Which things to do as a new player.

Hey everyone,

I've started to play this game with a few friends around Christmas. We've been mostly playing together and having fun. We've almost directly upgraded to VIP.

I was wondering if people have advice on things we should certainly not skip. Our highest level characters have just reached 20, and we've now done the second part of the Signature Story Arc: Who will die? for example. Should we go to First Ward, we had a look there, but the first mission we got required fighting stuff 3-4 levels above us, so we decided to do the SSA first.

We're especially interested in stuff that has a nice story. And/or allow a bit of role-playing. For example in the SSA when visiting the Harry Stein store, we liked using our just acquired second "civilian" costumes and Walk around to not raise suspicion while scouting the place out.

So any missions, contacts or similar you'd advice we search out either on our 20+ characters, or on lower level alts? We also liked the story with Lt. Harris, who wanted us to kick some Longbow because the women he loved denied him and made fun of him. Dr. Graves with his stupid competition we didn't like. I also liked the missions from Darren Wade in Sharkhead, about the Midnight Squad even though I had a little trouble figuring out the disguise bit.

As we've been playing mostly with each other, we've not really played with any other teams on the server. Also because we felt somewhat inexperienced and thus hesitated to group with people who might have been playing for years. We've just been following the contacts and missions you get while levelling and entering new zones. We haven't really been pointed to any of the stuff I occasionally see in Help like "Sewers" and other channels. What levels should we go where to team up with other players on the server?

If there are any guides that answers questions like this, please point me to them. I've been looking at stickies in some of the sub forums, and guides on the Paragon Wiki, but most focus on explaining the mechanics of the game, not so much what to go and do.

We're playing Villains on Union. I've just joined Union Chat global and might go and ask some similar questions there as well.

Darn, I thought I read it as "What things to do to a new player." :-X

NeWay, if you've never played before, then the Easiest thing to do is follow your contacts and look for times when they have little book icons near their names inside the list as that'll tell you when you're in a linear story arc. Much of the time it's a "choose your own adventure" sort of game, but it is possible to outlevel arcs so be careful if you're really wanting to go for story.

Just play at your own pace, explore, enjoy. Join a few global channels for your server if you want to try a TF/SF. There should be a list on Paragon Wiki

You can always go back to do any TF/SF, story arc, or whatever, so dont worry about outlevelling stuff, but dont rush neither

I recommend the storylines that are found in Striga Isle and Croatoa.

I don't know if you've noticed it or not, but in your COntacts tabe there is a button that says "Find Contact". When you hit level 20 a contact named Stephanie Peebles should have shown up under that tab, she starts the Striga Isle storyline. It's a series of 4 contacts that have a continuing storyline all contained within one zone, much like the Hollows if you ran that earlier (which you should do if you have not yet). After the Striga arc, another contact wil show up in your tab named Gordon Bower, he starts the Croatoa arc.

Those are older arcs, they've been around since Issue 5 or so, but they're still good ones. There is so much to do between level 20 and 30. I also recommend Keith Nance's arc and Roy Cooling (both start at level 20 and can be done up to level 30, so there's no hurry on them)

Also, run the signature Task Forces while you're at it. Doing all 6 of them gives you an accolade that will give you 10% more HP and 5% more endurance. They are: Positron (found in Steel Canyon, level 10-15), Synapse (found in Skyway City, level 15-20), Sister Psyche (found in Independence Port, level 20-25), Citadel (found in Talos Island, level 25-30), Manticore (found in Brickstown, level 30-35), and Numina (found in Founders Falls, level 35-40) Note that you do not have to be within the level range of the TF in order to run it, the only requirement is that you are above the minimum level, it will auto-exemp you if you're above the max.

You might want to run the Moonfire TF while you're in Striga as well, and if you run the entiore story line a TF will unlock that wraps it up (Ernesto Hess is the contact for that). Croatoa culminates in a TF as well (Katie Hannon is the contact for that).

That should keep you guys busy for a while

One of my favorite villain arcs is the arc you get from Seer Marino in Mercy Island. She is a late teens contact; she is introduced by Willy Wheeler and some other contacts, but you can just find her (on Cerberus) and she will start giving you missions.

While in Sharkhead:
Personally I like the mission arc from Diviner Maros. The missions from Crash Cage lead up to Maros' stories so they might be worth running as well.

Later on (mid-thirties) you should visit Technician Naylor in Nerva Archipelago.

For lower alts I would recommend seeing Marshal Brass in Cap au Diable - I never get bored of that story.

My thoughts:

If you like strong stories, it's a bit frustrating that the story text is only easily viewable by the team leader. Remind your teammates to go to the nav bar mission button and read the mission text and if there are parts they can't read as the mission develops, you can paste them into chat yourself.

I'm much less familiar with V-side. So I'll recommend the Mission Architect stories instead. While lots of people use Architect only for farms, there are a ton of fun and interesting stories in the MA if you look for them.

A good place to start is in the MA forum. The stickied threads are a gold mine, but don't be shy -- if you put up a thread asking for ineresting stories you'll get lots of suggestions.

I'll start -- look for everything by @TheCheshireCat.

Welcome to the game, it's good to see new blood finding the game to their liking and really getting into things.

Don't sweat missing things too much. There is a flashback system in game generally referred to as Ouroboros (which is actually the place you access the flashbacks, but it has other content as well). You can play through any arcs you miss the first time around even at level 50.

http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Ouroboros

If you prefer experiencing things the first time around, there's always the option to turn of xp gain as well.

