about any challenge in the game (with a few extreme exceptions) as long as the players know what they're doing and have reasonable builds. Also, Mids, Mids, a thousand times Mids. |
Bump and Grind Bane/SoA
Kenja No Ishi Earth/Empathy Controller
Legendary Sannin Ninja/Pain Mastermind
Entoxicated Ninja/PSN Mastermind
Ninja Ryukenden Kat/WP Scrapper
Hellish Thoughts Fire/PSI Dominator
Thank You Devs for Merits!!!!
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I kind of wish it made things harder. Its been way too boring since they wussified the respec trial many years back.
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Originally Posted by The_Spad_EU
Just one other thing I thought of:
Never believe anything anyone tells you in game about how CoH works, because most of the time it's wrong Or, more specifically, double-check anything anyone tells you in game about how CoH works because as with any game there's a huge amount of misinformation and misunderstanding out there. The old classic being "Don't click the glowies on the Respec trial, it makes the final room harder", which of course it doesn't, but it persisted as "fact" for years (and probably still does). |
Bump and Grind Bane/SoA
Kenja No Ishi Earth/Empathy Controller
Legendary Sannin Ninja/Pain Mastermind
Entoxicated Ninja/PSN Mastermind
Ninja Ryukenden Kat/WP Scrapper
Hellish Thoughts Fire/PSI Dominator
Thank You Devs for Merits!!!!
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Harder would be nice, but I'd settle for faster... Less gap between groups would be *so* welcome a change.
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Originally Posted by EvilRyu
I kind of wish it made things harder. Its been way too boring since they wussified the respec trial many years back.
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Inspirations drop like candy from a pinata. Use them, always. If you have ones that you can't use, convert them, use them to make space, or just delete them.
If you die while I'm teamed with you and I can't drop a wakie on you because your inspiration tray is full, you're going to get a well deserved HA HA.
Global @StarGeek
ParagonWiki.com-The original is still the best!
My Hero Merit rolls
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I have found that trying to figure out how to optimally "integrate" with a team is less important than knowing how to just play your own AT (and power sets). Worry less about what everyone else is doing and just concentrate on doing what is smartest given what your character can do and the situation.|
Originally Posted by Madadh
Knowing how to play your character is nice, of course, but knowing how to play with your team mates ATs and powersets is a huge boost in performance, too.
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For example, I am currently leveling an Ice/Storm controller. In most of the teams I end up on, the general strategy seems to be aggro the next mob (or two if the team is cocky) and just try to kill everything before dying. Hell, most teams don't even bother to rest up a little between fights and just dive into the next one while at half endurance (or worse). Well that's all find and dandy, I suppose, but trying to adjust your own play to "fit" within such an uncoordinated free-for-all style of team play is almost pointless. Consequently, I find that I am much more successful if I just do what I know is best for the situation, regardless of the particular wackamole actions of my teammates.
So, I lay down Ice Slick whenever it cycles back. I con for the Boss (or whomever has the most hit points and will last the longest) and put Snow Storm on him. I then try to stand where the action is with my -SPD toggles on, fire off my AoE immobs/slows, and generally try to just keep the enemy mobs from attacking as often as possible. I doubt the rest of the team has much appreciation for what I am doing or that the main reason they aren't getting attacked very often is because of all the annoying mist/snow/ice/fog all over the place, but it doesn't matter. I'm doing my job and my teammates are living longer because of it. That's what a support toon does, after all.
But the key point I'm making here is that my own strategy is pretty independent of the other ATs on the team. What I'm doing is "optimal" for my AT in 99% of all cases and doesn't really need to be adjusted based on team composition.
Oh, and Kinetics is the tits. If you decide to try a Kinetics defender, advertise that you are Kinetics defender (don't just broadcast, "Lvl # Defender LFT"). You are the game's equivalent to a crack dealer and everyone wants what you are selling, well, once you are high enough level to have Speed Boost anyway. And if you find a Kinetics Defender looking for a team, snatch them up. Though beware the Speed Boost addiction...(and don't be surprised if said Kin Defender is bad about keeping everyone's SB running...playing a Kin Defender isn't easy and there seem to be a lot of lazy Defenders out there).
NOR-RAD - 50 Rad/Rad/Elec Defender - Nikki Stryker - 50 DM/SR/Weap Scrapper - Iron Marauder - 50 Eng/Eng/Pow Blaster
Lion of Might - 50 SS/Inv/Eng Tanker - Darling Nikkee - 50 (+3) StJ/WP/Eng Brute - Ice Giant Kurg - 36 Ice/Storm Controller
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Word
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Originally Posted by StarGeek
Inspirations drop like candy from a pinata. Use them, always. If you have ones that you can't use, convert them, use them to make space, or just delete them.
