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So I'm just out of the tutorial...

keikomystkeikomyst Posts: 626 Arc User
edited June 2014 in Missions and Content
This is a thread dedicated to those who want to make the most out of their Silver experience, particularly first-time players who might actually read the forums or maybe, by some crazy chance, have this thread linked to them.

It begins!

So you just got out of the tutorial. Pretty cool, right? You're level 6 now, you can pick up a travel power now! You've just been unleashed into a big city and there's tons of players in the middle area! What should you do first? Before we go anywhere... do you like your Archetype? It's hard to get a good grip on what an Archetype is capable of so early on, so if you find that you don't really like your Archetype's feel, this is a good chance to delete your character and make a new one, and you can even skip the tutorial! I say give every Archetype 'til level 10 to really 'click' with you. If it still feels weird, chances are you won't like the Archetype at all. By the way, if you picked The Mind or The Inferno, they really aren't the best beginner-friendly ATs. Minds are crowd-control healers, and frankly crowd control is pretty bad on CO. Infernos are glass cannons all the way and will die the moment a boss looks at them funny.

After you're done deciding your Archetype, you should speak with Defender and follow his advice. Get to Westside and bust some heads! Find some other fellow newbies and team up with them, or if you're migrating from another game, convince your friends to come too. This game might become really easy when you've got friends, but it's just fun to play with your team. Ignore the red buttons by the minimap that have coins and XP and weird glowy chip things, you shouldn't touch those yet. Don't stress out about having a tank or a healer either. Just go in there and have fun! You'll pick up new powers as you level, some of which drastically change how your character performs in combat.

Your hero is getting stronger!

You'll receive your passive which automatically slots in. Rank this up to 3 unless you're a Behemoth, where it's optional to rank it. You'll receive your Form later too. Make sure it's turned on at all times, because it does drastically affect how much damage you do and gives you free energy with which to use your better attacks. Also, you'll receive your superstats, all three of 'em by level 15. These are important! Focus on getting these stats decently high with whatever gear you find. Yellow numbers are good. If you have energy issues (constantly having to turn on your energy builder, for example) then you'll need to put some Recovery into your gear. Don't sweat that you aren't able to constantly fire off your attacks early on, but later on if you're still using your energy builder something might be amiss. Some ATs do require more Recovery compensation for their energy use, but those are generally Premium Archetypes like The Specialist and The Invincible. By the way, just because the AT is a Premium AT does not mean that it's better than a Silver AT.

About alerts...

Once you hit level 15, NOW you can start pushing those red buttons on the side of your Minimap. These are Alerts, which grant massive experience, decent in-game money and modifications for your gear. The main draw in regards to alerts, aside from the powerleveling possibilities, are the dailies. I personally suggest doing the daily alert missions then going about your normal business progressing through the game as a first time player, because alerts barely even show off 1% of the game. If you're running a second character through, refrain from spamming Alerts so you can experience the whole game through another character.

You'll get 2k Questionite per daily finished, and you can exchange your Questionite for Zen! Last time I checked it was 200 Questionite per 1 Zen, so a daily can net you 10 zen right there. Supervillains also drop Questionite boxes which contain 200, 500, 700 or 1500 Questionite, so if you do your missions and fight lots of supervillains you'll be able to bring in some decent income without spending a single actual dollar. I highly suggest doing this and purchasing a Hideout ASAP, because the hideout bank feature is incredibly useful for storing money past the Silver G limit (250 G, you won't believe how fast this gets annoying) and if you purchase a Penthouse you can get a quick and painless way to get to Millennium City. Once you've done that, you can keep the Zen grind going to purchase new character slots, costume sets and new Archetypes. There's an 8k daily Questionite limit though, so keep that in mind!

Enjoy the game, and don't rush to 40 your first time through! As for you veterans, get the word out, express the message through your own way, show new players that the game isn't just Alerts 'n Vehicles and that this isn't just a 'theme park MMO', despite all of the evidence that says it is.

Now, here's the burning question: Should you subscribe?