I'll second that Seer Marino's arc is very fun, I still make sure to do it on most of my villains even after doing it at least a dozen times. Note that you don't have to go to her to get the arc, one of your contacts will send you to her as a mission when you reach the right level.

Some of my favorites are Doc Buzzsaw's arcs, she's probably my favorite contact. She's so polite and cheerful, it's easy to forget she's a bit deranged. You open her up by earning a certain amount of influence and being level 25, so just hit her when you can (you should get a popup message when she's unlocked).

In general there are no stinkers villain-side imo. The writers had learned a lot and stepped up their game by the time CoV was released.

So far all the advice seems spot on. I like Willy Wheeler's arc in Cap, and he introduces Seer Marino. Dr. Shelly Percey also has some good arcs in Cap, and she introduces Marshal Brass, a good contact for the history of Cap au Diable.

In Sharkhead, I also liked Dean MacArthur and Doc Buzzsaw. Don't overlook the Strike Forces, Virgil Tarikoss in Cap and Operative Renault and Mortimer Kal in Sharkhead.

In addition, you should be on the lookout for Tip missions. These appear in your Contacts window, on a tab marked "Tips". These are a bit like newspaper missions, but generally more plot intensive and have more "design" in them. While you are doing Tip mission, you'll have the opportunity to "go rogue" and bring your villains to Paragon City, for even more content. However, don't discount the usefulness of staying Villain and getting villainous alignment merits, which can be a huge boost to building a character.

Also, now that you are VIP, don't overlook Praetoria. Praetoria has a lot of plot driven arcs, and overall is a lot prettier than either Paragon City or Rogues Isles. You'll need to start a new toon, of course, and there's no DFB, but I think you'd enjoy the content there a lot.

On V side, two story arcs I happen to enjoy are:

Peter Themari: For me, it was the first arc that actually had a nasty villainy
feel to it.

Johnny Sonata: His story was fun.


Also, every villain I make runs the Radio contact.

Radio! Radio Free Opportunity!

Some of the best writing in the entire game (imho) - all in the contact text
(the missions themselves are pretty standard fare, but the Radio contact itself
makes me smile every time I read it).


GL, HF, Cheers,
4

Welcome to CoX!. I know its not always fun to hear but I am going to start with a you may want to consider a new server now before you get in deep.

I am not trying to diss union in any way. each server is well populated, some lighter then others admittedly, but the main reason is you mention an interest in RP.

Well RP has its haters, this is no secret, so for pretty much the life span of COX we have mainly gathered on Virtue as the unofficial RP server. We have plenty of room for non RPers to but those who play on virtue are expected to respect others RP even if its odd random in character babble in a pug tf or even momma ship raid or ITrial. In my travels through other servers lets just say such casual immersion can be met with a blank face or even outright hostility. And that isnt thier fault really. We RPers got virtue and should be glad we have such a strong community there.

If you do come to virtue there are many light to heavy ranged SGs in many themes. Also its a place where making your own small lore based SGs is greatly respected and though it can take years for a single casual player to build a good sized base. with a few friends and all your characters in it, it can go much faster and you can expect a good sized base within your first 6 months of regular play. faster if you figure it out faster

I rep Crey Global Enterprises, and Midnighters's Club blue side for lore based rp sgs, and Circle of Thorns red side. I founded them all to with the following characters.

Count Alphonse Crey, Bentley Berkeley, and T'Keron Valmaz. not all on the same accounts. My sg are not large in fact these days most are pretty much long time in between casuals and I man a mainly ghost sg but i dont mind our rp allows for easy casual with random folks and the concept has rather well mirrored the way the world has changed through issues.

Also Id actually suggest you start with a praetorian, for 1-20 content that still really is the best of thier newest breed. Allows for a easy rp progression into a red or blue or better yet a rogue or vig so u can experiance alot more content your first time through. I love running with new players through story arcs myself exemeped down frequently, and Also no few good AE arcs exist that are story based.

A short 1 mish story driven one I made long ago is numbered 46665, has a half hour clock on it and is suitable for any either side concepts to run. read the clues as you find them and dont think fighting is always the best option.

oh and before I forget paragonwiki, not for spoilers for missions, always best to go in blidn the first time imo, but to research content. for example if you want to play a demon lots of cox specifics for those and alot more interesting to rp with then some generic angel/devil from real world theology.

Or say you like the dark powers. Lots of lore both magic and science on how you could be aquiring those, red and blue characters who could of been mentors or the like. Seeing those kinds of well thought out concepts using lore can really make for a smooth bit of random RP with total strangers.

Obvious example: Hey that is nice power armor you got there my new friend."

Oh thanks, I was a fire man who was badly burned saving some children from a burning building, positron was so kind as to help repair my body with the gift of this life support armor."

Good ol posi. That guy made this arm for me after I got it bitten off by a giant eyeball during this crazy extra dimensional invasion a few years back."

You dont say a giant eyeball? I saw a guy with some of those chasing after him the other day in talos."

Bad day to be that guy then those things can bite through impervium"

the above is a very basic example of how two strangers familiar with even abit of cox lore about a few icon characters and events we had in the past, can use it to fuel a light RP session out of the blue without a great risk of it devolving into personal RP drama the other has no real interest in, or random im so great blah blah blah talk which are both sadly about the most common forms of random rp you will find still.

Look for tags in Bios like Lore RP, MRP, and Story RP. ERP is well blatantly saying your after some cyber action, ARP is that to a lesser extent, and then the RP with a blank is like saying I dont have a real idea nd like to use a new story with every random stranger.