If you die while I'm teamed with you and I can't drop a wakie on you because your inspiration tray is full, you're going to get a well deserved HA HA. |
In fact... It's not exactly advertised/freely-known/stated anywhere (that I know of) for new players that you can combine three inspirations (of the exact same type and size) to create a single one of your choice (of the same size as the original three).
So, three small reds can be turned into one small <your choice here>.
Three medium blues can be turned into one medium <your choice here>.
This is actually a major advantage in the whole inspiration game.
Anyway... just in case you didn't know!
@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
Yea, I should clarify my comment about travel, because perhaps I was being a bit unfair.
I have played many games, and like quite a few out there travel here, especially really early in the game can take some time. But unlike some other games that have long or scenic travel times, this one allows you to get attacked (unless you take the train/ferry/chopper).
It was just my way of saying "travel takes time, be prepared for that".
But I didn't mean to put it forth in an insulting way. To be completely honest there is very little if any I have to complain about in this game, and that's really saying something (I'm a chronic complainer in MMOs).
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It does indeed sound like so far you are doing what is optimal for the team, and kudos to you for your fine instincts, but most don't seem to have as finely tuned instincts. |
Originally Posted by Wing_Leader
I have found that trying to figure out how to optimally "integrate" with a team is less important than knowing how to just play your own AT (and power sets). Worry less about what everyone else is doing and just concentrate on doing what is smartest given what your character can do and the situation.
For example, I am currently leveling an Ice/Storm controller. In most of the teams I end up on, the general strategy seems to be aggro the next mob (or two if the team is cocky) and just try to kill everything before dying. Hell, most teams don't even bother to rest up a little between fights and just dive into the next one while at half endurance (or worse). Well that's all find and dandy, I suppose, but trying to adjust your own play to "fit" within such an uncoordinated free-for-all style of team play is almost pointless. Consequently, I find that I am much more successful if I just do what I know is best for the situation, regardless of the particular wackamole actions of my teammates. So, I lay down Ice Slick whenever it cycles back. I con for the Boss (or whomever has the most hit points and will last the longest) and put Snow Storm on him. I then try to stand where the action is with my -SPD toggles on, fire off my AoE immobs/slows, and generally try to just keep the enemy mobs from attacking as often as possible. I doubt the rest of the team has much appreciation for what I am doing or that the main reason they aren't getting attacked very often is because of all the annoying mist/snow/ice/fog all over the place, but it doesn't matter. I'm doing my job and my teammates are living longer because of it. That's what a support toon does, after all. |
So, I'm going to sorta disagree with your conclusion, and to try and illustrate.......
Hurricane, how often do you use it? Which ATs do you cover with it? Lightning Storm, how often? Gale? Etc. Storm is a particularly good example of my point. If your team has a lot of patch/aoe attacks, you'll probably avoid or at least use much more situationally powers like Tornado, Gale, Hurricane, and, Lightning Storm. If it's an all squishie team, you can stand in the center of your team mostly with hurricane on, and most will love ya. If you try that same tactic with an all melee team (other than you) you'll not get quite the same response, I'll wager.
And if I'm the blaster teaming with you, it would be smart to realize that you have a potent AOE -res debuff, and I should probably wait to drop my nuke till after you drop Freezing Rain instead of trying to get the nuke off first.
Yes, frequently, your team mates won't give you the same consideration. Or perhaps they aren't skilled enough to even think about what they need to do, and what their team mates need to do yet. Or they may just not be familiar with their team mates powers and how they work.
And yes, a lot of the time what's best for you solo *is* what's best for the team. But not always.
And lastly, if the team is steamrolling, then it's rarely an issue, quite true. The ability to react to what's best for your team as well as you really only makes critical issue in the tough fights. But those are always the situations where skill will make the difference.
And, all of the above is only my personal experience, so take of it what you will.
Having played games that are way more strict on class builds and requirements in the past I can tell you this one really is the most lax. My personal rule of thumb for beating any content the game has to offer is to make sure at least 2-3 of the team are supportish of some sort (regardless of what that is) and the rest can be whatever. But teams of all Scrappers or Blasters or whatever have also beaten basically all the content the game has to offer so you don't even always need support either.
So, don't make characters based on what you think other people would want you to make. Just make things that sound fun or interesting to you, and you'll have the best time. There isn't any character you could make that wouldn't be welcome on teams. Unless you're on Freedom. 
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Originally Posted by PRAF68_EU
Dispari has more than enough credability, and certainly doesn't need to borrow any from you.
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What I find myself saying often to both new, and long time players that all of a sudden could not find anything on the map when head start launched (And that I almost asked for help regarding myself, until I remembered Going Rogue pulled this as well).
"They changed the map options without telling anyone again, you have to turn them all back on to see anything."
Clearly, we need more lasers.
A smart player with a lackluster build will almost always trump a ******* with a fantastic build.