Did you enjoy the game? Were you wishing you were able to pick your own powers rather than the measly two choices you were given when playing your Archetype? Do you want to take an awesome concept character and make it on CO? Then yes, subscribing is for you. If you want a more permanent investment, a Freeform slot isn't a bad choice either. A Lifetime Sub is a lot to put down at once but it's a lovely investment if you like the game.

Now, why shouldn't you subscribe? CO's currently in a state of status quo, with nothing really great coming out aside from a few new powers and a few costume sets. Nobody really knows WHY this is happening, but people are growing sour and negative from the development essentially being dead. Don't let this stop you from enjoying what's already here.
Post edited by keikomyst on

Comments

  • jasinblazejasinblaze Posts: 1,360 Arc User
    edited December 2012
    great advice
  • bioshrikebioshrike Posts: 5,491 Arc User
    edited December 2012
    Very well done post! I didn't see it noted, but AT players don't get their passives until level 8. I'd also like to point out, (especially to players who had played CoX previously), that you can target yourself here in CO, so if you have a targeted heal, you can also use it on yourself. It's also worth noting that the Radiant's first attack, 'Rebuke', is also a heal if used on allies.
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  • decorumfriendsdecorumfriends Posts: 2,802 Arc User
    edited December 2012
    Nicely done.

    /e salute
    'Dec out

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  • gtw891gtw891 Posts: 115 Arc User
    edited December 2012
    As an ex-CoX'er having started from sliver to gold I agree for pretty much the same reasons. Nice (and necessary) post.
  • baroness1980baroness1980 Posts: 268 Arc User
    edited December 2012
    Great post, very nicely done
  • canadascottcanadascott Posts: 1,257 Arc User
    edited December 2012
    Thanks Keiko. Forwarding it onto a friend who's on the fence about joining.
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  • serendipitynowserendipitynow Posts: 554 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    Good post, but 1 thing i would add is if you like the game, subscribe for 1 month to try out all the features and freeforms.

    It also gets you 1 free hideout that you keep if you unsubscribe (rather than buying one if all you want is the shared bank) plus 500 zen to spend on anything else you want.
  • roughbearmattachroughbearmattach Posts: 4,784 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    Thanks for the great post
    ___________________________________________________________

    Whoever you are, be that person one hundred percent. Don't compromise on your identity.
  • jorifice1jorifice1 Posts: 588 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    Let me be the first to either:
    A) Nominate this thread for its own Sticky or
    B) Suggest that it be included as part of one of the other New Player Stickys.

    Because this is required reading.

    'Wen considered the nature of time and understood that the universe is, instant by instant, recreated anew. Therefore, he understood, there is in truth no past, only a memory of the past. Blink your eyes, and the world you see next did not exist when you closed them. Therefore, he said, the only appropriate state of the mind is surprise. The only appropriate state of the heart is joy. The sky you see now, you have never seen before. The perfect moment is now. Be glad of it.' Terry Pratchet The Thief Of Time
  • nephtnepht Posts: 6,883 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    jorifice1 wrote: »
    Let me be the first to either:
    A) Nominate this thread for its own Sticky or
    B) Suggest that it be included as part of one of the other New Player Stickys.

    Because this is required reading.

    Its needs its own sticky it covers all the major noob questions seen in zone. Damn fine post.
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  • haleakalahaleakala Posts: 449 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    nepht wrote: »
    Its needs its own sticky it covers all the major noob questions seen in zone. Damn fine post.

    Sticky first, then some way to entice all those noobs to come to the forums and read it. :eek:
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  • roughbearmattachroughbearmattach Posts: 4,784 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    Who can sticky this post? Can Smackwell?
    ___________________________________________________________

    Whoever you are, be that person one hundred percent. Don't compromise on your identity.
  • kenpojujitsu3kenpojujitsu3 Posts: 1,320 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    Brilliant post. A true asset.
    ________________________________________________
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  • biffsmackwellbiffsmackwell Posts: 4,739 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    Stucked. Hope you don't mind I fixed up a title typo.
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  • roughbearmattachroughbearmattach Posts: 4,784 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    Cool, and thanks!
    ___________________________________________________________

