Please give us back our Freedom(tm) at lower levels

Solution: add the new stuff but leave the old. My whole career has been in the software field, and I'm still having to tell this to developers every time.

Sometimes that's just not really an option, whether from a mechanic or thematic standpoint.

Paragon's generally pretty good about that by throwing things into the Flashback system, but obviously that doesn't help lowbies.

you cannot flashback the origin contact arcs, you can only flashback story arcs or badge mishs, and the lowest story arc available to heroes is in the 5-9 range (ie kings row stuff)

i also despise the new arcs (twinshots is awful, and dr graves is ok but not much better), i like running the 3rd sig story arc JUST so i can beat on the shining stars (villain sig arc)

"Memories" - The Evangel Farewell Video

Exactly. I'd love to hear a reason that made any sense. Even the now-obligatory "How will this get players to spend more money on our game?" question would benefit from having more existing lowbie content.

I think the old arcs did a pretty decent job of introducing a particular villain group that was themed for your origin. Almost a hint of a nemesis (small 'n') system.

Group Z, who likes that's there's new content but dislikes that there's fewer options available than in the old content.

This "alternate contact" thread has a lot of low level suggestions, hopefully most still work.

Thanks very much, Vox. Perhaps my new catchphrase will become "I've always relied on the kind arcs of players." :-)

Kalina is like 10 steps away from where you first spawn at level 1, and Arbiter Diaz is on the ground outside right next to one of the doors.

Don't kid yourself. There may have been a lot more contacts in Atlas, but the biggest differences between them were their names. You still faced Hellions, Skulls, Clockwork, and Vahz to one degree or another, and you do the same now. Most of the contacts didn't even have story arcs, only a couple missions, and half of those were pushing you to go talk to Wincott or a Security Chief in another zone.

The Atlas contacts are more linear in that you see the same ones, but the arcs are higher quality. That helps pull new players in; I know I felt like I was just uselessly spinning my wheels with old contacts, whereas here I feel like I'm actually doing something and pursuing a plot. I've had many characters fall by the wayside before level 10 because I just felt so directionless.

If you don't want to deal with Twinshot (I agree her personality is grating), you can always hit up Kings Row to do paper missions and get oldschool contacts, go to the Hollows which haven't been torturous since the revamp, go to the AE, or do whatever. The sewer trial lets veterans speed past Atlas so they don't have to do the same arcs over and over.

And on a wider scale, you can always start new characters in red or goldside. Past level 20, you can always switch back to blue if you want. Goldside itself has 4 different paths to go down (not counting going undercover), plus repeatable missions if you're tired of the story.

The previous illusion of choice was removed, but functionally we still have the same options. You only "have" to go to Twinshot once in order to learn about Kings Row, and once you know you can go there at 5 you're golden.

I know folks in here have said they like to take their time and play with solo arcs, but come on. It's levels 1 through 5. Even if you never do a single mission and just street sweep, it takes like half an hour. Atlas Park is such a minor part of your character's overall career that it's hardly worth getting up in arms about.

Aw man I loved the Matthew arc in Freedom.

I think the Matthew Habashy arc is all right, but I don't want to have to play it every time I create a new character. It's choice I'm asking for -- if nothing else, the restoration of the original 1-5 content.

Oh, and the abolition of all things Twinshot, of course. >:-)

Twinshot's crew makes a surprise appearence in Who Will Die part 3 for villains. *Shudder*

As well as Twinshot herself, surprisingly. Funny since she <spoilers> loses her hero license at the end of Shining stars </spoilers>

I can recommend that thread. Since the Atlas Park revamp, I've come to use it a lot more often. I think a couple are broken but I can't recall which ones. They're all fun and none are of the dire standard of Dumbshot's arc.

But I will agree with the OP. The old arcs were a bit naff but they treated you as a real hero from the word go (as does, admittedly Habashy's). Dumbshot's may have been intended as an extended tutorial but the manner in which your character is treated makes you look like an idiot. The villainside one is just as bad.

I also don't get why all the contacts were moved from Galaxy, retained their contact rings and yet do nothing. I think only Azuria takes part in later missions.

Well, of course. The other origins don't have a revolving door on their vaults.

I really never got that vibe from reading her text *shrug* yeah she called you kiddo...but that's hardly talking down to you.

I hardly consider them "arcs." Felt like filler crap like most of the mid level contacts....

True, the "kiddo" stuff is just what makes her annoying. Although she does ask you at the start whether you "want to hang out at the cool kid's [sic] table." That's just the start of a talking-down attitude that pervades the entire arc: the fact that your whole goal is to become accepted by this group of rejects, and the way you are played the whole time by someone else, in the end again just to gain his approval. The name of the arc should be "Please Like Me; Pretty Please?"


Yeah, I said from the start that they weren't great, but at least they gave you some choice instead of starting every Primal hero the exact same way.

Oh, and they didn't have Twinshot and friends in them.

Partially addressed, although some missions are a bit... odd... in how the timing may work.

The vault was in Galaxy City, which was just blown up - you would expect some pretty wide-scale looting with a bunch of gangs running around, and some things may have gone missing. As for the "hey, we just got this for you" and then one mission turn-in later "where did it go?!" arcs... yeah. Not much positive to say there; you'd think the security on the new holding facility would last for at least long enough to leave the building.

But if I had to question that, I'd wonder why I do Ice Mistral's Strike Force after I've already gotten the Shard of Serafina a few dozen times already in paper missions.

Originally Posted by PleaseRecycle it has gone from unconscionable to downright appalling that we have no way of measuring our characters' wetness.

Originally Posted by Brillig It's hard to beat the entertainment value of Whackjob Wednesdays.

The story of the arc was fine but imo it's a gross misrepresentation of the remainder of the game. A person playing the game for the first time does the tutorial which now has no instanced missions. Then they come and are forced to run this arc which spends the first half of the arc showing off the new combat phasing technique and flashy gimmicks like turning your character into a Hellion. You don't get your first door mission until about the 4th part of the arc, and by that point you're already level 4-ish. You go a full four levels before getting a door mission. Then you finish the new opening set of arcs (which as the OP states gets you to around lvl 9 or 10) and then suddenly BAM - everything is door missions.

Now I know they say "we're going to add more combat phasing" but they also say "we're going to add more base design" and "we're going to add more AE features" but how often do they really deliver on their promises?

I think a newbie playing this game now gets a very very very bad representation of what the remaining 40 levels of content is going to be like.




I hardly call them arcs either, but like the OP stated and like I stated, it's a matter of giving the player base some options. It's like the architect said in The Matrix - it's all about choice. In a game based on repeatability (you have 12+ slots per server for crying out loud) why would you ever remove content??

You might not like them, that's great - but others might. Like many others I have a couple dozen 50s. Some of them I fast tracked through the lower levels, some of them I didn't. I like having some flavor. Calling something "Freedom" and at the same time taking away choices seems like a juicy contradiction...

"Memories" - The Evangel Farewell Video