    Whoever you are, be that person one hundred percent. Don't compromise on your identity.
  • arcticexpressarcticexpress Posts: 3 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    Thanks for all the useful info. Also +1 for making this a sticky.
  • steamcogsteamcog Posts: 1 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    I really agree with that comment about putting your passive to level 3 quickly. You only have so many power points, but whatever good you're getting from the slotted power (stat bonuses from Primal Might, damage and stealth from Night Warrior, ect) is on full time. Most of my characters get theirs up to full by level 25, and even if I use the points for other stuff, nearly all have level 2 passives by the time points run out.
  • decorumfriendsdecorumfriends Posts: 2,802 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    That's been very helpful to me, as I probably wouldn't have thought to do that. It makes a pretty big difference.
    'Dec out

    QDSxNpT.png
  • tripphtripph Posts: 85 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    As one of those brand new Silvers, thank you VERY much. I've been thinking about subscribing for a month, and I think being able to keep my hideout afterwards may be the tipping point!

    I have another Gold vs Silver question:

    If I make more than two characters, will I lose all but the first two if I go back to Silver? I know freeforms will be locked if I'm not Gold, but what about additional AT characters I might make while I'm Gold? Do I lose access to all but two of those, too?
    _____

    I'm still fairly new. If I screwed up again, let me know.
  • zahinderzahinder Posts: 2,382 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    Another useful note:
    You can get game cards on Amazon (and probably other places), effectively halving the cost of subscription.

    Just did a check, they are selling right now for $8 for 60 days. (S&H will obviously bump that up... ~$13 or so)
    Campaign: The Fenwick Cycle NWS-DKR9GB7KH

    Wicks and Things: NW-DI4FMZRR4 : The Fenwick merchant family has lost a caravan! Can you help?

    Beggar's Hollow: NW-DR6YG4J2L : Someone, or something, has stolen away many of the Fenwicks' children! Can you find out what happened to them?

    Into the Fen Wood: NW-DL89DRG7B : Enter the heart of the forest. Can you discover the secret of the Fen Wood?
  • tripphtripph Posts: 85 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    zahinder wrote: »
    Another useful note:
    You can get game cards on Amazon (and probably other places), effectively halving the cost of subscription.

    Just did a check, they are selling right now for $8 for 60 days. (S&H will obviously bump that up... ~$13 or so)

    AWESOME tip! Thanks!
    _____

    I'm still fairly new. If I screwed up again, let me know.
  • kharma23kharma23 Posts: 403 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    tripph wrote: »
    I have another Gold vs Silver question:

    If I make more than two characters, will I lose all but the first two if I go back to Silver? I know freeforms will be locked if I'm not Gold, but what about additional AT characters I might make while I'm Gold? Do I lose access to all but two of those, too?

    Any character slots you buy will remain with you, gold or silver. So, c'mon and join the ranks of the Altoholics!
    ___________________________________________________

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  • sevenbitbrian7sevenbitbrian7 Posts: 12 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    As someone who played a long time ago and is looking to get back into this game full force; this is a really awesome "guide" to read and help me get my thought process and plan down for playing. Thanks!
  • keikomystkeikomyst Posts: 626 Arc User
    edited April 2013
    I would also like to add now that I only JUST remembered it...

    Alienware Arena is basically CONSTANTLY handing out free Devastator ATs and Viking Costume Sets so long as you're in America or another supported country.

    http://www.alienwarearena.com/giveaway/champions-online-ffa-game-bundle

    If your Keys Available reads 0, ask an American friend to get the code for you.
  • nextnametakennextnametaken Posts: 2,212 Arc User
    edited April 2013
    The alienware deal is only for America, i think.
    I've had trouble sending my European horde there and them not coming back in fur underwear.

    Also get it while its hot,
    Alienware is owned by Dell and Dell is about to sell itself out of the computer business.
  • winterfellprimewinterfellprime Posts: 3 Arc User
    edited May 2013
    this thread is SO amazingly helpful.

    I used to play city of heroes a LOT but now i cant believe how noobish I feel. Theres also the fact that not many people seem willing to converse or team up. maybe i've just been unlucky in that respect?

    Anyway, glad to be here. Looking forward to seeing how things shape up.

    Please feel free to give me a shout/pm etc if you're looking for a noob to groom lol
  • sverbridgesverbridge Posts: 18 Arc User
    edited May 2013
    I didn't know there was a time card for this game. I was thinking about going gold and this now convinced me to do just that. $12.56 for 2 months is a nice deal.
  • themightyzeniththemightyzenith Posts: 4,599 Arc User
    edited May 2013
    The alienware deal is only for America, i think.
    I've had trouble sending my European horde there and them not coming back in fur underwear.

    Also get it while its hot,
    Alienware is owned by Dell and Dell is about to sell itself out of the computer business.

    I'm in Europe and it worked for me:smile:
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  • thundergearincthundergearinc Posts: 12 Arc User
    edited July 2013
    i'm new and this thread helped me thanks
  • thebuckeyethebuckeye Posts: 814 Arc User
    edited July 2013
    tripph wrote: »
    As one of those brand new Silvers, thank you VERY much. I've been thinking about subscribing for a month, and I think being able to keep my hideout afterwards may be the tipping point!

    I have another Gold vs Silver question:

    If I make more than two characters, will I lose all but the first two if I go back to Silver? I know freeforms will be locked if I'm not Gold, but what about additional AT characters I might make while I'm Gold? Do I lose access to all but two of those, too?

    No you won't "lose" any characters if you downgrade from Gold to Silver, however, you will only be able to play two characters + any extra character slots you may have purchased. The Freeform characters won't be accessible beyond 2 that you may retrain into an Archetype, or you can just leave them locked behind the pay wall until you decide to go Gold again.
  • nextnametakennextnametaken Posts: 2,212 Arc User
    edited July 2013
    All your free form gold characters can be retrained to silver archetypes when you go back to F2P.

    If you have more than two characters and you delete a character you lose the entire slot, even if you bought character slots.

    Each deletion will remove a spot until the number of character slots you possess is equal to the two free ones and the number of slots you purchased.

    Still not sure about free slots for hitting 40 while gold , I"m not going to delete 25 slot to find out.
  • krowsyskrowsys Posts: 46 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    I made 2 characters to try the game during the x2 XP weekend.

    I am making some purchases since the Zen is 15% more free but I can't seem to find a way to purchase Zen for my PW/Arc wallet. I usually buy it by the $100 at a time and divide it among my games as needed. I am not planning on spending that much on champions until I'm sure I like the game. So I wanted to purchase a few Zen items as needed.

    If I have to buy it directly to CO unfortunately I won't be buying anything in CO at all and will probably just stick to MH. I already have several Marvel Heroes and I know it is a very different game from CO, But I want to give CO a try since I love STO and NWO.

    Are the vehicles in CO account wide like the Zen ships in Star Trek Online or the Zen Mounts in Neverwinter?

    Does anyone know how to purchase Zen to the Wallet with this new Arc interface instead of directly into each game?
  • flyingfinnflyingfinn Posts: 8,408 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    The way the whole ARC/Zen is set up, i'm stopped buying Zen. It requieres making new option to pay and since the 2 earlier ones were working just fine, i'm wont be submitting my info for the 3rd time, to a yet different option.

    All praise ARC! Hail ARC!

    And yes, Vehicles are account wide. As long as you have the Hideout. You store the Vehicles in the shared storage there. Same way you can share the Auras between your characters. Except the Legacy ones.
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  • krowsyskrowsys Posts: 46 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    flyingfinn wrote: »
    The way the whole ARC/Zen is set up, i'm stopped buying Zen. It requieres making new option to pay and since the 2 earlier ones were working just fine, i'm wont be submitting my info for the 3rd time, to a yet different option.
    And no, i don't think you can spread your purchased Zen to different games anymore.
    All praise ARC! Hail ARC!

    And yes, Vehicles are account wide. As long as you have the Hideout. You store the Vehicles in the shared storage there. Same way you can share the Auras between your characters. Except the Legacy ones.

    Yes, The absence of the former Wallet option is persuading me from buying what I want in CO unless I find I really want to spend 6,050 Zen in a new game I know little to nothing about. I did like Arc until this Wallet option removal.

    So you buy 1 vehicle and you can trade it account wide through your hideout if you own one? Can only 1 Hero use the vehicle at a time?

    I will look into these hideouts, I don't know anything about them or their usefulness.

    Does anyone know if vehicles in CO work like account wide STO Zen ships and NWO Zen Mounts?
    They are account wide so every character on your account can claim, Unlimited characters simultaneously.
  • flyingfinnflyingfinn Posts: 8,408 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    If you buy 1 vehicle, you have 1 Vehicle to share between your characters. You "park" it in the Hideout storage. Where your characters can pick it up and use. Only 1 character at a time can use it, so you need to "park" it, if other one is going to use it.

    There were ARC codes for 2 free Hideouts available awhile ago. No idea if its still available.

    About Hideouts: http://web.archive.org/web/20130913012359/http://www.champions-online-wiki.com/wiki/Hideout

    And, you can transfer Zen to different games:http://www.arcgames.com/en/arc-news/detail/3035853-arc-how-to-buy-zen
    Check the 'Transferring Zen' part.
    Or https://billing.perfectworld.com/mywallet
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  • krowsyskrowsys Posts: 46 Arc User
    edited April 2014
    Thanks Flyingfinn, you were quite helpful.

    Arc does not deposit Zen into your wallet, The last link you supplied does.
  • ninjapiffninjapiff Posts: 282 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    Heh... the first post should really be updated a bit. 200q per Zen? I wish it were still like that.

    Also, these links to various Champions Online promotions should really be listed:

    http://community.arcgames.com/en/news/champions-online/detail/3030473-come-grab-your-free-arc-gifts%21

    This promotion, for Champions Online, gives you the Redeemed Villain, Halloween Webs, and Hats and Heads costume sets. As they usually cost 425z each, this is 1275zen worth of free costume sets! Also, you get a pack of special Titles, which are 'Lord', 'Lady', 'Dr.', 'Sir' and 'The'.

    http://community.arcgames.com/en/news/champions-online/detail/3032463-more-free-arc-gifts%21

    This promotion gives you two of the Hideouts, free of charge. This will give you the Hi Tech Cave and Druidic Sanctum hideouts, allowing you access to a Hideout, and your account bank, for free.

    http://na.alienwarearena.com/giveaways/champions-online-ffa-game-bundle-key-giveaway

    This promotion gives you the Devastator Archetype, usually 1150zen, for absolutely free. Also, you'll get the Viking Warrior costume set, which usually goes for 425zen.


    EDIT: Well, this thread has stagnated a bit. Anyway, it appears that the Alienware Bundle
    Giveaway has (finally) ran out of keys. Therefore, I have removed the link. Oh well. The other two, however, should still be active!


    Hope this helps compile these links, at the very least.
    It makes sense, if you don't think about it.
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  • nextnametakennextnametaken Posts: 2,212 Arc User
    All those promotions are dead.
  • eiledoneiledon Posts: 1,287 Arc User
    All those promotions are dead.


    As was the thread, last post was a year previous to yours 2WCf0cq.gif

    But on topic - most of the OP advice is still good.

    Silvers now get to hold 500g in inventory right off the bat, and can also purchase an account wide expansion from the c-store which will let you hold up to 200,000g per character on your account.
  • senzsunsenzsun Posts: 70 Arc User
    If I can just add one informational comment about hideouts. If you are a gold subscriber or even a lapsed gold subscriber with silver characters, the shortcut to Millennium City via the penthouse is no longer a compelling advantage. There's a much simpler shortcut available in the form a card you can buy very cheaply from the barman in the VIP lounge of Club Caprice. It lets you be in the heart of RenCen in literally two clicks. You can even recharge your stars with Christine Hewitt before that second click.
    ===================================

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  • holloweaverholloweaver Posts: 582 Arc User
    That's one hell of a necro.
  • warcanchwarcanch Posts: 1,069 Arc User
    Well, to be fair, any thread that is Stickied is fair game for necro.​​
    .

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  • crosto#4912 crosto Posts: 1 New User
    ty it helped me alot :) im just a noob player waiting for the game to download :dizzy:
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